UPDATE:
Kia Seltos vs MG Hector: Price and variants comparison
Kia Seltos waiting periods revealed
Kia Motors has made its long-awaited entrance in the Indian market with the launch of the Seltos, which is priced from an agressive Rs 9.69-15.99 lakh (prices are introductory and ex-showroom, pan-India). The midsize SUV is available in six engine-gearbox combinations. The brand has revealed that it has received over 35,000 bookings for the Seltos so far.
In terms of dimensions, the Seltos is 4,315mm long, 1,800mm wide and 1,620mm high, which makes it a bit longer and wider than the Hyundai Creta. Up front, it sports Kia’s ‘Tiger Nose’ grille which is flanked by automatic LED headlights with LED DRLs along with a faux skid-plate. At the back, the LED tail-lights are connected by a chrome strip which sports the Kia logo. Positioned lower are faux twin-exhaust outlets and a skid plate. Inside, buyers can choose between two interior colour schemes. The GT Line is the sportier of the two and features an all-black theme with red stitching. Meanwhile, the Tech-Line is the more luxurious option featuring beige seats with a hexagonal pattern and beige stitching.
Top-of-the-line Seltos models come equipped with a massive 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity. Additionally, the touchscreen gets Kia’s UVO Connect suite (like Hyundai’s BlueLink system) which comes with 37 features under five categories (Navigation, Safety and Security, Vehicle Management, Remote Control and Convenience). It also gets leather upholstery, an electric sunroof, automatic climate control, 17-inch alloys, an eight-speaker Bose sound system, an in-car air purifier, cruise control, a head-up display, a 360-degree parking camera and ambient lighting. As for safety the top-spec Seltos trims feature six airbags, ABS, electronic stability control, vehicle stability management, hill-start assist, front and rear parking sensors and a blind-spot view monitor.
The Seltos comes with three BS6-compliant engine options – two petrols and one diesel. The 1.5-litre petrol engine churns out 115hp and 144Nm of torque and is available with a 6-speed manual gearbox and a CVT automatic option. The 1.4-litre direct-injection turbo-petrol engine is good for 140hp and 242Nm of peak torque and comes with either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The diesel engine displaces 1.5 litres and makes 115hp and 250Nm of torque, mated to 6-speed manual or torque convertor automatic gearbox options. The SUV gets three drive modes (Normal, Eco and Sport) and even terrain modes (Wet, Mud and Sand) which one can select using a rotary knob positioned on the centre console.
The SUV will be sold through Kia’s 265 touchpoints across 160 cities in India that are already operational. Kia offers a 3-year/unlimited kilometre warranty with a 2-year extension option. Key rivals to the Kia Seltos include the Hyundai Creta, the Mahindra XUV500, the Renault Captur, the Nissan Kicks and the MG Hector.
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Viraaj Bhatnagar
Uday Singh
Suraj Viswanathan
