KIA SELTOS - The Roaring Tiger
The global automobile industry is very well dominated by the Japanese and Korean brands, they use their potential to create mean machines at a price that fit everyone's pockets. Be it Toyota, Honda or Hyundai, these brands are household names preferred by enthusiasts of all ages. One such famous name originating from the land of Gangnam Style and BTS is Kia Motors. After creating an impact all over the world, Kia Motors entered the Indian market in 2019 with the Seltos to compete with already popular Hyundai Creta. They made 3 different variants for the Seltos, one for North America and parts of Asia, the other 2 for China and India. 3 years after the India launch, Seltos was re-launched in 2022 with minor aesthetic changes and a price hike. The base variant petrol starts at ₹10.49lakhs and goes up to ₹18.65lakhs for X-Line diesel ex-showroom Delhi. What does the new facelift version have to offer and how is it different from the competition? Let us find out!
Engine and Engineering
The SUV comes up with 3 powerful BS VI compliant engine options to choose from - 1.5L Petrol engine producing 115hp and 144nm of torque combined with a 6-speed manual, 6-speed IMT and CVT automatic transmission, then comes the 1.4L Turbo Petrol engine that produces a whopping 140hp and 242nm of torque paired with 6-speed manual and 7-speed DCT, and finally comes the 1.5L Turbo Diesel producing 115hp and 250nm of torque, earlier the Diesel engine was only offered with 6-speed manual and CVT transmission but Kia introduced the IMT transmission in 2022 facelift version. Mix of ups and downs with all 4-disc brakes and better suspension but it still does not offer a 4-wheel drive. To assist in every terrain possible, the Kia SUV has 6 driving modes - Sport, Mud, Eco, Normal, Snow/Wet and Sand. Seltos also has a heavy 50L fuel tank which sure adds more weight but who cares about weight in a family SUV. After talking about all the good things that should matter in an automobile, lets discuss the ARAI mileage for the boring people, the 1.5L Petrol engine gives a mileage of 16.8km/l whereas the Turbo Petrol engine is not that behind with 16km/l, the Diesel engine gives the mileage of 20.8km/l.
Design
Kia has given the Seltos a classy yet an aggressive look that has a certain "in your face" quality. The aggressive look starts with the iconic Tiger Nose grill with chrome borders and LED DRL's that have a heartbeat effect. Adding to the overall style are 8 eye-catching colors that include - Intense Red, Glacier White Pearl, Steel Silver, Gravity Gray, Aurora Black Pearl, Clear White, Matte Graphite and Punchy Orange. Coming to the dimensions, the Seltos is 4.3m long, 1.8m wide and 1.6m high with a wheelbase of 2.6m and 190mm ground clearance to hover over the speed bumps on the otherwise perfect roads. The Hyundai Creta has more height but Seltos is 45mm longer, 20mm wider and has 200mm more wheelbase. Going beyond the conventional design language are the vertical fog lights and Crystal Cut Matte Graphite Alloy wheels. The upmarket exterior of the Seltos is designed to please the audience of all ages.
The interior of the Seltos is as amazing as the exterior, it offers a flat bottom steering wheel, dual tone color that includes both hard and soft touch materials, the GT Line variant on the other hand comes with all black interior with gloss black panel and beautiful red stitching on the seats and to the steering wheel to give sporty appeal. The sportiness does not stop there, the GT Line automatic variants include plush aluminum paddle shifters too which are just amazing. Well the rear seat passengers frankly don't care about sportiness and thankfully Kia thought about them, the rear seats are okay to sit but has great legroom, thigh support is not the best though, the rear seats also recline by some angle for some added comfort. Massive 433L boot space to keep enough luggage for a happy road trip.
Features
Kia is known to add a lot of features and tech to its cars that appeals to the young and futuristic buyers, they make sure to include everything that is required along with features that makes these cars a premium purchase. Some of the premium features include a Bose 8-speaker sound system, ventilated front seats, 8-inch heads-up display, 360-degree camera with front and rear parking sensors, a smart air purifier with rear vents, powered driver seat and voice recognition system because it's good to give voice instructions instead of clicking buttons like a cave person. The IRVM has an automatic dimming function that is super helpful and should be made compulsory in all cars, it also has 3 buttons for immediate roadside assistance. The 7-inch instrument cluster and 10.25-inch infotainment system creates a beautiful single flow black panel display inspired by Mercedes but now it is common in most cars for example XUV 700. The highlight of all features in the Kia Seltos is the UVO Connect app that connects the smartwatch as well, it gives a plethora of options to the owner like starting the car, switching on the AC before entering, Geofencing so to track the location of where the car has been or where the car is right now if you have given the keys to your notorious friend or kid.
Driving and Performance
Now, let us talk about what we all enthusiasts wait for, that is the performance capabilities of the car. Entering the Seltos, the driver seating position is perfect with good visibility, the flat-bottom steering wheel is good to grab as well. There is lag in the throttle response but the Seltos has amazing handling powers, with perfect ride balance and ease at corners makes you crave to drive more, though the steering response needs a minor improvement as well. The suspension is so good that the Seltos feels more of a European car than South Korean. Yes, the competition offers a better engine but it is the refinement in this that speaks volume.
Safety
Majority of the automobile companies, especially from the eastern part of the world have a vision to give their customers a comfortable family car that goes easy with the pockets but in doing so they leverage the safety of the cars which is just not acceptable. Kia has added a lot of safety features in the Seltos making it far better than other cars like Hyundai and Creta, but still the build quality and the materials used needs improvement. Seltos achieved a Global NCAP 3-star rating for adults and 2-star for children and the reason they could achieve even these ratings were thanks to 6 airbags, all wheel disc brakes, hill start assist, ABS + EBD and a combination of ESC, HAC, VSM and BA.
Conclusion
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Fancy and Luxurious yet Subtle design | Safety not adequate |
| All Premium Features | Could improve in Engine numbers and Performance |
The KIA motors came to India with a bang, the Seltos surely provided them with much needed boost to go on a hand to hand combat with other already established players. The Seltos is a feature rich and futuristic car but it needs some improvement on the engine numbers, build quality and performance. Families living in urban areas that adore the technology and comfort will totally admire the car for what it can do. I would recommend to go for 1.4L Turbo Petrol GT Line with DCT to get the best of everything.