Kia Seltos

Design

The tech line is the more high-end, sophisticated trim, while the GT Line is the sportier one. And so the latter gets embellishments in the form of red strips in the front and rear bumper, and along the sides; and also red hubcaps, front brake calipers, the GT Line badging on the grille and rear (as well as on the steering wheel) a faux scuff plate element on the front and rear bumpers, and a specific dual tone alloy wheel pattern.

The grille though with its textured chrome grille surround and glossy back mesh pattern grille, LED day time running lights (DRLs) and taillamps, and a full LED headlamp cluster at the top end are common to both. As is the LED strip that takes the DRLs further along the top of the front grille almost all the way to the centre - as the car's nightime signature. This only comes on when the parking or head lights are used. The 1.4 petrol automatic gets huge '7 DCT' badging high on the right fender. Some variants get a sunroof, but roof rails are standard. It has 8 colour options with 5 dual tone variations added on. And the two-tone roof variants have either black or orange contrast options. So that means a total of 13 choices options overall.

Cabin

The cabin on the Seltos is going to impress you for a couple of reasons. First, it brings in a fresh appeal in terms of styling, layout, features, functions and gadgets for sure. And second, it sets new benchmarks for this segment. There's a huge 10.2-inch screen in the top spec, which has Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, navigation with a full screen or split display. There is also the Smart Pure Air, an Inbuilt air purifier on this car. Then you got the head-up display, along with a 7-inch MID screen, which has excellent animation, good resolution and again sets a new benchmark in this segment. You can see torque and turbo outputs, there's a compass, tyre pressure, live readings and you've got the usual trip computer settings like fuel economy, driving range. The driver information for your trip, all of that information is there as well. The SUV also gets wireless charging, along with UVO connected car system with an embedded sim or E-Sim. You can start/stop your car, lock/unlock the car's doors and even operate the climate control system.

Because it's the GT line you get black interiors, looks quite nice and sporty, little red stitching elements all around, and the GT line badging on the seats as well, and the flat-bottom steering wheel with red stitching, GT line badge again. Some of the other common elements are the piano black and dull metal finishes that you see all around. So well put together, and like I said, something that's going to get a lot of attention and scare a lot of the rivals. The Tech Line trims get beige upholstery with honeycomb kind of pattern. The rear seat space is good enough for a six-footer and there's enough knee, shoulder and headroom on offer. There are rear AC vents too for the comfort of the passengers. Additionally, the rear seat receives a 60:40 split which helps in providing some additional space if you use up all the 433 litres of boot space provided.

Engine & Driving Performance

Kia has brought in three different drivetrains, each with automatic or manual, and three different technologies on automatic as well. The 1.4 GDI Turbo petrol is coupled with the DCT transmission. It's also the one that comes with different drive modes, so there's Normal, Eco and Sport. So it is only the DCT GDI combination that gives you these different drive modes, you also get different traction modes like Snow and Mud, but remember that's got nothing to do with the four-wheel-drive system, that's not an option. 

Across the Seltos range, one big chink in the Seltos' armour is the steering. It's kind of softened up for the India-spec model. In some senses I get that a lot of Indian drivers will actually like that, really smooth and soft, but we would have liked it to be a little stiffer. Having said that, that's again where the advantage comes in on the GDI, with the DCT, with the drive modes again. So, you get the sport mode, where things do stiffen up a bit, and I quite like the way the steering feels in sport mode. But the big USP that's going to stand out and set benchmarks for the Seltos - ride, and handling. The handling is not bad for a car of this size, shape and height. But it's the ride quality that's going to set new parameters of comfort in terms of what people will start to expect and what will impress a lot of buyers, including those who will sit at the back.

The Seltos’ diesel avatar gets a 1.5-litre motor that makes 113 bhp and there is 215 Nm of torque on offer. A good amount of torque that kicks in at around 1,750 rpm and it does pick up pretty well too. The power output is also impressive and kicks in quite early. So, it helps in city driving. What is of note here though is that clutch, though light, the travel is pretty long, that is why you don't enjoy driving this one really. But the light clutch really makes a difference. But the gearshifts are really nice, a flick of the wrist and gears change. Exceptionally good job done here by Kia.

Price

The Kia Seltos in mainly offered in two options – Tech Line and GT Line and come in 7 variants, and based on engine, transmission and dual tone choices, 24 different trims. All of them are priced between Rs. 9.89 lakh to Rs. 17.65 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). At that price, the Seltos is marginally more expensive than its main rival, the Hyundai Creta, which starts at Rs. 9.81 lakh going up to Rs. 17.32 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). At the same time, another rival SUV that comes with connected technology is the MG Hector and that’s priced at Rs. 12.83 lakh to Rs. 18.08 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) which makes it up to almost Rs. 3 lakh more expensive than the Seltos.