A new player enters
It would seem that Kia has decided not to enter the compact SUV segment just yet. Instead, they have opted to simply create their own segment for now. With many in the industry grouping the VW T-Cross, Hyundai Venue and Kia Seltos together in one segment, they may be surprised to find that the Seltos, is in fact a vehicle in its entire own class at the moment. Let me explain.
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Compact but not sub
In terms of its size, the Seltos is in fact bigger, dimensionally, than the T Cross and Venue, it is also better equipped and has a wider range of engines and transmissions available. In my opinion, it straddles the lines between the Hyundai Creta and the VW T Roc, which should be available locally later this year.
Big Leap
The Seltos represents a huge leap forward for the Korean automaker, who have confirmed that the drive for this year is in fact, not overall sales but rather an expansion of their product offering. As well as a revision of the current lineup and a subtle shift in design language.
This can be seen in overall look of the Seltos, especially in the new grille design that has begun its shift from a tiger nose style to a more futuristic and elegant stylization.
Kia will also be concentrating on their operations locally expanding on their Kia Confidence used car platform and the overall number of franchises and dealers.
The Numbers
The Seltos is currently available in 3 derivatives, the 1.6 EX, the 1.6 EX+ and the GDI turbo GT Line.
We drove the EX+ and GT Line on launch and it was easy to see why the GT Line is the preferred model currently, with Kia reporting sales figures exceeding 300 vehicles a month thus far.
The Seltos is a good-looking vehicle from every angle, strong body lines, bumpers, headlights, skid plates and a 10 colour palette that will service almost all tastes. We highly recommend the electric blue and pearl white options.
Currently, there are only two engine options available locally, a 1.6l NA petrol with either a 6 speed manual or auto transmission and then the halo 1.4T GDI turbo petrol with 7 speed DCT. The standard 1.6 delivers 90kW and 151Nm while the new engine pumps out 103kW and 242Nm and the difference is astounding.
The EX range does come with many trimmings such as 6 airbags, 8 inch touchscreen with Apple Car Play and Android auto, ABS, ESC, park distance control and rearview camera, beautifully embossed vinyl seating and piano black detailing. The GT Line model gets a few added extras such as leather upholstery, 2WD terrain control and sportier interior accoutrements.
Driving impressions
We first sampled the EX on the open freeway followed by coastal roads and found the 1.6 engine and auto transmission to be fairly compliant. We did however notice a substantial noise factor as the engine climbed into the higher rev range and tendency for the transmission to hunt through gears when pressing the vehicle into corners and during overtaking on the tight sections. The luxurious interior more than made up for this though and 200km simply flew by.
We next drove the GT line derivative with the 1.4 turbo and to say that this was almost a completely different vehicle would be an understatement. The engine and transmission worked seamlessly with a near perfect engine tone, delivering an engaging drive over mountain passes. The only downside here was that the interior didn't seem as nice as the trimmings in the EX model. Both vehicles feature a G Grade interior design which is the highest spec you can get from Kia, no scratchy plastics and rattling fittings here.
Price and model line up
KIA Seltos 1.6 EX Manual R 353,995
KIA Seltos 1.6 EX Automatic R 371,995
KIA Seltos 1.6 EX+ Automatic R 389,995
KIA Seltos 1.4 T-GDi GT-Line R 444,995
KIA Seltos models ship as standard with KIA’s industry-leading Unlimited Kilometre, 5-year warranty (inclusive of roadside assistance), and also include a 5-year/90 000km Service Plan.
Verdict
We rather like the fact that Kia has gone back to the drawing board, refined their manufacturing and overall design language.
The Seltos is being made in a state-of-the-art factory in India, putting paid to any thoughts of quality issues, a small secret is also that every SUV that Kia makes, going forward, will have an "S" naming convention, which makes us rather excited for the actual Hyundai Venue and T Cross competitor, The Sonet, which may or may not be arriving this year.
We highly recommend giving the Seltos a look if you are shopping in this segment, you will not be disappointed.
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