Kia Seltos

EXTERIOR

Kia Seltos exterior features it hosts a Tiger nose front grille with a character line on the front bumper. Talking of the front fascia, there are sweeping LED light Bar LED headlamps with LED DRL’s with a heartbeat effect.

The sporty bumper houses the vertically placed LED foglamps. The slim LEDs with the skid plate enhances the front fascia of the Seltos. At the side, there are 17-inch Crystal Cut alloy wheels, floating roofline and roof rails increase the SUV appeal. The rear section entails LED tail lamp cluster, rear spoiler with a rear skid plate. Kia is offering automatic headlamps and wipers.

INTERIOR

The Kia Seltos interior looks quite luxurious and sporty at the same time. The SUV certainly boats of its 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment unit with UVO connectivity with 37 Smart features, voice command, steering-mounted controls, ARKAMYS sound system, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The automatic dimming IRVM hosts 3 buttons meant for calling roadside assistance in an emergency. Some of the variants of the SUV offers an ambient lighting package, sunroof, leather seats, ventilated front seats, Bose sound system, wireless charging and air purifier.

Additionally, the rear seats of the SUV can also recline so that rear occupant can find their comfortable position. Also, they get their own rear AC vents. For the convenience of the driver, there is a digital Multi-Information display, 8-inch heads-up display, electrically adjustable seats, push-button start and cruise control for the long highway drives.

ENGINE & PERFORMANCE

Kia Seltos specifications include 2 petrol engines and 1 diesel engine. The 1.4L Turbo Petrol is capable of producing 140 bhp @ 6000rpm and a peak torque of 242Nm @ 1500-3200rpm. The engine is mated to a 6-speed MT or a 7-speed DSG. The 1.5L naturally aspirated petrol engine produces 115 bhp @ 6300rpm and a peak torque output of 144Nm @ 4500rpm. The engine is mated to a 6-speed MT or a CVT. The 1.5L diesel engine produces 115 bhp @ 4000rpm and a peak torque output of 250Nm @ 1500-2750 rpm. The engine is mated to a 6-speed MT or an AT.
It is important to note that all the engines on offer are BS-VI compliant and the drive is connected to only the front wheels. Kia is also offering multi-drive modes and traction control with the automatic variants.

Kia Seltos mileage in petrol is around 16kmpl and the diesel engine can return up to 20kmpl. However, the mileage depends upon the driving habits of the driver.

Kia has tuned the suspension of the Seltos perfectly for city use and it is only the really bad pot-holes which filter through the cabin. The steering offers decent feedback for daily use. The SUV remains stable on the highways and has minimal body-roll. Speaking about the performance, the turbo-lag is well controlled. The turbo petrol offers enthusiastic performance and feels eager. Having said that rest of the engines offer really good performance for daily use. The brakes are confidence-inspiring due to the front and rear discs.

BRAKING AND SAFETY

Braking responsibilities are managed by disc units in the front and drums/discs brakes at the rear. The Kia Seltos safety features host a total of 6 airbags, Anti-lock braking system with electronic brakeforce distribution, Brake Assist, blind-spot view mirror, Hill-start assist, vehicle stability management, brake assist and front and rear parking sensors. There is a 360-degree surround camera for the perfect vehicle parking and a tyre pressure monitoring system.

CONCLUSION

Kia’s hard work has paid off and the Seltos has impressed the market. Kia has also priced the Seltos very cleverly and it undercuts the rivals pricing by quite a margin. With its features and impressive looks, value for money Seltos might be the next benchmark in the SUV segment to beat!