5 Things to love about The Kia Seltos!

So by the title it must be pretty obvious that this article will all be an expression of admiration of the new kid in the block, that is the Hyundai Creta’s more handsome and elegant cousin, The Kia Seltos. As you must have seen those hundreds of reviews on YouTube including mine ” The Indian Carguy ” (shameless plug) https://youtu.be/AaF-OVU3vFo, till now you must have known about each and every nut and bolt of the Seltos, but still here I am with a list of things that makes the Kia Seltos the most beautiful Suv in this segment at this price point in the ever growing Indian Automotive industry just kidding! The plummeting Indian Automotive industry. Here are the 5 things that have made me appreciate the Kia Seltos.

1. THE DESIGN

The first thing that has made me love the Kia Seltos is it’s design! Lets just take a moment to appreciate the sheer elegance of this beauty. The Seltos has a really muscular and edgy look that makes it stand apart.

Look at this beauty! Menacing and elegant at the same time. (Picture credits – Autocar India)

The signature tiger nose grille with DRL’S that extend till the grille, full led headlight assembly, ice cube fog lamps, chrome garnish with silver skid plate and black cladding helps to accentuate the overall premium and sporty look of the Seltos, all this is carried along the side and rear of the Seltos (the red accents in these pictures is for the GT line variant only though), This concludes my first of the five points.

The beefy and macho look carried till the end.

2. FEATURES

Second up is the multitude of features and equipments that the Seltos has to offer (the top end variants of course), Seltos is equipped with many features which are extremely advanced, some are convenience features and some are safety features, just like the MG Hector, Seltos also comes with 360° surround view camera with blind view monitor and sunroof but also some segment first features like the head up display ventilated seats, ambient lighting , pure air purifier with an inbuilt perfume dispenser system and the party trick, The UVO connect system which is a connected car app feature which helps to control various functions and view vehicle diagnostics and information on the mobile phone via the UVO app.

The modern interior dominated by the big 17 inch touchscreen.

Head up display is the latest and segment first feature.

Pure air purifier with in-built perfume dispenser.

Ambient mood lighting, with Bose speakers.

3. OPTIONS

The sheer abundance of options that the Seltos provides will blow your mind, there’s a Kia Seltos for everyone, there’s one for the sporty guy, one for the techy guy, one for the economical guy, and each and everyone you can think of in between and beyond (and before you assume, no there’s nothing for the free guy).Three engine and four transmission options are on offer in the Seltos. It is available in two petrol and one diesel engine options, part of the Smartstream family of engines. The engines are BS6 compliant right from the start, making the offering future ready. The 1.4-litre GDI turbo petrol motor is tuned to produce 138 bhp and 242 Nm of peak torque, and comes paired with a 6-speed manual and a 7-speed automatic transmission. The 1.5-litre NA petrol belts out 113 bhp and 144 Nm of peak torque, and is paired with a 6-speed manual and an IVT (Intelligent continuously variable transmission) automatic transmission. Lastly, the 1.5-litre VGT diesel produces 113 bhp and 250 Nm of torque, and is paired with a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed torque converter automatic transmission.

These were the engine options, now there are options within 8 monotone colors and 4 dual tone colors with interior options ranging from single tone to dual tone with the options of color of stitching and patterns for the leatherette or fabric upholstery.

4. BUILD QUALITY

Next up is the quality of the build of the Kia Seltos, all the materials and finishes look and feel upmarket and are of great quality, there is an ample usage of leather, soft plastics and metal finishes which puts on the view of the detailing and character of the car, the car feels solidly put together and doesn’t feels flimsy and cheap.

5. BANG FOR THE BUCK

Lastly, lets talk about the value proposition of the Kia Seltos, It starts with the price of Rs.9.69 lakhs and goes upto 15.99 lakhs ex showroom for the fully decked out top end variant, and I completely understand that the price is quite high but the value that the car offers with all its latest tech and features and safety, that price seems to make sense and justified, and hence I have made this my final point , even the variants other than the top end, are equipped decently according to price.