CHENNAI : The mid-size SUV segment is one of the most fiercely fought battlefields in the Indian car market. Every automaker has a juggernaut rolled out in this space to snatch the throne, but it remains steadfastly under Kia Seltos.
And why wouldn’t it? With premium looks, a long list of variants to choose from and smart features, Kia is undoubtedly the most loved of the lot by both car owners and those on the hunt to get their first. Now, in a bid to bolster its position, Kia has relaunched Seltos with even more innovations. We took a good look under the hood during a test drive opportunity in Nagpur, and here’s all you need to know.
Punchy engines
First things first. The engine. While Kia Seltos’ earlier variant boasted a 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine (140hp), the new avatar has become the envy of the town with a significant upgrade — a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine (160hp). This is in addition to its 1.5-litre petrol engine (115hp) and the BS6 Stage II-complaint 1.5-litre diesel engine variants.
Seamless transmission
Recognising that automatic transmission has become the mainstay, Kia Seltos has done away with the manual gear option for most of their variants, save for the regular petrol engine model. Both the diesel and the turbo petrol use a semi-automatic clutchless manual instead of a regular manual.
Gear options include a CVT automatic with petrol, a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic with turbo petrol, and a six-speed torque converter automatic with a diesel engine. I tried the turbo petrol automatic and the diesel clutchless manual variants.
Petrol: The new turbo petrol engine is quite a smart performer, and the DCT automatic gear system is the perfect partner for it. The car offers an enjoyable drive because of the punchy engine and smooth gear mechanism.
Diesel: The diesel engine, revised to meet Phase 2 of the BS6 norms, excels in refinement and practicality. A clutchless manual gear is ideal for all normal needs, but one needs to familiarise themselves with the gear level on account of the absence of a clutch pedal. With that said, I would also like to see a pure manual version.
The suspension and seats of both variants ensured a comfortable ride.
Advanced driver assist system
What perhaps helps Kia Seltos pip most other SUVs in its range is the advanced driver assist system (ADAS). The car features 17 adaptive and autonomous systems. These include front collision warning, driver attention warning, front collision assistance, smart cruise control, blind spot collision avoidance assist, lane keeping assist, lane departure warning, and high beam assist, among others.
The car also has an array of key safety features, including six airbags.
Feature-rich dashboard
The richness of the Seltos cabin lies mainly in the long screen of the dashboard that combines a 26.03cm HD touchscreen navigation system and an all-new full digital cluster with a 26.04cm colour LCD MID display.
Other welcome additions are the dual-zone C, an eight-inch heads-up display, ventilated seats with an eight-way power driver’s seat, Bose premium sound system with eight speakers, a Pure air purifier, and a 360-degree camera with blind view monitor, among others.
A two-pane full (panoramic) sunroof, too, is commendable and adds to the attraction.
Looks that draw eyes
Kia has also redrawn the front and rear of the car. The grille, bumper, skid plate, LED headlamps and the DRLs have all been redesigned to lend the car a look that draws eyes from all quarters. The rear also looks better and much sportier with connected and redesigned LED tail lights. The wheels come in two variants - 17inch and 18inch — and there are three new alloy wheel designs to go with it.
VERDICT
Kia Seltos is definitely an SUV with a premium feel. It has 18 variants ranging from I10.90 lakh to I20 lakh. Once you decide on the engine-gear combo, you can choose your variant based on how many features you want.
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Benelli TRK range gets new colours
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Honda Elevate won’t be long
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