Kia Seltos In-depth | First Review

Kia Seltos Interior

So, is the interior as impressive as the exterior I’m trying to find a bad bit inside this cell ptosis cabin, and quite honestly, I can’t seem to spot one I mean everything I touch feels like it’s got a quality premium feel and look to it the – top the texture of the plastics over here this leather finish even the glossy black finishes very very high-quality steering feels fantastic to hold the buttons got a lovely tactile feel and if there’s something that sticks out it’s this maybe this instrument binnacle which just seems like it’s been stuck on but that’s subjective the Seltos in the Stateline gtx+ or Kia Seltos GTX+ spec is fully loaded and by that I mean fully loaded with more features than any car in its class.

you’ve got cool seats a Bose sound system, wireless phone charging, and of course the must-have sunroof, and lots and lots more between the 10.25 touchscreen, 7-inch MID, and steering controls, you can operate and access the wide array of functions.

It’s got some many class first features it’s got something like a quality index which you can know the correct the quality of the air you’re breathing inside the cabin it’s got the usual stuff which is now becoming standard it’s got connectivity it’s a connected car, it’s got all the features which we’ll get into a bit later and of course even stuff like voice recognition.

This car Seltos is short on and I think it stems from a chassis that is very stiff this car feels very European in its feel it’s got that tautness and that stiffness it’s fairly responsive the steering could do with a little better feel but honestly for the kind of people who are going to buy this it does the job and what I like is the ride and handling the balance it’s got, in fact, even the ride it’s not too firm not too soft suspension well-judged and top marks for Kia.
I mean probably I would say this is the best riding and handling Korean SUV I’ve driven yet but it’s not exceptionally agile and likes to be eased into corners rather than hustle through them and it feels best driven a notch down.

Kia Seltos Engine Specs

Now, Kia has launched the Seltos with three engines you’ve got a 1.5 petrol, you’ve got a 1.4 turbo petrol, and you’ve got a 1.5 diesel. Now all these engines come with a 6-speed manual as well as an automatic transmission and it’s not the same automatic transmission each one gets a different kind of automatic and there are 16 variants of the Seltos.
So, clearly what Kia wants to do it wants to carpet-bomb the mid-sized SUV segment and offer some kind of variant at various price points.
Price      ₹ 9.89 Lakh onwards
Mileage        16.1 to 21 KMPL
Engine        1353 to 1497 cc
Transmission Manual, Automatic (Torque Converter), Automatic (CVT), and Automatic
FuelType Petrol and Diesel
Seating Capacity    5

Kia Seltos Driving Experience (1.5-liter Desiel)

So, I started with the 1.5-liter diesel mated to the 6-speed manual now this engine develops about 115 horsepower which isn’t terrific by class standards today but, this engine doesn’t feel underpowered at all, in fact, this engine just blew me away its refinement it is so quiet so smooth and the power delivery also very linear very tractable, it’s got a really broad torque spread. Yes, there’s that little bit of turbo lag but it’s very marginal once the engine starts pulling once it gets into the meat of its powerband it’ll pull and rev to 5,000 rpm which is good for a diesel this 1.5-liter diesel will be the staple engine of the group powering a wide range of not only Kia but Hyundai models as well in the future.
What you need to know is that this engine meets BS6 standards which in a way future proves it when the tougher emission norms kick in yes the diesel would smooth performance and claimed fuel efficiency of 21 kilometers per liter is the practical choice and the one to pick if you are chauffeur driven.

So, how does it feel sitting behind the driver I’m in the backseat, and well what can I say there’s far more space in here than I expected don’t forget this is a 4.3-meter-long SUV it’s more in the Creta category it’s not full-blown like the Tata Harrier and the MG Hector is not as big as those are but even so, there’s lots of space in here for large adults the legroom is terrific, Headroom is also great, well I’m not that tall but even tall passengers won’t have a problem because a little scoop over here, so the head shouldn’t brush against the headliner.
The seats are comfy, a great view out. large door pockets, you’ve got a place for your mobile over here, a USB port, and this pretty cool digital air readout so you know the quality of air inside the cabin, you’ve got a Sunblind, and even the rear seat it reclines a bit, Kia seemed to have thought of everything.

Kia Seltos 1.4liter Turbo Petrol With DCT

I’ve jumped into the 1.4 turbo petrol with has a 7-speed DCT now this version comes in the GT line trim you’ve got these all-black interiors with nice red leather stitching so really a very sporty feel this is the variant that puts the sports into the SUV and not surprisingly it’s the most fun to drive.
The GT lines Kia Seltos GTX variant is also the one that gets a heads-up display that can be customized with what info you want to be displayed, again the HUD is a first in class.

The 1.4 turbo petrol yes, is very strong it’s got that real lusty mid-range it is quite smooth but I have to say both the engine and gearbox are not quite as good as the Volkswagens TDSi and DSi combo having said that this is a very very entertaining car to drive what would have enhanced the fun factor, even more, our paddle shifts but that’s missing on this variant and you have to make do with the lever the old fashioned way, but having said that it’s pretty keen to downshift and even from high revs the gearbox plays ball you have two sets of modes in this 1.4 turbo petrol one controls the engine response and the other the level of traction for different surfaces now this gives you even greater control of the car. All new cars these days are coming with connected tech and the Seltos is packed with it.

Kia Seltos Connected Car Features

now connected cause that’s the next big trend every manufacturer launching a sort of connected car and the Kia Seltos is a connected car tech as well now what does that mean it means that there is a sim inside the car embedded in the car that talks to the sim in your phone and that kind of throws up a whole lot of features and you’ve got the UVO app over here and with the UVO app which is a proprietary app of Kia you can do a whole lot of things but the party trick I liked the most is that you can start the car from your phone from the outside there it’s pretty cool huh and once I’ve got the car started I can even switch on the a/c and set the temperature.
I’m standing outside over here where you can do this from your office so by the time you go down your car is nice and cool not good for global warming but good for cooling the cabin.

Now, that’s for lazy people who don’t want to input a simple destination themselves. But there are some other useful features too. well with you going up it’s like big brother is watching you because even from the comfort of your home your office is over I’m right now which is the lobby of the Hotel in Bogota I know exactly where my car is what it’s doing how fast it’s going and whether it has exceeded a certain boundary or exceeded a certain time this time duration so it’s got geofencing it’s got time fencing and it’s got a lot of other cool features let’s have a look the app does a lot of things it keeps a track of your service schedules the health of your car you’re driving data how fast you’ve gone and you can even select the destination you want to go to and push it to your car’s navigation unit from your phone.