Kia Seltos is one of the biggest launches of this year, And there are no two ways about it. When we saw the walkaround and reviews in our viewership, We noticed that it has got one of the highest views this year. Today I am going to tell you 5 reasons why, You should consider the new Kia Seltos.
FEATURES
Kia Seltos has always been a feature-rich car. But you know what is the game-changer fact now here? Not only on the top variant, but even across the variants, the value has been further added. So for example, you get a panoramic sunroof with voice commands in the Seltos. But this is not just limited to the top variant. It actually comes in from a mid-variant which is HTK+. The other set of features are electronic parking brake with auto hold. It has been given a new digital instrument cluster which is completely customizable. And it already had a 360 camera.
So now the blind-view monitoring system of the car, because of changing the location, I think it looks a lot more easier for a person to judge things. Now if you are driving such a big car for the first time, And you are driving in traffic, then it will help you a lot in the left and right judgment.
Dual-zone climate control has been given in this car, Which was not the case before. And even for rear passengers, sunblinds have been offered. So overall, the list of features on the Seltos was very good. Things have become even better now.
I think another game-changing fact is that you get a lot of safety features from its base variant. Six airbags, ABS plus EBD, ESC, hill hold control, all four disc brakes are available. And for all five seats, a three-point seat belt has been offered from the entry-level variant.
ADAS Today, the price point at which the Seltos is coming, There is hardly any other SUV that is offering ADAS at this price point. In the Seltos, you have 17 assistance features available for the front, side and rear. Some of these become important, like automatic emergency braking. So if a four-wheeler, two-wheeler, Or a pedestrian is driving ahead, then the car will either warn you or help You in assist braking, depending on what settings you have set.
If someone is in your blind spot in the side mirrors, then you get a warning. When you reverse and you’re a new driver, You often don’t know where the car is passing from behind. So ADAS will not just warn you, but it can even assist brake for you.
With which you can avoid an accident. And along with that, there are so many new expressways coming in India. 500 km, 1000 km, 1300 km, Mumbai-Delhi. If you are a new driver and you don’t have much confidence to go, Then in that case, adaptive cruise control with lane keep, Will be very helpful to do these long trips. I have been using ADAS for the past year and a half and I can clearly vouch for it.
DESIGN
Since the launch of the Seltos in 2019, its styling has been one of its key areas.And its design is quite well balanced. Now the upgrade that has come in 2023, I can say the car, Has clearly matured with the styling it had always. Now the grill has become bigger than before. It’s blacked out. LED headlamps have been given. And the previous ice cube effect on the fog lamps has now been continued here. The side profile is almost the same as it was before.
18-inch alloy wheels still come, but there’s a design change of the alloy wheels. And along with that, the new colours that they have introduced, Which are green and grey, I think they clearly stand out. Connected tail lamps have been given in the rear, Which matches a lot with Kia’s other family look. One difference is that Kia’s logo is now given on top of the connected tail lamps at the back.
Which I feel will be seen in the other new Kia cars. There will be two exhausts on the turbo petrol engine, Which will make it look more sporty. The overall changes made are quite minimalistic. And the styling of the car looks more mature than before. ENGINE In the Seltos, you have now been offered a 1. 5-litre turbo petrol engine. Which produces 160bhp. And in this entire category, it is the most powerful engine. Now see, the engine being powerful on paper is good.
But even in real life, the same performance should be delivered. And that’s what the Seltos does. Now, the tuning of this engine is quite good. When you drive it in city mode, it gives you linear power. The gear shifts are quite smooth. And it shifts gears between 2500-3500rpm.
This maintains the comfort levels of the car. And also enhances the fuel efficiency of the car. But when you put it in sport mode, the performance changes. The power you get, the response of the engine gets better. Like when you press the accelerator, the engine pulls a lot more quickly.
And the gear shift is somewhere between 4500-5500rpm. That’s more closer to the redline, which gives you better performance. And you will notice a clear difference between both modes. So, it depends on how you want to drive the car.
In this engine, you get 6-speed IMT and 7-speed DCT with paddle shifters. You can pick one of the two. There are two more engines, 1. 5-litre petrol and 1. 5-litre diesel. Both have manual and automatic transmissions. So, Kia Seltos offers the most engine options in this category. SPACE The car you’re driving is a premium SUV, right? It’s not a sports car. It’s a family car, so the space and comfort are equally important.
The front seat of the Seltos is quite wide. So, you get good support. It’s neither too soft nor too stiff. If the seat is too soft, you sink in it after a few hours in the seat. You will feel uncomfortable. And if the seat is too firm, you won’t feel the comfort of the seat. So, it’s neither too soft nor too firm. So, even if you’re going on a long journey, you won’t get tired easily. The rear seat of the Seltos has a lot of space. There’s no shortage of headroom and knee room. All three passengers can comfortably sit in the Seltos. All three passengers have adjustable headrests for better comfort.
Now, if you’re going for a dark-themed interior, The panoramic sunroof will make you feel more open. So, you won’t get the feeling of here. If you have a lot of space but you don’t get comfort, Then what’s the use of that space? In the Seltos, you have comfortable seats and a lot of space. More than that, it’s ride quality has been improved. That’s why it’s a little softer than before.
Overall, the ride quality has improved a lot. Now, if five people are going on a road trip, there should be a place to keep their luggage. The Seltos has a 433-litre boot space, Which is more than sufficient for a family of five. So, we have a large suitcase, medium, small. You can easily fit three suitcases in the Seltos. You can even fit a backpack in the Seltos for that extra space. You can fit small luggage in the Seltos. But, for a road trip, you can easily fit as much luggage as you need for a family.
VERDICT
So, these are the five main reasons why I recommend the new Kia Seltos. There are a lot of new features and add-ons. But, the thing that has stood out for me is this new turbo petrol engine. It performs really well.