Kia Seltos Truly Badass, Price, Review & Specs

Kia Seltos a Car launched by Kia Motors, which is a sibling of Korean manufacturer Hyundai. Kia Motors made its Debut in the Indian market in AutoExpo 2018 with the concept version of Kia Seltos which was named SP Concept.

Kia Seltos has been launched in India at an enticing starting price of Rs 9.69 lakh (ex-showroom India).

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Kia Seltos Prices & Variants: 

The Seltos is offered in two main models – Tech Line and GT Line. The Tech Line has five variants namely – HTE, HTK, HTK+, HTX and HTX+ – which are priced between Rs 9.69 lakh to Rs 15.99 lakh. On the other hand the GT Line has three variants – GTK, GTX and GTX+ – for which price starts from Rs 13.49 lakh and goes upto Rs 15.99 lakh (all prices, ex-showroom pan-India).

Kia motors has come up with the turbocharged petrol-Auto and diesel-Auto drivetrain options for the top-spec GTX+ variants.

Kia Seltos Exteriors:

Like the Creta, the Seltos also has the square and upright look that Indians love. The Seltos is also a bit bigger than the Hyundai Creta. It is 45mm longer, 20mm wider and the wheelbase is longer by 20mm too. However, in terms of height, it is less than the Creta. This is because the Seltos is built on a new platform on which the new generation Creta, recently launched in 2020, has also been made.

The Seltos road presence is commendable and the grille makes it look wider. It comes equipped with the full-LED headlamps and the LED bar that extends into the grille which in turn gives it a premium and a unique look that can be seen even in the night.

However, the Lower variants of the Seltos won’t get the LED bar on grille as they get a projector headlamps Setup instead of the LED units.

Seltos is offered in two trim lines –

The Normal Tech Line the GT Line where things get a little meaner in case of performance, Sporty characteristics of the car.

The GT Line comes with small tweaks made to the exteriors and interiors of the car giving it an overall sportier look and enhanced performance. This includes bigger silver bash plates at the front and rear. A red accent is used on the skid plates, the cladding on the side and even the brake calipers are finished in red. The GT Line also gets distinctive crystal-cut 17-inch alloy wheels. There is another 17-inch alloy wheel design on offer while lower variants get 16-inch alloys or 16-inch steel wheels. 

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Kia Seltos Interiors

As you step into the cabin of the Seltos you are welcomed with Premium looking cabin which feels above its segment. The design of the cabin, the choice of colour combinations, the quality of materials and the fit and the finish is unmatched.

Great job done by Kia by cleverly using soft-touch leather on all the possible touch points – like the steering wheel,  the gear lever, the elbow pad on the door and the crash pad on the dash. The leather-wrap for the flat-bottomed steering wheel feels at par with those of Audi and Bmw. Not only that, even the quality of the steering-mounted controls,  the buttons and the silver finish used around the centre console makes ypu feel you are in a luxury car. The large aircon vents and well placed center arm rest  and hard plastics on some parts makes Kia seltos cab sensibly designed and practical at use.

The seats on this car are also great , the Tech Line makes comes with white coloured seats with hexagonal quilting, on the other hand the GT Line gets two options of dual tone seats or an all black leather with horizontal ridges and contrast stitching. The GT variant also gets brushed aluminium pedals. Talking about the comfort quotient, the front and back seats are wide enough for large occupants and feels spacious with good backrest angle, well placed side bowlstrings to hold you in place, average thigh support and enough headroom and legroom to make taller passenger comfortable as well. Apart from these , the rear seats also get two step recline for adjustin backrest angle and manual sunshades for windows to make you feel relax, Overall the cabin feels Luxurious, spacious and airy.

The additional feature that comes on GTX and GTX+ variants is that they feature an 8-way power adjustable driver seat and rake and reach adjustable steering wheel. On lower variants, the under-thigh support ends up feeling a bit lacking, especially for the front passenger.

Talking about the boot space, you have 433 litres of boot space, which puts it at an advantage over the Creta’s 400-litre boot. While the boot is wide and deep, letting you pack in plenty of luggage, the boot floor is a bit high.

Kia Seltos Engine & Performance:

The Seltos is available with BS6-compliant 1.5-litre petrol, 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engine options. The 1.5-litre petrol motor churns out power of 115PS @ 144Nm whereas the diesel engine produces 115PS @ 250Nm. The GT line powerhouse 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine, on the other hand, produces 140PS/242Nm.

In manual Transmission feels energetic for highway use, yet easy to live with in the city. The clutch action is light, the engine also feels responsive from under 1500rpm and when you want to accelerate fast, it revs quickly to deliver a strong punch. As expected of a petrol motor, it is smooth and quiet too.

Petrol Performance	Kia Seltos	Hyundai Creta
Displacement	1.5-litre/1.4-litre turbo	1.6-litre
Max Power	115PS/140PS	123PS
Peak Torque	144Nm/242Nm	151Nm
Transmission	6-speed MT or CVT/6-speed MT or 7-speed DCT	6-speed MT/6-speed AT
ARAI Fuel Efficiency	16.5kmpl or 16.8kmpl/16.1kmpl or 16.5kmpl	15.8kmpl/14.8kmpl

However the automatic transmission-equipped version of the 1.4 litre petrol engine feels out of sync while driving and has a delayed power delivery. The good aspect of automatic is that the transmission is quick and smooth that you can’t even make out when it shifts gears. However, the gear shift up and down a bit too often which results as unwanted acceleration at times and a sluggish and dull feel at times , kia needs to work on it.

On the bright side thankfully Kia seltos comes with the drive modes that helps the car to improve the driving experience for you. The Eco mode slows down the gearboxes eagerness and even softens power delivery, making it a lot more calm and almost enjoyable even for city use. The Sport mode would be great for overtaking on the highway as it holds onto a lower gear for longer, making it very responsive. 

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The Seltos is also offered with a 1.5-litre petrol engine which will be the entry level petrol offering.  It comes with a 6-speed manual gearbox or CVT which is far better combination in manual and automatic than the 1.4- litre petrol version.

Diesel performance	Kia Seltos	Hyundai Creta
Displacement	1.5-litre	1.4-litre/1.6-litre
Max Power	115PS	90PS/128
Peak Torque	250Nm	220Nm/260Nm
Transmission	6-speed MT or 6-speed AT	6-speed MT/6-speed MT or 6-speed AT
ARAI Fuel Efficiency	21kmpl/18kmpl	22.1kmpl/20.5kmpl or 17.6kmpl

Kia Seltos  is also offered with a 1.5-litre diesel engine with a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed (automatic) gearbox. The plus point here is that this engine doesn’t feel very diesel-like. It is smooth and refined, even the clutch action is light and very responsive even under 1500rpm. So, it can be quite enjoyable for everyday commuting in the city. Even the automatic transmission combination is impressive, as it cuts out the hassle of gear changes and fells synced well as the 1.5 L petrol. It churns output of 115PS, and feels capable for high-speed highway cruises as well.

Ride quality is also great on Kia seltos , as the cabin is well insulated and it drives through potholes and bumps with ease and yet it feels very composed and confident at higher speeds. The all-wheel disc-brakes on higher variants give it added confidence. Also Seltos Kia provides terrain modes on the petrol automatic GT line Kia seltos which help it adapt to slush, mud and rocky terrain.

Seltos Transmission Options: 

The SUV can be had with either a 6-speed manual or various automatic transmission options depending on the engine. In case of automatic transmissions, the diesel engine gets a 6-speed automatic gearbox while the petrol is paired to a CVT. The 1.4-litre turbo petrol can be paired with either a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 7-speed DCT (dual clutch transmission).

Kia Seltos Mileage: 

The Seltos offers excellent fuel efficiency with claimed figures of 16.5kmpl for the petrol-manual and 16.8kmpl for the petrol-automatic. On the other hand, the diesel engine has a claimed efficiency of 21kmpl with the manual gearbox and 18kmpl when coupled with the 6-speed AT. The 1.4-litre turbo petrol paired with DCT has a claimed mileage of 16.5kmpl while the manual returns 16.1kmpl.

Seltos Variant	Mileage
1.5 L petrol-manual (6-speed)	16.5kmpl
1.5 L petrol-automatic (6-speed)	16.8kmpl
1.5 L Diesel-manual (6-speed)	21kmpl
1.5 L Diesel-automatic (6-speed)	18kmpl
1.4 L Turbo Petrol manual (6-speed)	16.1kmpl
1.4 L Turbo Petrol automatic (7 speed)	16.5kmpl

Seltos Safety Features: 

The Seltos comes with upto six airbags, ABS with EBD, brake assist, vehicle stability management (VSM), electronic stability control (ESC) and hill assist control (HAC). A 360-degree parking camera with blind view monitor and rearview monitor are also provided in the Seltos along with front and rear parking sensors.

Kia Seltos Features: 

A 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Kia’s UVO connected car technology, smart air purifier, ambient lighting and an 8-inch head-up display are a few key features being offered in this SUV. Ventilated front seats, power-adjustable driver seat, a 7-inch multi-information display, an eight-speaker Bose sound system, a sunroof and leatherette upholstery are also provided on select variants.

However, the really wow features – be it the LED lighting or technology like Kia’s UVO Connect connected car system, and the head-up display – are available in the X variants. On top of this, the X+ variants get the electric sunroof, the 8-way power adjustable driver seat, the premium Bose sound system, 7-inch MID for the driver, a 360 degree camera, blind view monitor, front parking sensors and ventilated front seats.

Seltos Rivals: 

The Seltos takes on the likes of the Hyundai Creta, Nissan Kicks, Renault Captur and Maruti Suzuki S-Cross. Its prices also clashes with bigger alternatives like the Tata Harrier and MG Hector. 

Kia Seltos Price in india:

Variants	Avg. Ex-Showroom price
HTE 1.5 1497 cc, Petrol, Manual, 16.8 kmpl	₹ 9.69 Lakhs
HTE 1.5 Diesel 1493 cc, Diesel, Manual, 20 kmpl	₹ 9.99 Lakhs
HTK 1.5 1497 cc, Petrol, Manual, 16.8 kmpl	₹ 9.99 Lakhs
HTK 1.5 Diesel 1493 cc, Diesel, Manual, 20 kmpl	₹ 11.19 Lakhs
HTK Plus 1.5 1497 cc, Petrol, Manual, 16.8 kmpl	₹ 11.19 Lakhs
HTK Plus 1.5 Di… 1493 cc, Diesel, Manual, 20 kmpl	₹ 12.19 Lakhs
HTX 1.5 1497 cc, Petrol, Manual, 16.8 kmpl	₹ 12.79 Lakhs
HTK Plus AT 1.5… 1493 cc, Diesel, Automatic, 18 kmpl	₹ 13.19 Lakhs
GTK 1.4 1353 cc, Petrol, Manual, 16.1 kmpl	₹ 13.49 Lakhs
HTX 1.5 Diesel 1493 cc, Diesel, Manual, 20 kmpl	₹ 13.79 Lakhs
HTX CVT 1.5 1497 cc, Petrol, Automatic (CVT), 16.5 kmpl	₹ 13.79 Lakhs
HTX Plus 1.5 Di… 1493 cc, Diesel, Manual, 20 kmpl	₹ 14.99 Lakhs
GTX 1.4 1353 cc, Petrol, Manual, 16.1 kmpl	₹ 14.99 Lakhs
GTX Plus 1.4 1353 cc, Petrol, Manual, 16.1 kmpl	₹ 15.99 Lakhs
HTX Plus AT 1.5… 1493 cc, Diesel, Automatic, 18 kmpl	₹ 15.99 Lakhs
GTX AT 1.4 1353 cc, Petrol, Automatic, 16.5 kmpl	₹ 15.99 Lakhs

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