Kia debuted the 2023 Seltos facelift in India yesterday, bookings of which are to commence from July 14. As before, the Seltos continues to be offered in three distinct trim lines – Tech Line, GT Line and X-Line. The Tech Line is further divided into five trims – HTE, HTK, HTK+, HTX, HTX+ – while the GT Line and X-Line comprise one trim each. Ahead of its launch later this month, here’s a run down of the powertrain line-up and features you get with each trim.
- Seltos gets 6 different powertrain configurations across 7 trims
- ADAS, 360-deg camera, 18-inch wheels limited to GT and X Line
- Bookings to commence from July 14
Kia Seltos powertrain line-up explained
Under the hood, the Seltos facelift continues with the 115hp, 144Nm, 1.5-litre petrol engine and a 116hp, 250Nm, 1.5-litre turbo-diesel engine. The former gets a 6-speed manual or a CVT, while the latter is offered with a 6-speed iMT and a 6-speed automatic gearbox. There’s also a new 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine that produces 160hp and 253Nm of torque, and comes mated to a 6-speed iMT or a 7-speed DCT gearbox.
The 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine with the manual gearbox is available on the HTE, HTK, HTK+ and the HTX trims while the iMT gearbox is only available of the HTX trim. As for the 1.5-litre diesel engine, its available with an iMT gearbox as standard on all Tech Line trims – HTE, HTK, HTK+, HTX, HTX+ – while the torque converter automatic is offered on the HTX, GTX+ and X Line trims.
Interesting, on the pre-facelift model, Kia offered the 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine only on the GT Line and X Line trims. However, with the facelift, the new 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine with the iMT gearbox is available on the HTK+ and HTX+ trims, and with the 7-speed DCT gearbox, its available on the HTX+, GTX+ and X-Line trims. Here’s a table summarizing the powertrain lineup.
| Kia Seltos variants explained | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HTE | HTK | HTK+ | HTX | HTX+ | GTX+ | X-Line | |
| 1.5 petrol MT | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | – | – |
| 1.5 petrol CVT | – | – | – | Yes | – | – | – |
| 1.5 turbo-petrol iMT | – | – | Yes | – | Yes | – | – |
| 1.5 turbo-petrol DCT | – | – | – | – | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1.5 diesel iMT | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | – |
| 1.5-diesel AT | – | – | – | Yes | – | Yes | Yes |
Kia Seltos variant-wise features explained
HTE
Engine – 1.5-litre petrol MT, 1.5-litre diesel iMT
- Halogen projector headlamps
- R16 steel wheels with covers
- Fabric seat upholstery
- Digital instrument cluster with 4.2-inch MID
- Tilt adjustable steering wheel
- Power windows on all doors
- Headlamp escort function
- Rear window sunshades
- Driver seat height adjustment
- Rear AC vents
HTK
Engine – 1.5-litre petrol MT, 1.5-litre diesel iMT
- Roof rails
- Projector fog lamps
- Wing mirror-mounted turn signals
- Electrically adjustable wing mirrors
- 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment
- Wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto
- Steering mounted audio controls
- 4 speakers + 2 tweeters
- Bluetooth, USB A Type port
- Front parking sensors
- Rear parking camera
HTK+
Engine - 1.5-litre petrol MT, 1.5-litre diesel iMT, 1.5-litre turbo-petrol iMT
- Panoramic sunroof (turbo-petrol only)
- LED Daytime Running Lamps
- R16 alloy wheels
- LED interior lamps
- Gloss black dashboard garnish
- Leather wrapped gear knob
- Push button start/stop
- Automatic climate control
- Rear washer/wiper
- Rear defogger
- Electrically folding wing mirrors
- Cruise control
HTX
Engine – 1.5-litre petrol MT, 1.5-litre petrol CVT, 1.5-litre diesel iMT, 1.5-litre diesel AT
- Standard panoramic sunroof
- Full-LED headlamps
- LED connected tail lamps
- Sequential LED turn indicators
- LED fog lamps
- Gloss black grille with knurled chrome surround
- Chrome garnish on window line, door handles
- 17-inch alloy wheels
- Dual-tone black and beige interior
- Soft-touch dashboard
- Leatherette seat upholstery
- Leather wrapped steering wheel
- Front centre armrest
- 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment
- Wired Android Auto, Apple CarPlay
- Connected car technology with OTA updates
- Voice commands
- Dual-zone climate control
- Ambient lighting
- Tilt and telescopic adjustable steering wheel
- All four power windows with auto up/down
- 60:40 split/folding rear seats
- Reclining function for rear seats
- Rear centre armrest with cup holders
- ISOFIX mounts
- Paddle shifters (AT only)
- Drive modes (AT only)
- Traction control modes (AT only)
HTX+
Engine – 1.5-litre diesel MT, 1.5-litre turbo-petrol iMT, 1.5-litre turbo-petrol DCT
- Gloss black rear spoiler
- Soft-touch brown interior inserts
- 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster
- Wireless charger
- Front ventilated seats
- 8-way powered driver’s seat
- 8-speaker Bose sound system
GTX+
Engine – 1.5-litre turbo-petrol DCT, 1.5-litre diesel AT
- 18-inch alloy wheels
- GT-line specific front and rear bumpers
- Dual exhaust tips (turbo-petrol only)
- All black interior, upholstery with white inserts
- GT Line logo on steering wheel with white stitching
- Metal pedals
- All-black roof lining
- ADAS suite with 17 features
- 360-degree camera
- Electric parking brake with auto hold
- Rain sensing wipers
X-Line
Engine – 1.5-litre turbo-petrol DCT, 1.5-litre diesel AT
- Matte graphite grille with gloss black knurled surround
- Gloss black wing mirrors
- Matte graphite outside door handles skid plates
- Gloss black front and rear
- All-black interior with sage green inserts
- Sage green leatherette upholstery
- Orange stitching on steering wheel
Standard safety features
Notably, Kia is offering all safety features as standard on all variants of the Seltos. This includes six airbags, ESC (Electronic Stability Control), VSM (Vehicle Stability Management), hill-start assist, ABS, all-wheel disc brakes, TPMS, rear parking sensors, speed sensing auto door locks, and three-point seat belts for all passengers with reminder.
Kia Seltos facelift launch timeline and rivals
As mentioned earlier, prices for the Seltos are expected to be announced towards the end of this month. Upon launch, the Seltos facelift will continue to rival the Hyundai Creta, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, MG Astor, Volkswagen Taigun, Skoda Kushaq and the upcoming Honda Elevate and Citroen C3 Aircross.
