Kia has finally unveiled the new Indian-Spec Seltos and has revealed the range of features, and updates it’s getting. We figured, why not we compared the old Seltos against the new Seltos and find out what’s gonna be the major difference between the old and new Seltos? Let’s find out, shall we!
From the outside, the Kia Seltos has the Kia’s signature nose grille which is basically having hexagonal shape in the grille, quad-cube shape LED headlamps with curved L shaped indicators below the headlamps and the fog lamps are LED in cube-shape positioned vertically. The front nose of the Seltos is covered by the Chrome that contributes towards the front design of the SUV. The bumpers of the SUV are skid plate finished in white. The bumpers has cuts for the aggressive look. Moving to the side, it has thin wheel cladding for the 18-inch alloy wheels, roof rails on the top, chrome line on the bottom of the window lamp that extends till the D-pillar. From the rear, it has LED taillamps that a chrome bar with KIA logo at the center, roof spoiler and shark fin on top, and rear wipers on the rear windscreen.
The Kia Seltos Facelift has an updated front grille which is now even bigger than the old one with LED DRLs running on it, the split LED headlight looks sleeker and sharper, and the front and rear bumpers are tough due to the silver faux skid plates. The side profile of the Seltos remains the same but gets new sets of alloy wheels. The rear profile of the new Seltos gets major update as the taillight has been inspired from the Carens MPV.
For the Seltos, it has the 10.25-inch infotainment system integrated with the digital instrument cluster for one seamless display. The infotainment system is placed above the AC Vents and the AC Vents at the sides are positioned vertically. The Seltos doesn’t have the dual-tone dashboard theme option unfortunately. It has three-spoke multi-function steering wheel, single-pane sunroof, and metallic finish on the pedals. It has rotary dial for drive modes, buttons for ventilated seats, wireless charging pad, air purifier, two charging ports at the front and rear, and sun-blinds for all the windows. The rear seats are split in 60:40 ratio with recline option as well. It also has ambient lighting inside with 64 colors option. The Seltos has the 8-speaker Bose sound system.
From the inside, it undergoes major dashboard change as it gets dual 10.25-inch displays – infotainment system and instrument cluster, similar to the one in Mahindra XUV700, and a panoramic sunroof instead of the single-pane sunroof, new layout for automatic climate controls, and rest everything looks to be the same.
| Kia Seltos | Kia Seltos Facelift | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 1.5-litre NA petrol | 1.5-litre turbo diesel | 1.5-litre turbo petrol |
| Displacement | 1497cc | 1493cc / 1497cc | 1497cc |
| Power | 113.43 bhp | 113 bhp | 157 bhp |
| Torque | 144 Nm | 250 Nm | 253 Nm |
| Transmission Type | 6-speed MT, IVT | 6-speed iMT, 6-speed torque converter AT | 6-speed iMT, 7-speed DCT |
| Fuel Efficiency | 16.8 kmpl | 20.8 kmpl – iMT 18 kmpl – AT | – |
The Old Kia Seltos has two powertrains – Petrol and Diesel. The Current Seltos is powered by the 1.5-litre petrol engine produces 113 bhp and 144 Nm of torque paired to 6-speed Manual Gearbox and IVT Gearbox (or CVT) with fuel efficiency of 16.8 kmpl. The other is the 1.5-litre diesel engine produces 113 bhp and 250 Nm of torque paired to 6-speed iMT Gearbox and 6-speed torque converter Automatic Gearbox with fuel efficiency of 20.8 kmpl for the iMT and 18 kmpl for the Automatic. The second diesel engine is the same but the displacement of the engine is different. Kia had launched the diesel iMT for the Seltos.
Kia revealed that apart from the two powertrains it had with the old one, the new Seltos will also get a new 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine producing 157 bhp and 253 Nm of torque paired to 6-speed iMT and 7-speed DCT Gearbox which is the most powerful engine in this segment.
The Old Seltos already had features such as the automatic climate control, height adjustable driver seat, parking sensors front and rear, cruise control, rear AC vents, 10.25-inch infotainment system, Semi-Digital Instrument Cluster, Kia’s connected car tech, ventilated seats, air purifier, leather seats, dual-theme interiors, single-pane sunroof, and 8-speaker BOSE sound system. In safety, it has six airbags, ABS with EBD, ESC, traction controls, VSC, TPMS, automatic headlamps, hill start assist, Heads-up Display, and 360-degree camera.
In the facelift, Kia has added new features like dual 10.25-inch displays – one for digital instrument cluster, and one for infotainment system, panoramic sunroof, and ADAS. The new Kia Seltos will be the fourth SUV to introduce ADAS after MG Astor, MG Hector, and Mahindra XUV700 in India. It has 17 ADAS features such as Lane Keep Assist, Lane Departure Warning, Blind Spot Detection, Forward Collision Detection, Auto High Beam Assist, Driver Attention Warning, Rear Traffic Collision Avoidance Assist, and many more.
| Model | Price (ex-showroom) |
|---|---|
| Kia Seltos (Current) | Rs. 10.89 lakh – Rs. 19.65 lakh |
| Kia Seltos (Facelift) | Expected Rs. 11 lakh |
The current Seltos starts at Rs. 10.89 lakh for the entry-level ‘HTE’ variant and goes up to Rs. 19.65 lakh for the top variant, ‘X-Line Automatic’ Diesel. The Facelift Seltos is expected to be priced slightly higher around Rs. 11,000 – Rs. 30,000 for the entry-level variant, and Rs. 60,000 – Rs. 80,000 for the top variant, X-Line, because of the ADAS.
In the end, Kia Seltos facelift updates looks very promising and appealing as it was very much in need of an update. The facelift update modernizes the whole SUV and with the addition of ADAS, that feature alone is good enough to bring in huge numbers of sales for Kia. For now, bookings will begin from July 14th with price announcement expected to made by the end of July or early August.