Kia Seltos facelift India launch by mid-2023

Seltos facelift will get the new 160hp, 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine in India along with styling, feature and tech upgrades.

Published On Feb 03, 2023 01:46:00 PM

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The Kia Seltos SUV is due for a facelift soon and is expected to be launched in India by mid-2023. The Seltos facelift was globally unveiled in June 2022 at the Busan Motor Show in South Korea, and, ahead of its launch, the Seltos facelift has been spotted testing in Hyderabad.

Seltos facelift expected to get ADAS tech
Rear styling sees major updates
Rivals Toyota Hyryder, Maruti Grand Vitara and Hyundai Creta

Kia Seltos facelift: new 160hp petrol engine

The Kia Seltos facelift will come with the new 160hp, 253Nm 1.5-litre turbo-petrol that will replace the existing 140hp, 242Nm 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine. The current turbo-petrol engine is mated to a 7-speed DCT and a 6-speed manual, but it remains to be seen which gearbox options will be available on this new engine.

The Seltos is also expected to come with the existing 115hp, 144Nm 1.5-litre petrol engine and the 115hp, 250Nm 1.5-litre turbo-diesel engine. Both engines get a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed iMT gearbox, while the petrol and diesel also get a CVT gearbox and 6-speed automatic gearbox option, respectively.

Kia Setlos facelift: exterior design changes

With this facelift, the Seltos gets a redesigned grille and front headlamps with the LED daytime running lights (DRLs) extending into the grille. Not much has changed in profile apart from a new design for the alloy wheels.

It’s at the back, however, where the design changes are more prominent. The Seltos facelift now gets refreshed tail-lamps that are joined together by an LED light bar, which also houses the Kia badge – the tail-lamps were connected by a chrome strip earlier. The tailgate has also been redesigned with a bigger indentation for the number plate.

Kia Seltos facelift: interior and features

Sources tell us that the facelifted Setlos will also get navigation-based smart cruise control, highway driving assistance, surround view monitor, automatic high beams and remote smart parking assist. Safety features include six airbags, hill assist control, vehicle stability management, parking sensors and camera as well as tyre pressure monitoring system. Additionally, the updated Seltos is also expected to get a panoramic sunroof, which is already available on the model overseas.

On the inside, the dashboard gets minimal design changes. However, there is a new 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster that is attached in the same housing as the 10.25-inch touchscreen. The automatic gearbox equipped Seltos facelift is also expected to get a rotary dial instead of a conventional gear lever.

Kia Seltos facelift to get more safety tech

In a first for Kia India, the facelifted Seltos will get enhanced driver assist features such as blind spot collision warning as well as speed limit assist and warning. Other ADAS features that will be added to the Seltos facelift include forward collision avoidance system with pedestrian and cyclist detection.

On the Seltos that's sold overseas, the SUV also gets lane departure warning, lane departure steering assist, lane centring steering and autonomous emergency braking. It remains to be seen if the India-spec SUV will get these ADAS features.