Kia Seltos vs Mid-size Sedans: What Makes More Sense?

Time is ticking and tastes are changing. Analogue has made way for digital, carburettor has made way for fuel injection and sedans have made way for SUVs. Gone are the days when sedans were the most revered body styles. People now want a vehicle that can do everything and have that macho appeal. And that is where SUVs step in. And one segment that has been shining in India is that of the compact SUV. The latest entrant here, the Kia Seltos, offers a plethora of features, engines and transmission options along with a tough look and feel. That said, the Hyundai Verna, Honda City and Maruti Suzuki Ciaz are still the go-to options for those who want a feature-packed and no-nonsense sedan. So let’s lay the cards down and see who wins the game. Is it the SUV or the sedans?

Who Plays The Price Card Smartly?

The Kia Seltos has a starting price of Rs 9.69 lakh, which helps it undercut the Honda City by Rs 12,000. That said, you still have to shell out Rs 1.51 lakh and Rs 1.48 lakh more for the Seltos when pitched against the Hyundai Verna and Maruti Suzuki Ciaz. Also its top-spec HTX Plus and GTX Plus variants are on the pricier side. To elaborate further, the Ciaz, Verna and City’s top-spec variant cost Rs 4.61 lakh, Rs 1.92 lakh and Rs 1.83 lakh cheaper than the Seltos’ top-spec variant respectively. Is it worth shelling out the premium? Let’s find out:

Big Enough?

Longest: Maruti Suzuki Ciaz

Widest: Kia Seltos

Tallest: Kia Seltos

Wheelbase: Maruti Suzuki Ciaz

Boot Space: Honda City and Maruti Ciaz

In terms of size, the Seltos is not the longest here but it's the widest and tallest, which lends it a purposeful stance. That said, the Seltos trails the Ciaz in terms of wheelbase. And this reflects in its back seat experience. The Ciaz has the best rear seat experience as its seat is placed at the right height, ensuring that ingress and egress is the easiest. Even the Seltos and City do not disappoint on this front. The Verna though, suffers a bit as its low height means a bit of slouching down and once seated, you’ll notice that it has the least thigh support.  

In terms of boot space, the Ciaz and City have the largest boot followed by the Verna and Seltos. 

Features To Woo:

The Kia Seltos comes with a whole host of premium features that does justice to its price tag. This includes premium features like a head-up display, Kia Sound Mood LED lighting, reclining rear seats, connected car tech, electric driver seat adjust and a Bose 8-speaker sound system. Just like the rest, the Seltos comes with features like cruise control, climate control, touchscreen infotainment system with smartphone connectivity, and a whole lot more. 

It also shares some features with the Verna like wireless charging and ventilated seats. That said, the amount of features the sedans lack are really not necessities and one can learn to live without them. 

Safety First:

The Seltos really excels in this department, which helps it up its safety quotient. Just like the City and Verna, the Seltos comes with six airbags and ABS with EBD. Apart from that, it also packs safety kit like front and rear parking sensors, electronic stability program, traction control, hill hold control, tyre pressure monitor and blind view monitor. 

The Ciaz has the least number of airbags on offer, but its automatic variants make up for it by packing ESP and hill hold control. 

Petrol Powertrains:

Most Powerful: Kia Seltos T-GDI

Torquiest: Kia Seltos T-GDI

Most Fuel Efficient: Maruti Suzuki Ciaz

The Kia Seltos can be had with two petrol engine options - a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated (NA) unit and a 1.4-litre T-GDI turbo-petrol unit. Both are BS6-compliant unlike its sedan competitors. 

Starting up with the Seltos’ NA petrol motor, it is more powerful than the Ciaz and is almost at par with the City. That said, the Verna’s bigger 1.6-litre motor is the most powerful NA unit in this bunch. But it must be mentioned that when Hyundai updates its portfolio to meet BS6 emission norms, the Verna will borrow its BS6-compliant petrol motor from the Seltos. So the Hyundai’s party is short lived.

 The Seltos and Verna comes with a 6-speed manual gearbox while the Honda and Maruti come with a 5-speed manual. All four models use different automatic transmissions. In terms of fuel efficiency, the Ciaz is the leader here followed by the City, Verna and Seltos.

The Kia Seltos also comes with a 1.4-litre T-GDI turbo petrol unit. It develops 140PS of power and 242Nm of torque and can be had in the higher-spec GT Line trim only. Transmission options include a 6-speed manual and a 7-speed DCT. On the other hand, the Verna can be had with an entry-level 1.4-litre petrol unit that develops 100PS and 132Nm of torque. It can be had with a 5-speed manual only. 

Diesel Powertrains:

Most Powerful: Hyundai Verna

Torquiest: Hyundai Verna

Most Fuel Efficient: Maruti Suzuki Ciaz

The diesel variants of the Kia Seltos is powered by a BS6-compliant 1.5-litre diesel engine that develops 115PS and 250Nm. While it betters the Ciaz and City, it still can’t match the Verna in terms of power. But just like the petrol Verna, the 1.6-litre unit will be replaced by the Seltos’ 1.5-litre unit. Apart from that, the Koreans are the only ones to come with a 6-speed automatic transmission. 

In terms of fuel economy, the Ciaz is the most fuel efficient car, followed by the City and then the Seltos and Verna. 

Verdict:

As mentioned above, the Kia Seltos does carry a premium when compared to the sedans. In fact, the premium between the Ciaz’ top-spec diesel variant and Seltos’ top-spec variant is a staggering Rs 4.61 lakh and for that kind of money, we suggest you to stick to the Ciaz. 

But if you’re going for a Verna or a City, we suggest you to extend the budget and go for the Seltos as it comes with loads of premium equipment and decently powerful engines. Also, the Seltos is a BS6-compliant vehicle while others need to catch up when it comes to meeting new emission norms. This also means that the Seltos is a future-proof vehicle.  

When manufacturers update their engines to meet BS6 emission norms, the prices of their petrol models could go up by around Rs 50,000, while the diesel models will become dearer by a lakh at least. That makes the Seltos a solid proposition to consider as other vehicles are set to get pricier soon.