Reaching for the Stars: Hyundai Creta and Stargazer Drive in Cebu

Cebu is one of my favorite places in the Philippines. In fact, ever since I could afford to pay for my own travels, I would always take a trip to what is known as the “Queen City of the South” at least once a year. From the food to the people, to the place itself, Cebu is a beautiful province.

You can imagine my excitement when I got invited by Hyundai Motor Philippines, Inc. (HMPH) to join their first ever media drive, ever since they took over the local management of the Korean automaker last year. I would finally be able to return to my favorite place for the first time since the pandemic began, and what better way to do so than with the Hyundai Creta and Stargazer, two of the brand’s most important models.

The Hyundai Adventure

After a quick 45-minute hop from Manila to Mactan-Cebu, a 45-minute shuttle bus ride from the airport to the Hyundai Cebu South dealership, we were ready to take the two models on a drive around the island—through busy city streets, long stretches of coastal highways, through twisty mountain roads, and finally through Cebu’s famed Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) aka “3rd bridge” to locals.

After a light and quick breakfast, we were ready to go on what HMPH dubbed The Hyundai Adventure: Creta and Stargazer in Cebu.

Design Impressions

Parked right outside and welcoming us to Hyundai Cebu South was a fleet of around 6 Cretas and 6 Stargazers, both models introduced in the local market last year and with their own unique design languages. The Creta shows off its baby Tucson look with its parametric front grille and hidden LED daytime running lights. Its rear also looks very unique which to be honest, I don’t know how to describe. It just looks good.

The Stargazer on the other hand wears a baby Staria look with its futuristic spaceship like appearance especially with its LED light bar in front, sharp lines, and rounded appearance.

As for their respective interiors, the Creta once again goes for a baby Tucson look with its highly similar design language. The Stargazer then gets its own unique look, not similar to any other mainstream Hyundai vehicle. Both are also designed to last longer with their hard touch plastic materials all around which do at least give the feeling of quality. Both vehicles also feature comfortable leather seating.

The Drive

Our route for today was basically a small loop on mainland Cebu. We would drive through the streets of Cebu’s North Reclamation Area from Hyundai Cebu South (A), head to the Cebu South Road Properties via the Cebu South Circumferential Road (CSCR), out to Cebu South Road to a Shell gas station in Naga City (B). After a quick stop, we drove through some twisties on the Naga-Uling Road and Cebu-Toledo Wharf Road to Toledo City. From there we made our way to the Cebu Transcentral Highway where our lunch stop, Lakeview Le Jardin (C) was located. After a quick vehicle change after lunch, we headed back to Cebu City and then to the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (D) for some photo and video opportunities, before heading to our hotel on the northeastern tip of Mactan Island (E).

Since we were 4 in the car, 2 would drive the Creta, and the other 2 would drive the Stargazer. I opted to drive the Creta but started off as a passenger. Once we got moving, I immediately felt how comfortable the Creta actually is. The ride is pretty soft though with the occasional firmness when on bumpier roads. Engine and wind noise is also well insulated while road noise does come in at around 60 kph but not to a point that it would be annoying. The seats of the vehicle themselves were also quite comfortable.

After a quick driver change at the Shell station, it was my turn to get behind the wheel of the Creta. As soon as we got moving, I immediately felt how responsive the vehicle was. It responded to my inputs in acceleration and steering immediately.

Being the lucky one to drive on the twisties, I was able to test out its performance very much easily. Under the hood of the Creta (and Stargazer) is a 1.5-liter Inline 4-cylinder naturally-aspirated gasoline engine that puts out 115 hp and 144 Nm of torque, paired to an Intelligent Variable Transmission (IVT), Hyundai’s version of a CVT.

On this part of the drive, I was able to test out the Creta’s performance on uphill roads, plenty of overtaking, and twists and turns. To sum it all up, the Creta was fun to drive. Its output numbers may not sound like much but is was certainly enough. At the same time, putting the vehicle in Sport mode allowed me to use the full force of the engine, while also improving handling with slightly heavier steering. The steering by the way is quite light, but not too light. A perfect balance for both city and highway driving.

Lunch at Lakeview Le Jardin

After a very fun first part of this adventure, it was time to get our bellies filled. The HMPH team gave us quite the lunch, not only with the good food served at Lakeview Le Jardin, but also with three different choices of Lechon, a Cebu signature. All of which tasted good, but with different textures and flavors suited for different tastes. Knowing the people in the motoring industry, we all surely have different tastes.

After lunch, we had a little bracelet making session with a beautiful view of the nearby valley and lake right next to us. Thankfully, the weather was quite cool. Some also took this opportunity to catch up with other media friends. After that, it was time for some photos with the Creta and Stargazer, before we went on our way, this time with the Hyundai Stargazer.

Stargazer

With my driving duty completed earlier, it was now time to relax in the backseat of the Hyundai Stargazer. This is the latest product to join the local Hyundai lineup and features seating for 7 passengers. Obviously, space is extremely plentiful giving me more than enough room to relax.

Once on the road, the Stargazer felt unsurprisingly similar to the Creta in terms of comfort. Our driver for this segment, despite being into racing, had to stay calm as weather conditions were wet with low visibility due to fog. This gave us even more comfort at the rear though we’re sure that even if our drive chose to be aggressive, it would not be a problem with the Stargazer. He likewise enjoyed driving the Stargazer, the same way we did in the Creta.

Cebu City and Mactan’s “Third Bridge”

And once we got into Cebu City, we were greeted by the city’s infamous traffic. The Stargazer proved its comfort once again with no complaints from anyone. After an unfortunate split with the rest of the convoy, we got to our meetup point before CCLEX ahead of everyone (thanks to my love for Cebu we didn’t get lost). Once we got onto CCLEX, we couldn’t help but be amazed at the engineering marvel that it is, as well as the beautiful postcard view of Cebu City’s skyline against the backdrop of mountains and the Mactan Channel in the foreground. Cebu City really is just beautiful.

Day 2: Hopping around some islands!

I love island hopping activities. Before the pandemic hit, I would go with my friends and fly to some popular local destinations to go on these activities and here I was doing it for the first time with work buddies. Today’s weather conditions? Windy. That meant stronger waves but that’s okay as our boat man knows best. While many on the boat seemed scares, I had fun. Well I’m used to it anyway.

We visited two islands, the first was Gilutongan Island and Marine Sanctuary, and Pandanon Island. The first was just off the coast of Cebu’s Olango Island in Lapu-lapu City, while the second was already part of neighboring Bohol province.

I decided not to get myself into the snorkeling activities at the first island due to the conditions but for those who went, they surely had fun marvelling the sight of schools of fish enjoying their lives underwater. After that, we headed for lunch on the second island. This one had a nice beach and several cabanas. This place was relaxed and of course, island hopping food is the best.