On Test: The Kia Seltos. Own your journey!

For starters, the Seltos has a slightly bigger and bolder look that lends it to being an ideal family crossover. The interior has been redesigned to give it that more spacious and comfortable feel. But that’s not all. There are new powertrains and transmission to give customers a greater choice. A stand out in the popular crossover segment. A smooth ride wherever I drove the Seltos to and from. Average consumption was around 7.8 l per 100km in the 1.5 LX CVT on a combined cycle. But best of all is the eight derivative choice(s) that Kia offers on the Seltos. There’s one to suit your budget.

Pic: Supplied

 

Exterior Design

One of the most noticeable changes to the new Kia Seltos are to its exterior design, representing a striking evolution of the original design that immediately found favour with buyers for its sporty blend of sophistication and SUV practicality. At 4,365mm long, 1,800 mm wide and 1,620 mm high, the Seltos not only looks much bigger than its closest competitors thanks to its long hood, the strong character line on the front bumper, and the sharp lines pressed into the bodywork but is easily one of the largest and most practical compact SUVs available in South Africa.

 

It's in the colour!

As a whole, the significant exterior update brings the Kia Seltos into greater aesthetic alignment with Kia’s growing range of award-winning crossovers and SUVs. As part of its refresh, a variety of colours are also available, with a striking new colour option – Pewter Olive – joining perennial favourites like Glacier White Pearl, Sparkling Silver metallic, Aurora Black Pearl, Gravity Grey metallic, Imperial Blue metallic and Intense Red. Customers can also opt for the two available two-tone options, which combines either Glacier White Pearl or Intense Red with a black roof.

 

Interior redone

The Kia Seltos has been aimed at customers who appreciate the fun side of life while retaining a need for quality, intuitive features. The interior, valued for its broad, sweeping shapes and technical design details, already delivered excellent ergonomics and a commanding driver seating position, but is taken up a notch with the introduction of the new Kia Seltos.

The most notable change to the Seltos interior is in the front of the cockpit, where a redesigned centre fascia and a beautifully sculpted, integrated curved display with a slim touchscreen pad and detailed air vents takes pride of place. The high-tech 10.25-inch touchscreen (model-specific) acts as the nerve centre for driver and passenger connectivity, functionality and usability needs, designed for highly intuitive and soft-to-touch ease-of-use and equipped with the latest-generation full thin-film-transistor liquid-crystal display for incredibly precise and clear graphics. Seltos retains a number of physical buttons for a number of functions.

Pic:Supplied 

 

Power to the people!

The new Kia Seltos range retains the powerful and exceptionally frugal 1.5-litre CRDi engine and introduces two new petrol-powered powertrain options to the range, along with a new transmission option.

The new Seltos CRDI is powered by Kia’s much-lauded 1,493cc UII common-rail direct injection engine, featuring a variable geometry turbocharger. The engine delivers 85 kW of power at 4,000 r/min, and 250 Nm of torque between 1,500 and 2,750 r/min. Acceleration to 100 km/h is completed in 12 seconds, with a maximum speed of 175 km/h. The engine is only available with a 6-speed automatic transmission. CO2 emissions in the combined cycle are 145 g/km.

The 1.6-litre naturally aspirated engine that has done duty in the Seltos since launch in 2019 is replaced with a second-generation 1.5-litre normally aspirated engine. The 1,497cc engine develops 84 kW of power at 6,300 r/min and 144 Nm of torque at 4,500 r/min. Acceleration to 100 km/h is completed in 12,3 seconds, with a maximum speed of 170 km/h. The new engine is available paired with a 6-speed manual transmission as well as a new continuously variable transmission (CVT) to derive maximum fuel efficiency and lower emissions.

Safe

All models are equipped with six airbags as standard: one for the driver, one for the front passenger, two side airbags for the driver and front passenger, as well as two side curtain airbags that stretch across the length of the cabin. All Seltos models also feature ISOFIX child seat anchors, ABS brakes with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), central locking and an immobiliser.

 

Price

1.5 LX Manual: R 467,995

1.5 LX CVT: R 492,995

1.5 CRDi LX Auto: R 521,995

1.5 EX CVT: R 532,995

1.5 CRDi EX Auto: R 561,995

1.5 EX Plus CVT: R 570,995

1.5 CRDi EX Plus Auto: R 599,995

1.5 T-GDi GT-Line DCT: R 626,995

All models ship as standard with Kia’s industry-leading Unlimited Kilometre/5-year warranty, inclusive of Roadside Assistance. In addition, a pre-paid 5-year/90,000 km service plan is included to give customers peace of mind and predictability when it comes to vehicle maintenance. A variety of upgrade options from service plan to maintenance plan available at point of sale through Kia Financial Services for customers who require even more predictability of maintenance spend.