MOTORING NEWS - Calling really, really old people, who still know what hippies were like in the flesh. Remember anything that happened during 1986? Neither does this writer.
That was during my drinking days and the entire decade is just a big blur, with a few car stunts and physical pleasures standing out.
Refreshingly, Google assures me that 1986 saw a hit song from Huey Lewis and the News, called Hip to Be Square.
The rock song, written by Bill Gibson, Sean Hopper and Huey Lewis, appeared on seven-inch vynil, courtesy of Chrysalis Records. It reached Number 3 on the American Billboard Hot 100.
According to Lewis, the song was hugely misconstrued by boring conservative people, who flocked to buy it.
“It was meant to be ironic and never intended as an anthem for square people, but a harsh criticism of them. And, because they were square to begin with, they were unable to see the irony of themselves buying it,” he said.
Apparently, a disgusted Lewis considered the widely misunderstood message of the song one of the biggest regrets of his career, though he gracefully accepted the millions the song made for him.
We can offer Lewis some solace. Certainly his masterpiece was misunderstood, but it did predict the birth of a car, many years later, in 2018.
At the time, this writer noticed that the Hyundai Creta had a box-like quality – its hip to be square.
Today, four years later, that same car has been slightly reinvented and continues to attract buyers to the Korean carmaker, and, like its three predecessors, the new Hyundai Grand Creta boasts a prominent rear loading area – it’s hip to be square.
To earn the “Grand” part of its moniker, the Creta was made 200 mm longer and fractionally taller. It can now theoretically seat five adults and two kids or, if you fold down the backs of the rear seats, house a massive 1 670-litres of packing space.
So, a family vehicle above all, and we decided to measure it accordingly when we got to test the Hyundai Grand Creta 1.5D Elite.
It is powered by a turbocharged, four-cylinder, 1 493 cc diesel engine that produces 84 kW of power at 4 000 rpm, plus 250 Nm of torque between 1 500 and 2 750 rpm. This goes to the front wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission.
Driving the Grand Creta revealed a surprising amount of performance. This does not emanate from its power which, at 84 kW, does not come to the party with any gusto.
However, the wide and healthy torque band, added to a remarkably smooth transmission, gave the vehicle definite urge in the mid-range. It would cruise effortlessly at the legal limit all day.
Hyundai claims the Grand Creta will accelerate from standstill to 100 km/h in 10.5 seconds with a top whack of 190 km/h, and we do not have reasons to disbelieve them.
The vehicle feels solid and refined, with the suspension doing a remarkable job in ironing out bumps in the road.
The steering is direct with a decent amount of feedback, and the car maker points out a ground clearance of 200mm, which means you can drive on dirt roads without fearing damage.
The package sits on spoked alloy 18-inch wheels in 215/55R18 rubberware, and we are delighted to report a full-sized spare wheel.
Being a family car, the Grand Creta boasts active safety features like ABS, stability control, hill-start assist, automatic on-off LED headlights, park distance control front and rear plus a tyre pressure monitor.
Passive measures to keep the family healthy in a crash include airbags for the driver and front passenger, plus four curtain airbags in the back.
Making the interior a pleasant place are things like leather trim, a panoramic sunroof, ventilated seats, a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a multi-function steering wheel, keyless entry, plus fold-down tray tables for the second-row passengers.
At R559 900 the Hyundai Grand Creta 1.5D Elite is sold with a seven-year/200 000 km warranty, a four-year/60 000 km service plan and roadside assistance for seven years or 150 000 km. Service intervals are at 15 000 km.
