Hyundai Bayon vs rivals: Price, specifications compared

Hyundai India has launched the Bayon as the brand’s second contender for the midsize SUV segment, slotting between the Venue and Creta. While the latter two SUVs are available with naturally aspirated (NA) petrol, turbo-petrol, and diesel powertrains, the Bayon comes with a sole NA petrol engine – a CNG version is set to launch in January 2027.

To that end, we examined how the Bayon fares against midsize SUVs that offer NA-petrol engines, specifically the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Honda Elevate, Tata Sierra, Maruti Victoris, Maruti Grand Vitara, Toyota Hyryder, and Citroen Aircross.

Hyundai Bayon vs rivals: Dimensions

	Length (mm)	Width (mm)	Height (mm)	Wheelbase (mm)	Ground clearance (mm)	Boot space (L)	Wheel size (inch)
Bayon	4,245	1,810	1,605	2,600	205	505	16-17
Creta	4,330	1,790	1,635	2,610	190	433	16-18
Sierra	4,340	1,841	1,715	2,730	205	450	17-18
Seltos	4,460	1,830	1,635	2,690	200	447	16-18
Victoris	4,360	1,795	1,655	2,600	210	446	17
Grand Vitara	4,345	1,795	1,645	2,600	210	373	17
Hyryder	4,365	1,795	1,645	2,600	210	373	17
Elevate	4,312	1,790	1,650	2,650	220	458	16-17
Aircross	4,323	1,796	1,665	2,671	200	444	16

The Bayon trails its competition in terms of length and height, but it’s the third-widest SUV here (wider than even the Creta) and matches the Victoris, Grand Vitara, and Hyryder on the wheelbase front. At 205mm, the Bayon’s ground clearance is quite competitive by segment standards – it beats the Seltos, Creta, and Aircross, though the Elevate still leads the pack in this regard.

Boot space is a clear victory for the Bayon, with its 505-litre capacity beating the prior segment-best 458-litre figure of the Elevate by a considerable margin of 47 litres. As for wheel sizes, the Bayon is in line with most of its rivals, with only the Creta, Sierra, and Seltos offering larger 18-inch wheels in higher trims.

Hyundai Bayon vs rivals: Engine and gearbox

	Engine	Power (hp)	Torque (Nm)	Transmission	Drive layout
Bayon	1.5-litre, 4 cyls	115	144	6MT, CVT	FWD
Creta	1.5-litre, 4 cyls	115	144	6MT, CVT	FWD
Sierra	1.5-litre, 4 cyls	106	145	6MT, 7DCT	FWD
Seltos	1.5-litre, 4 cyls	115	144	6MT, CVT	FWD
Victoris	1.5-litre, 4 cyls	103	139	5MT, 6AT	FWD, AWD
Grand Vitara	1.5-litre, 4 cyls	103	139	5MT, 6AT	FWD, AWD
Hyryder	1.5-litre, 4 cyls	103	137	5MT, 6AT	FWD, AWD
Elevate	1.5-litre, 4 cyls	121	145	6MT, CVT	FWD
Aircross	1.2-litre, 3 cyls	82	115	5MT	FWD

Under the bonnet, the Bayon packs the same 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine seen in the Creta and Seltos, that too with identical gearbox options. Even the 115hp/144Nm state of tune has been retained for the Bayon, giving it an immediate advantage over the Grand Vitara, Hyryder, Victoris, and Aircross. It’s also more powerful than the Sierra’s NA petrol engine, though the Tata SUV does make 1Nm more torque. The Aircross’s engine remains the smallest (only one with three cylinders) and least powerful among its rivals, while the Elevate remains the strongest overall.

Circling back to transmissions, the Bayon features a 6-speed manual as standard, which is one gear more than you get in the Grand Vitara, Hyryder, Victoris, and Aircross. The Bayon can be additionally had with a CVT automatic in higher-spec trims, while the Aircross is the only SUV here to not offer an automatic gearbox. Lastly, the Grand Vitara, Hyryder, and Victoris continue to be the only midsize SUVs to offer an all-wheel-drive layout.

Hyundai Bayon vs rivals: Price

	Price range (Rs, lakh)
Bayon	10.00-18.00
Creta	10.91-18.69
Sierra	11.49-18.29
Seltos	11.25-19.82
Victoris	10.50-19.27
Grand Vitara	10.77-18.63
Hyryder*	12.82-17.67
Elevate	11.80-18.38
Aircross	8.89-11.62

*Prices for FWD variants only.

The Bayon carries the second-lowest starting price of the lot, bested only by the Aircross. Compared to the Creta, the Bayon is nearly Rs 1 lakh more affordable at the base level. When looking at top-spec pricing, the Bayon similarly undercuts all its rivals, save for the Aircross, of course.

All prices are ex-showroom, India.