KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- KIA Seltos is priced at Rs 10.90 lakh to Rs 20.37 lakh (Ex-showroom)
- Available in 3 engine options: 1.5L NA Petrol, 1.5L Diesel, & 1.5L Turbo Petrol
- Comes with features like a panoramic sunroof, ADAS, dual-zone climate control, and more
The South Korean automaker KIA has learned how to pamper Indian customers. The brand understands the Indian market well and introduces models that are bringing good sales for the brand in India. The KIA Seltos was launched back in 2019 and it received its first facelift for the Indian market in 2023. With the facelift, it has received a lot of new features. The Seltos is KIA's top-selling SUV. In this article, we'll have a look at the top pros and cons of the KIA Seltos. In this article, we'll have a look at the key features of the KIA Carens MPV. Moreover, you can join our 91Wheels WhatsApp channel to get the latest auto updates.
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Pros
Feature Loaded Cabin
The KIA Seltos is one of the most feature-loaded mid-size SUVs available in India. With the facelift, KIA has added a lot of new features inside the cabin to make it a feature-loaded SUV. It now comes with dual-zone climate control, a new dual-screen setup with 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment and a 10.25-inch digital cluster, wireless charging, a panoramic sunroof, electric parking brake, a powered driver seat, Level 2 ADAS, and other features. With all these features the Seltos has become a tough rival in its segment.
Competition Check: Some of the primary rivals of the KIA Seltos, such as the Honda Elevate, and Volkswagen Taigun miss on some of the features available in the Seltos. The Honda Elevate and VW Taigun get a single-pane sunroof, the Elevate gets ADAS whereas the Taigun misses it.
Multiple-Engine Options
The Seltos offers one of the widest engine offerings in the segment. It comes with 3 engine options, 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol, 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol, and a 1.5-litre diesel engine. These engine options are available with different transmission options to suit different types of buyers. The 1.5-litre petrol engine comes with a manual and an IVT gearbox. The 1.5-litre turbocharged comes with a 6-speed iMT and a 7-speed DCT gearbox. The 1.5-litre diesel engine comes with a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed AT gearbox.
Competition Check: Apart from the KIA Seltos, the Hyundai Creta offers three different engine options in this segment. Competitors like the Honda Elevate, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, and Skoda Kushaq come with petrol engine options only.
Good Number Of Safety Features On Offer
KIA India has prioritized safety and is now offering a good number of safety features in all its cars. The Seltos comes with 15 standard safety features with 6-airbags, ABS, Brake Assist, VSM, ESC, all-4 disc brakes, ISOFIX mounts, and others. The upper variants of the Seltos come with Level 2 ADAS features which include lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, and 360-degree camera among other advanced safety features.
Competition Check: KIA Seltos excels in terms of safety features offering. While 6-airbags are now standard on a lot of cars the Seltos hold an edge over the Maruti Grand Vitara, Skoda Kushaq, and Volkswagen Taigun by offering level 2 ADAS. The Honda Elevate, MG AStor, and Hyundai Creta are a few other competitors of the Seltos that come with ADAS.
Fit & Finish Of Material
The fit and finish of the Seltos' cabin is top-notch. The cabin uses different types of material based on the variant. The lower variants come with fabric material and plastic material on door trims and dashboards, but the use of these materials has been done neatly there are no panel gaps and unfinished sides. In the upper variant, the brand offers leatherette material on seats and soft-touch material on the doors and dashboard, this gives a sense of premiumness inside the cabin.
Competition Check: Competitors like the Skoda Kushaq and Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara do not offer soft touch material on the dashboard and the use of hard plastic inside the cabin is a bit over.
Also Read: Hyundai i20 Key Features: Electric Sunroof, Wireless Charger, & More
Cons
Most Of The Feel-Good Feature Are Available In Higher Variants
The Seltos comes loaded with a plethora of features but most of the feel-good features are available in the higher-spec trims. The GT Line variants get most of the features and these variants start at Rs 19 lakh (ex-showroom). The top-spec variant goes over Rs 20 lakh on-road, which is a steep price for an SUV of this size.
Competition Check: SUVs like the Honda Elevate offer a decent number of features and ADAS under Rs 18 lakh (Ex-showroom).
Stiffer Ride Quality
The new Seltos comes with 17-inch tires in the lower variants and 18-inch alloy wheels in the upper variants. While the variants with 17-inch wheels offer a decent ride quality the variants with 18-inch wheels offer a stiffer ride quality. The stiffer ride quality does offer some discomfort inside the cabin, especially at the rear row.
Competition Check: Rivals like the Maruti Grand Vitara and Honda Elevate offer a good and plush ride quality as compared to the KIA Seltos.
No Wireless Connectivity With The 10-inch Screen
The lower variants of the KIA Seltos come with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment which offers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. The upper spec variants on the other hand come with a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment which offers wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. This might turn off some customers because now even entry-level cars are coming with wireless connectivity.
Competition Check: Rivals like the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, Skoda Kusahq, and Volkswagen Taigun come with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in every variant which comes with a touchscreen.
Fuel-Efficiency Of Turbo Petrol Engine
The Seltos' naturally aspirated petrol engine and the diesel engine offer a decent mileage figure. On the other, hand the turbo petrol engine is a thirsty one, in city conditions the engine gives a mileage of around 10-11 kmpl while on the highway it returns around 13-14 kmpl.
Competition Check: The Volkswagen Taigun and Skoda Kushaq come with a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine and offer better mileage as compared to the Seltos. Both the Taigun and Kushaq come with cylinder deactivation technology which helps in extracting better mileage.
Also Read: Maruti Baleno Key Features: From 360-Degree Camera To HUD, And More
Verdict
KIA India is offering feature loaded cars to the Indian customers. The Seltos is nothing less than a premium SUV with its plethora of features, premium cabin appeal, and a number of variant offerings. The pricing of the top-spec variants is bit on the higher side and the pricing is something that the brand needs to work on.
