Hyundai Bayon First Drive Review | Should You Still Buy A Creta? | Times Drive

This ladies and gentlemen is what you think of when I say the word Goa. Similarly, you can't think of an SUV without thinking of the Hyundai Creta. Now however, while Goa continues to be the same as before, Hyundai is changing things around a little bit. You see, the Creta is set for an upgrade and once that upgrade comes, Hyundai is already saying that not only is it going to become bigger than before, but it's also going to become more premium. Which is to say, more expensive. And as a result, there is now space for not just one, but two SUVs in this segment. So, what is the solution to this? Well, it is this ladies and gentlemen, the Hyundai BAYON. Today, we're gonna take it out for a drive, we'll tell you everything about it, and we'll answer the big question. Just who is this car meant for? Now one of the biggest factors for people deciding which car to buy in this segment is obviously the way it looks. Design really matters because well, cars are an extension of your personality, so you have to get it right. So I want to start with the design of the car. Let's start with the front. This is the new phase of the SUV in this segment. What I like right away is that there is no connected light design over here. Every car that is launched these days has a connected light design and as a result they all look a bit too familiar to me. So I'm glad Hyundai has taken a different route. Lower half of the car, everything is blacked out here. We see different shades being used here in the bumper. And here we get a big housing for the ADAS module. Level 2 Pro ADAS, we'll get to that in a bit. But this is what the front-end design language looks like. You have the H light signature. It's HQ because if you combine this half and that half, it will become H. H for Hyundai, so you can see what they're after. And the actual headlamp cluster is this one right here. One good thing I found was that Hyundai The base variant of the Bayon LED projector headlamps, which is something that I quite like. I also have to talk about the Hyundai logo which is placed here high on the bonnet and it's massive. Bigger than my hand and you know what they say about people with big hands but jokes aside, this is where the Hyundai logo is. Now let's talk about the side profile. Let's talk about the side profile now where I want to take a bit of a minute and talk about something over here. I think this is actually what the Creta facelift would have looked like. They've just decided to shift the names around and give that name to a bigger car that will come later. You know why? Look at this kink right here. This The strong buttress that the car has is typical Creta's signature, same for this particular line over here as well. Take a look at the current generation of the Creta and you'll see what I'm talking about. Maybe it's just me, what you have to imagine is that this particular panel is blanked out all the way over here because that is again a Creta design element. All of that combined will make this car look very familiar to the Creta. But now, let's talk about boot space because that is what we are here for. Side profile is quite good, we get to see a unique type of body cladding on the wheels. It's very edgy and has a lot of sharp turns around here as well. And I also quite like the alloy wheel design on the car, I think it's quite unique. Last but not the least, I quite like the blacked out housing over here in the outside rearview mirror where the indicator light is and of course the car comes with functional roof rails as well which helps give it a bit of a height and that helps in the road presence. If we talk about the rear design, you can see that you won't see any connected light element here which is something that I quite like. You see connected lights, they came into the picture because the cars were meant to look different but now that every car has connected light design at the back I'm happy to say that this is actually where we are at again. It again looks different by not having it and I quite prefer it this way. But speaking of lights, we want to give you a little demonstration of where the braking light actually is. You will think that it will be in this element, but as you can see, there is an indicator flash here and the regular lighting element is here. The light that lights up when you press the brake is down here. And up here, inside the spoiler, it's burning, which is something that's quite different with all the lights on, you can see, it looks quite different. I particularly like the design element of having a top-mounted brake light in the spoiler itself, I think that looks quite unique. Last but not the least, let's talk about boot space. This cavity here, you'll open the boot space from here, and the camera is housed here as well, something that's quite different. But if I open the boot lid, Two things worth talking about. First, its boot lid is manual, not automatic. Second, the boot space, which Hyundai claims is 505 litres, that is measured all the way up to the top. Now, I know, the way of measuring the boot space has become very difficult. Everyone is doing it in a different way. But what I can tell you by looking at it physically, is that this is a very big boot space. This will cover all of your weekend getaway requirements, your airport runs, none of that will be a problem. And before we wrap up the exterior segment of the car, two more numbers I want to talk about. 2600mm long wheelbase is what this car has. We'll find out just how much space it opens up inside the cabin. And second, 205mm of ground clearance is what you get on this car, which is again a very positive thing. But there is one more thing that I want to mention. That is, this car is very wide. It's a very wide car and as a result, it does not look very tall. And as a result, for those looking for a very prominent tall SUV-like stance, might want to check it out in person first. Now let's talk about the interiors and I think this is why you would want to consider this car in the first place because well, let's be honest, nobody does interiors like the Koreans do and the Hyundai Bayon is no different. I love how this cabin comes together. Everything feels good quality, well put together. Everything feels like it's been not built to a cost and all of it really comes together rather well. The color theme that we are getting to see in the interior, I also liked it a lot. The lower half of the cabin, throughout the car, comes in a white color finish. And the upper half is all blacked out. Of course, you can also choose a different type of cabin theme in the car. All black cabins are also available with the BEYOND. Right now, the car we are testing, we are getting this dual tone cabin theme, which is something that I quite like. But I have to mention something that I always mention for bright colored cabins. When you look at this car in the showroom, you will like it a lot. This different colour scheme will look very unique. But it can be a little difficult to maintain it. If you are someone who doesn't really maintain their cars, maybe stay away from the dual tone theme. But if you are someone who can keep your interior clean, well, this is something that you can genuinely consider. Especially this dual tone steering, I really liked it inside the car. Talking about the steering wheel, let me tell you that we don't get to see the Hyundai logo here. The same four dots, Which is more scored for the letter H. We get to see here, as we have seen in the recent new Hyundai cars. We get to see the same thing here as well. Big talking point about the interior has to be this center console over here, which is where the HVAC buttons are. Two things, these buttons are visible but they are touch-based. So, you will have to sort of remember where the buttons are because they are touch-based. But, it's very ergonomic, it's very easy to reach and I think they are very well placed out, everything is well within reach. One thing that I liked was the fact that the fan speed has a physical dial for it. Talking of physical dials, the volume control system is far better than a touch based control system. Second thing that I want to talk about these AC vents is that when you are driving, you will feel that the air coming from the vents is coming from your hands. So if you're someone who likes blasting AC on your face, well, this is something that you have to experience for yourself in a dealership before making up your mind. One thing that I liked is that even though there are touch-based HVAC buttons, but they are not finished in gloss, so it's not a fingerprint magnet, so to say. Other things worth noting, there's a wireless charging pad, two USB-C ports, two cup holders, There is a good amount of underarm storage here. And yes, there are cooled seats in the car for the front passengers. The back passengers don't get to see the cooled seats in this car. I also liked this a lot. It's a good storage space where you can keep your phone very comfortably. The glove box is also decently sized. You get other things like a dash cam in the top-end variant of the Bayon as well along with a blue link connectivity system which you can see here on the inside rearview mirror. Now, let's talk about the screens because, well, that is... What a lot of people want to know about. It has a huge screen, curved screen panel, which makes the car feel futuristic. And I really liked the touch response. Crisp animations, crisp graphics, a very smooth system to use and we get to see the wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless Android Auto in this car which is something that I quite like. The screen size is big enough, so if you use maps on it, you won't have any problem. Let's talk about the All-Digital Instrument Cluster, which is also fully digital. And one thing that I liked a lot is that it is very customizable for the fonts and colors and themes that it has on offer. You go to the screen, three types of layout, simple, modern, classic. If we talk about the space, you get a large panoramic sunroof up top, if that is something you are into. And if we talk about the space, you get a large panoramic sunroof up top, if that is something you are into. And if we talk about the space, you get a large panoramic sunroof up top, if that is something you are into. And if we talk about the space, you get a large panoramic sunroof up top, if that is something you are into. And if we talk about the space, Well, that is something that I wish was a little bit better for some reason. There is enough compartment spaces. You have a sunglass holder. You can keep your phone over here. You have a couple of cup holders over here as well. Wireless charging pad. But the door pockets, I wish were a little bit bigger as well. You can fit a small bottle in it. If you want to put a big 1-litre bottle in it, you won't be able to do that here. Last but not the least, let's get ergonomics out of the way. Very comfortable ergonomics. You can adjust everything very well for yourself. The driver side seat is electrically adjustable. Passenger side seat is manually adjustable. And the steering wheel can be adjusted for both reach and height in the cabin. And that will enable you to find the perfect ergonomic position for you. And that is something that I quite like. Your knee doesn't hit here. This is something that I have honestly hated in some of the newer cars. They give a huge panel here and your knee is always touching it. You don't get to see that problem here and I'm very happy to report that. But now, let's get to the back. Let's talk about the rear space comfort. Let's talk about the rear seats. I have a drop-down armrest over here with a couple of cup holders. I get two headrests at the back. We don't get to see three headrests here. I wish that wasn't the case. There's a rear AC vent here at the back. And along with that, there's a USB Type-C port and a power socket here. And there's a small space here where you can keep your phone if you want. So, you get to see only one sleeve at the back. There's no sleeve on this side of the seat. And if we talk about space, then to give you an idea, My height is 5 foot 10. I've set the driver's seat as per my height. You can see I have a decent amount of knee room on offer. Under-thigh support is also decent. I wouldn't say it's anything great. And I do find myself sitting a little bit up high. So the visibility out in the front is actually very good. But that brings me to the other area that you need to keep in mind, which is headroom. So as you can see, I'm very close to the roof of the car. If you're someone over six feet tall, well, this is going to be a cramped space for you. And this is where the height of the car also makes itself felt. It's not a very tall car and you're seated a little bit higher up at the back. So the headroom is at a premium. Knee room is not a problem. The cabin is decently wide as well. You can have three people sit abreast over here, but it will feel like it's a bit of a squeeze. Last but not the least, door handles. Now I know internet likes to talk about irrelevant things. The shape of the door handle is very similar to that of an old Hyundai car. Yes, you're right. I don't think it makes any much of a difference in everyday life. They work as door handles, they open the door, gets the job done. What you do need to know though is that the door pocket over here as well is only best for small bottles. Well, now let's talk about the driving experience of the Hyundai Bayon. First thing first, let's get the numbers out of the way. What you have, the sole engine option on this car is a 1.5-litre MPI petrol engine. It's a four-cylinder engine. It's naturally aspirated, makes 115 PS of power and 143.8 Nm of torque. Now, this engine can be had with either a six-speed manual transmission Or an IVT transmission, which is Hyundai-speak. for the CVT gearbox and we are driving the same engine with the automatic transmission option today and the first question I want to address about this drivetrain is is this enough and I'm happy to report it actually is You see, I'm driving in the narrow roads of Goa, in everyday driving conditions per se, city traffic. In all of these conditions, I don't really feel like I should have 160 PS, turbocharged, dual clutch gearbox drivetrain. Sure, it will be good to have. But it's not something that I feel like is a necessity in everyday driving conditions. You see, I'm currently driving the Hyundai Creta long-term test unit, which is part of our fleet. And that is the 1.5-litre, 160PS, turbo-petrol, DCT version. And I quite like that car as well. It's fantastic. It's one of the best performance cars in the segment. Now that I come to this, do I feel like I am trading a lot? Will I trade a lot in everyday driving conditions? I don't particularly think so. Because for me, I am someone who drives with a light foot. I like to drive comfortably. I don't like everyday traffic conditions, brakes, accelerators, fast cars. I don't like all these things. I drive very comfortably. I drive very slowly. And for me too, I don't think that I drive slowly. I drive very slowly. I'm justifying that drivetrain where I'm getting a 160 PS power and dual clutch transmission gearbox. This is also good for me. I don't have too many complaints. So if you are a person who likes to drive the car comfortably, I don't think you will have much to complain about. The engine, honestly, is okay. It gets the job done. But it is the transmission that I want to talk about. This car comes with the IVT gearbox, which is a continuously variable transmission setup that this car gets. And in typical CVT fashion, it can get quite boomy inside the cabin at high revs. So for example, if I were to press the accelerator, I think you'll be able to hear this in the camera. This is how loud Everything gets inside the cabin, so that rubber band effect is very much there and it gets pretty loud in the cabin under intense acceleration as well. Hyundai has done one more thing here, they have given a dash mode which reads the data from your throttle position sensor and if the car feels that you need to dash, you need that immediate boost, then that dash mode gets activated. Basically, even if it's not all the way there, my dash mode is activated. And what that essentially does, is that it's not that the power output of your engine is more than 115 PS, that's not possible, the engine stays as is, but the calibration changes there. The gearbox holds the RPM for longer, and it makes for Faster, quicker changes through the steps at higher RPM band and that gives you more performance on offer. Is that something that makes the car fast? Yes, that's actually the good thing. If you want to do that quick overtake or you are driving on the highway and you have got the opportunity to overtake and you want to take that opportunity. So, you can easily do that in this car. This will actually help you do that. So, there is no problem of speed acceleration. But when this happens, then the gearbox stays at higher RPM. It shifts at 5,500-6,000 RPM on the dash mode. And at that time, there is a lot of noise in the car. And that is something that you pretty much have to live with if you are choosing the Bayon Automatic. Because apart from this, we are not getting any other automatic gearbox option in the car. What does make things a little bit better though is the fact that not only can you shift the gear lever in manual shifting modes you've got plus and minus but you also have paddle shifters on board which help you have a little bit of control over the gearbox and in exchange control the noise level inside the cabin which is coming from the drivetrain as well that does make things a little bit better so credit where it's due Hyundai has done their best. To make the most of this naturally aspirated engine by giving it the dash mode which actually does make things a little bit better But the gearbox at the end of the day is still a CVT gearbox So the typical traits of the gearbox continue in the Bayon as well. Let's talk about other things brakes very good Good feedback and bite What's fantastic though? And what I think is the highlight of the driving experience is the ride quality setup. The suspension and the chassis setup is actually quite impressive and it will take bad roads with ease, will not leave you wanting for more. There are no loud thuds inside the cabin. All in all, the ride quality is actually very nice and very well suited for everyday driving conditions as well. Even at high speeds, the car feels stable. It feels planted even at triple digit speeds. And I think ride quality wise, this car is really doing very well. This is still my first drive impression. This is not a proper review. I would want to spend more time but The first impressions are so positive that I would go on to say that if it is not the best ride and handling setup in the segment, it is definitely right there amongst the top. Last but not the least, I have talked a lot about the noise. The noise is definitely coming from the drivetrain but as I am driving the car right now. with a light foot if you were to drive it this way you wouldn't mind anything at all because the noise isolation from everything that's outside the car that's actually quite good every every kind of ambient noise has been suppressed rather well and that makes for a premium experience i quite like that So there you have it, this is everything you need to know about the Hyundai Bayon. Now let's answer the big question, the answer to which we started to find in this video. Who is this car meant for? Well... There are some shortcomings in this package but to be honest those are shortcomings only if you're someone who prefers buying cars with their brochure readouts because let's be honest, it's great to have those 1.5 liter turbocharged 160 horsepower DCT engine options. They are all good. I understand it. They give the cars their personalities and that is why you want to have that in your lineup. But here's the truth, most of the people actually end up buying the other drivetrain options variants which are from the middle of the lineup of the entire range. So you really need to think of this car as falling in that range. When you think of it that way, this car actually makes a lot of sense. It's a very sensible car and that's why I think this is something that's meant for quite a lot of people. Yes, there is no diesel engine option and I think that is a big miss but at least there is There is the CNG version coming. in 2027 that is confirmed in january it's coming so there is something for you to look forward to as it stands the hyundai bayon is a very sensible car you really have to go visit the dealership to understand this car better to get a feel of how everything is put together the good quality interiors i think is a very big draw for you so you really have to Check this car out in the old way, yes it's not a brochure champion but I think this is still a very very sensible car. Let's see how the market responds, as of now I leave quite impressed.