Kia's Mysterious SUV For LA Is The 2021 Seltos!

• The Kia Seltos will be on sale in the United States from first quarter of 2020.
• It comes with features like UVO connected car tech, head-up display, autonomous emergency braking, and forward collision warning.
• US-spec Kia Seltos comes with two powertrain options - a 2.0-litre petrol and 1.6-litre turbo-petrol.
• Prices for the Kia Seltos start from under USD 22,000 (Rs 15.79 lakh) in the United States.

Kia kept us waiting on our toes as a mysterious model was set to be revealed at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show. However,  when Kia took the wraps off, it was none other than the Seltos midsize SUV. The India-spec Seltos has enjoyed a successful stint so far, racking up more than 50,000 bookings while selling 12,850 units in October alone! The US-spec model comes with a handful of changes to suit its target market and distinguish itself from the Indian model. Can the US-spec Seltos repeat the success of its Indian sibling?

Visually, the US-spec Seltos looks familiar with identical design elements like the Tiger Nose grille, the elongated DRL strips, jewel-effect LED headlamps as well as the Ice Cube LED fog lamps. However, it comes with a different front splitter that looks more rugged. In profile, the US-spec Seltos comes with 18-inch dual-tone alloy wheels that look identical to the one in the GT-Line trim. It also gets plenty of body cladding that makes it look tough and premium. At the rear, the Seltos comes with split-LED tail lamps that are connected by a chrome strip. It also comes with a slightly tinkered rear bumper with a revised splitter.

Inside, the US-spec Seltos comes with a slightly redesigned cabin as the touchscreen and speedometer console are separate units. It also comes with physical buttons for the infotainment system’s shortcut functions, unlike the India-spec model’s touch-based buttons. Further, this set-up makes the cabin look more premium than the India-spec SUV.

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Features onboard the American model include UVO connected-car tech, cruise control, single-zone climate control, a head-up display, powered front seats, ambient lighting, a premium sound system, rear sunblinds, wireless phone charger as well as a sunroof. Other nifty assistance driver assistance features include forward collision-avoidance assist, lane departure warning, blindspot collision warning, driver attention warning, adaptive cruise control, lane following assist and lane-keeping assist. The assistance features are not available on the Indian-spec car as it depends on radar, a technology which is banned on Indian roads. 

Under the hood, the US-spec Seltos comes with two petrol powertrain options: a 1.6-litre turbocharged T-GDI unit and a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated (NA) engine. The T-GDI engine develops 177PS and 265Nm while the NA unit puts out 150PS and 180Nm. The NA engine can be had with a CVT only while the 1.6-litre T-GDI engine can be had with a 7-speed DCT only. It can also be had with an all-wheel-drive.

 In comparison, the India-spec Seltos comes with a 115PS 1.5-litre NA petrol engine, 115PS 1.5-litre CRDI engine and a 140PS 1.4-litre T-GDI engine. All three engines are Euro6 (BS6) compliant and can be had in front-wheel drivetrain only. 

Prices for the US-spec Kia will start under $22,000 (Rs 15.79 lakh) and the SUV will go on sale in the US in the first quarter of 2020. Considering that the Seltos is sold in India as well, would you like to see a more powerful and rugged version of the SUV in our country just like the one sold in the US? Let us know in the comments below.