All about KIA Seltos, Performance, Power, Looks and Price
Review, Features, and Specification
Kia Motors is a new entry in the Indian automobile market but not new in the business, KIA has been there outside the Indian boundaries since 1944 and now it has decided to debut in the Indian market place with an SUV. The arrival of a Korean brand in the Indian automobile market is the major obsession of SUV manufacturers like Hyundai and Renault because KIA motors had launched an SUV on 22nd August 2019 with the name tag of Seltos with various combinations of features, fuel, transmission system, and Engine power. Seltos is a rival to Hyundai’s Creta and Renault’s Duster and in some area Seltos defeat both SUVs. In all, Seltos offer 8 variants which are divided GT and HT group. The GT line consists of three variants GTK, GTX and GTX+, while Tech line (HT) comprises HTE, HTK, HTK+, HTX and HTX+ with the starting Ex-showroom price is Rs. 9.69 Lakhs. For these 8 variants, the ascending order of price and features is HTE, HTK, HTK+, HTX, HTX+, GTK, GTX, and GTX+.
Appearance, Look and Styling
External Elegance
In terms of appearance KIA Seltos easily attracts viewers by its sporty and muscular looks which is the ultimate outcome of its body shape, Headlights, Taillights, and Alloy wheels. KIA Seltos’ headlights are crown-shaped and are with a layer of DRLs below it. The tiger nose-shaped grille adds to the muscularity. The front has got a chrome strip to lit up the charm.
The alloy wheels are kind of Jewel to the SUV, The alloy wheels in HT line are way better than those provided in Creta or Duster and moreover, the GT line has got 17” crystal cut alloy wheels with KIA logo at center and red brake calipers which sportifies the SUV’s looks. The rear end of the SUV has got twin faux Exhausts and Taillights which lights with the frequency of heartbeat which is way fancier. All in all Seltos appearance justifies its sporty theme and looks better than Creta or Duster in many ways. The only thing on which Seltos needed to work was in providing larger wheels which is an important criterion for a car to be an SUV. From HTX to GTX+ 7 color variants are available, for HTK and HTK+ six and two for HTE and HTK.
Internal Comfort
The Seltos provides 2 tone interiors with enormous boot space along with an eye-catching 10.25 cm touch screen infotainment system with UVO connectivity. The brand promotes UVO as it has got multiple smart features. The SUV's interior lighting near the dashboard gets altered depending on the driver’s mood. The arrangement of touch screen over AC vents may resemble that of Mercedes’ premiumness. There is another pop up transparent screen that shows up information which assists driving The quality and finishing of materials inside the cabin are of the top which gives a premium touch to the SUV. The rear seats of Seltos offer 2 - step reclination has got plenty of space.
Performance and Power
KIA Seltos is available in both petrol and diesel variant along with manual and automatic transmission systems. Automatic transmission includes AMT, CVT, and DCT. All variants conform with BS6 emission norms and both diesel and petrol engines of 1.5 L produces 115PS power but the turbocharged 1.4L petrol engine of GT line up produces 140 PS power. The 1.4 L turbocharged petrol engine produces a torque of 242Nm while non-turbocharged petrol engines produce little less torque of 144 Nm and the 1.5 L diesel engines produce a torque of 250 Nm. Automatic variant with diesel engines are attached with 6 speed AMT transmission system while automatic petrol variants are paired with CVTs. The special GT line the 1.4 L turbocharged petrol engines gets a 7-speed DCT transmission system or 6-speed manual Gearbox.
The KIA’s 1.5 L diesel engine is an improved and much-refined version of Hyundai Creta’s 1.6 L diesel engine. The power built-up when the driver hits the throttle is much linear and power is usually felt at or above 2500 rpm. At high speeds, the ride may show oscillation with minor amplitude but at slow speeds, the ride is quite comfortable. The SUV with DCT transmission has got three modes, Eco, normal and sports to alter engine’s characteristics along with some alteration to steering control for better traction and handling to mitigate the ambiance and need.
Smart and Safety Features along with UVO
To get leverage over the rivals KIA packed the SUV Seltos with tones of smart and safety features. Here safety features include rigid Structure, 6 airbags, ECS/HAC/VSM/ and ABS with EBD. The SUV also has 4 wheel Disc brakes in the top variant and also has a tire pressure monitor system which notifies the driver when running low in pressure. Seltos comes with a Bose premium sound system with 8 speakers that come with dynamic speed compensation technology.
Coming toward the smart features the SUV has come with a 10.25 cm touch screen infotainment system with UVO connectivity in the top-end model and one 8” head-up screen which assists the driver while driving. The steering wheel comes with various buttons and switches to control various things of the ride. The Seltos has a smart air purifier system. The UVO itself consists of 37 smart features that are grouped into navigation, remote control, safety and security, convenience and vehicle management.
Costs
The starting Ex-showroom price is Rs. 9.69 Lakhs and that of the top model is Rs. 15.99 lakhs. So take other costs into account the base model can cost up to 11 lakhs and the top variant can costs as high as 17 lakhs including various taxes and insurance amounts.
[ Kia Motors Seltos all Variants Price ]
Also, read about Kia QYI, a compact SUV to get launched in India in August 2020
