Kia drives in advanced Seltos Facelift!

KIA has just launched what it calls ‘Badass 2.0’ – a revised version of the Seltos. We take a close look at it to see if it ticks all boxes. KIA says it has got a new design theme – ‘Opposites United’ claiming their new design theme makes their products look sporty and muscular. Of course, we have heard all these things earlier, but let us take a look at features that really make a difference on this one over the earlier model.

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The biggest change here is that the Seltos is now available with a 1.5-litre turbo GDi petrol engine, which shares its origins from sister company Hyundai’s Verna, with 160 ps of power and 235 Nm of torque. This does make it the most powerful SUV in this segment. There will be a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre petrol and a 1.5-litre variable geometry turbocharger (VGT) diesel engine option available with virtually a buffet of transmission options – a 6-speed manual, a 6-speed intelligent manual (iMT), a conventional 6-speed automatic and a 7-speed dual clutch (DCT)!

The second biggest advancement is the Level 2 ADAS (Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems) being implemented in top models of the Seltos. So, you will get safety features like lane-keeping assistance, smart cruise control which can slow down or speed up the vehicle automatically, high beam assist, rear cross-traffic collision assist – there are all of 17 new ADAS features on this. There is also a standard 15 point safety pack on all variants, including the base, with goodies like ABS, BAS, Vehicle Stability Management, six airbags and more. Of course, the biggest item people will be hankering for is the panoramic sunroof!

On the exterior, at first glance you don’t see a lot of changes, but in the front you now get new daytime running lights (DRLs) in what KIA refers to as ‘Star Map’ lights, new LED headlamps, sequential turn indicators, and new bumper designs. There are now five new different wheel options including three new alloy wheel designs, with top models getting the 18-inch rims featuring a crystal cut, glossy black design. At the rear you get the same ‘Star Map’ lighting concept with LED connected tail lamps, skid plates and slightly different bumpers and now you have dual exhausts too. All in all, the exterior has been refreshed in a way that is subtle but up to the current age. There is a new ‘pewter olive’ colour as well.

Inside, things get much nicer with what in my mind is one of the best new tech features – a dual screen panoramic display for the infotainment and the instrumentation – a 10.25-inch touchscreen for navigation and other important stuff and a 10.25-inch for the instrumentation and other info – very similar to the new Mercs. The display is crisp and quite logical. You do have an electronic parking brake now, which to my mind is a feature that every new vehicle today should have. Top models will get an 8-inch heads up display (HUD) and the signature Bose sound system with eight speakers. The air purifier is new with virus and bacteria protection and in conjunction with the aforementioned panoramic sunroof, will surely make the interior of the Seltos a much better pace to be in. Oh, you also get ventilated front seats – a feature which car manufacturers are increasingly warming to.

Tae-Jin Park, Managing Director and CEO, KIA India, said, "Seltos is the product with which we entered India, and since then, the journey of KIA India and the Seltos has been almost identical. This strategic launch is key to our India ambitions of attaining 10 per cent market share soon."

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Prices for all the new variants haven’t been revealed yet, but we expect it to be priced similarly to the current car, though the 1.5-litre Turbo GDI with its 7-speed DCT might go over the INR 20 lakh mark. Kia is doing a new marketing exercise by introducing ‘K-code’ wherein, if you are an existing Seltos owner, you can generate a code on the app for a friend or family member thereby getting them priority delivery. When bookings open on July 14 for the new car, this code will be valid for all bookings on the app and the website till midnight. There are, as per KIA, almost four lakh Seltos owners across the country. The point is does this make you want to join in? We will have a detailed test drive up for you soon, so more opinions post that!