Kia Seltos Revealed: 5 Things To Know

Kia has showcased its first SUV for India - the Seltos. This also marks the global debut for the Seltos with Kia leaving no feature behind to make it a special SUV. Even without its extensive feature list, the Seltos can hold its own with just the way it looks. Sharp lines, LED lights, gloss black elements, stunning wheels and the butch factor of an SUV make it a head turner. It even comes with five engine-transmission combinations as well. In fact, apart from the limited dealerships and touchpoints, it's hard to think of an area in which it lacks. So if you are considering to buy an SUV upto Rs 17 lakhs, here are the five things you should know about the Kia Seltos.

1. Hubba Hubba

The Kia Seltos is easily one of the best looking SUVs in the compact space. Unlike the Harrier which impresses with its sheer size, the Seltos uses sharp lines and crystal-like LED lighting to command street presence. It gets quad elements in the headlamps along with multiple lines of DRLs. One of these runs into the grille and looks rather good. Even the indicators get three LED strips and the fog lamps are arranged in a vertical array of three lights. All of this should have made the design very busy, but the Seltos pulls it off with a tonne of attitude.

The wheels are 17-inch units with red brake calipers in the top-spec GT Line variant. You also get a sharp kink in the window line towards the end that makes the SUV look sporty. At the back too, it gets sleek tail lamps with LED elements. It will be available in eight colours and five dual-tone paint options. Overall, the Seltos has remained pretty close to the SP concept and has shaped up to be quite a head turner.

2. Features-features everywhere

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Built for global standards, the Kia Seltos packs a lot of premium features. Apart from the basics we have seen in the segment, the Seltos packs a few segment-first features as well. To start things off, you get a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, an 8-speaker Bose sound system with sound mood lighting, electric sunroof, a 7-inch LCD multi-info display (MID) in the instrument cluster, automatic climate control, ventilated seats, and reclinable second row with USB charger. In terms of special features, it gets an 8-inch head-up display for the driver, blind spot monitoring and a 360-degree camera. For safety, the Seltos packs six airbags, ABS with EBD, ESC, HAC, front and rear parking sensors, rain sensing wipers and auto headlamps.

3. Stay connected

The Kia Seltos aso get connected car features like the Hyundai Venue, but here it is called the UVO Connect. They work via an e-SIM embedded in the infotainment unit and allow the owner to remotely start/stop the SUV, start the AC, track the car’s location, set geo-fencing, time-fence, speed, valet and idle. It can also automatically contact emergency services in the case of an accident.  

Lots of engine-transmission combinations to choose from

The Kia Seltos will be available with three engines and four transmission options. The most interesting unit is the new 1.4-litre Turbo GDI petrol motor which will be offered with a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. The others include a 1.5-litre petrol with a CVT and a similar sized diesel engine with a 6-speed torque converter. There will be a 6-speed manual on offer as well with the 1.5-litre engine options. It also comes with three driving modes - Eco, Normal and Sport. And like the Harrier, the Seltos will also offer three terrain modes - Wet, Mud and Sand.

Price and rivals

Because this is the first model from Kia in India, we expect the brand to make an aggressive entry in the market. This is good news for potential customers as the Seltos could be priced as low as Rs 10 lakh for the entry-level variant. The top-spec GT Line is expected to be priced close to Rs 15.5 lakh (both, ex-showroom). Given its size and its expected price tag, the Seltos will rival the likes of the Hyundai Creta, Tata Harrier, MG Hector and the Nissan Kicks.

To start things off, Kia has set up 265 touchpoints (dealerships plus service centres) across 160 cities in India. Given Kia’s global reputation of trust, would you bank on it in the Indian market? Let us know in the comments below.