KIA Seltos

KIA Seltos

 SPOILER ALERT!

THE KIA SELTOS IS ONE OF THE BEST CARS UNDER 20 LAKHS. If that's all it takes to convince you to buy the car, then you may leave. But if you want to know why i made such a bold claim regarding a car from a brand that not a lot of people have heard of, then keep reading.

Note-Worthy

1. Equipment on Offer: Look. Forget the Ecosport. Forget the Venue. Forget the Hector. This car has everything that was available on those cars, plus so much more. Stuff like connected cars has been taken to the next level with many more features coming as standard such as switching on your car remotely, a personal chauffeur service from KIA, etc. Then there are plenty of segment firsts such as Heads Up Display, Bose sound system that is very very good, rear sunshades, Air purity control (Hello Delhi!) with perfumes, blind view monitor, and so much more! Like, I could go on for ever.
   

   

   Credits: Autocar India
2. The 1.4 Turbo Petrol and the 1.5 Turbo Diesel: The 1.5 turbo diesel first. This is likely to be the bread and butter for not only Seltos but also the KIA, Hyundai family. Expect to see this engine in many upcoming cars. And I'm glad they chose this one because it is refined, powerful, linear, tractable, efficient. Basically everything you want. There might be a little turbo lag, but nothing to worry you.
            The 1.4 Turbo is for the Enthusiast. 140 HP is a lot, but not like a LOT. You know what I mean? No? I've got to be a lot more articulate. It's sporty yes, but not headily exciting. Don't get me wrong, its fun, but not 140 bhp fun... If that makes sense.
3. The  Infotainment system and the Bose Sound-system: The head's up display along with the massive responsive touchscreen and the MID all packed with information help make it desirable to audiophiles and tech geeks like me. And the sound system? Its Bose. 'Nuff said...
4. Well Judged suspension: Kia have managed to hit the sweet spot with its suspension setup. It's no too stiff yet not too willowy. It steers with authority,manages to remain stable at high speed and body roll is well contained. This does NOT  come at the cost of terrible low speed ride. Suspension seems to have enough travel and is pliant. Its the best riding Korean SUV, and that's saying something. I'd have appreciated a dedicated 4 wheel drive system. But I (and Kia) don't think its owners will be doing too much hard core off roading yet...

Not worthy

1. Look there's not too much wrong with the Seltos... Like its pretty darn near perfect. Ok there's no 4 wheel drive, and the infotainment system looks stuck on and the rear seat is little lacking in thigh support. But none of these are unbearable. They would have made it Perfect.

Which Variant should you buy?

Look. There are 8 variants, 3 Powertrains and 2 options of transmission in each powertrain. Recommending one variant would be ignorant of me as your trusted source for car buying advice. So I've decided to divide it into 3 possible customers.

The Petrolhead.

Buy the Polo Gt Tsi. Yes the Kia Seltos 1.4 T-GDi is good but not great, You'll be doing yourself a favour by buying the Polo. It's cheaper. Its faster. It handles better. It really is a no brainer. But if you simply must buy an SUV  with decent performance the Kia Seltos GTX+ 1.4 T-GDi is the one to go for.

The Family person

The 1.5L CRDi (diesel) in its Penultimate HTX Form strikes the perfect balance between value and equipment. It has all the Safety features to keep your kids safe, the frugality of a diesel, all the features you'll ever need. The HTX+ trim is full blown indulgence, but a lot of the features are party tricks and serve no credible purpose. Throwing in Automatic transmission is a good idea...

On the budget

The HTK+ trim offers tremendous Value for money and offers all the features you need but nothing more. Buying the 1.5 Petrol can save you some money as well.