The new Kia Seltos was an absolute pleasure to drive and a fine-looking vehicle, which is two objectives Kia aimed to achieve with the upgraded crossover. The latest Seltos places focus on a new design, upgraded interior and a new powertrain and transmission for greater choice. Kia also repositioned the lineup to provide greater value in the highly contested crossover market.
The Kia Seltos is one of those vehicles that transformed 360°. The difference between the previous and current gen is night and day. Some people, not as interested in the motoring industry, even asked if it is a new vehicle from Kia. Essentially, I feel the previous gen was a vehicle easy to overlook whereas the current Seltos does it much greater justice.
The drive
Initially, I did not get the performance from the Seltos that I expected. Changing between eco, normal and sport modes makes a significant difference in the Seltos. Due to fuel prices and buyers in the segment likely prioritising good fuel economy, I stayed in eco mode. It did not occur to me that eco mode had such a considerable impact.
I spoke to author of Driving Expressions, Eugene Herbert, about it, and he mentioned the best and ‘most normal’ drive is in sport mode. In many other cars, switching to sport mode can make the drive less smooth, more performance-driven and driving with the higher revs can be tiresome. The opposite is true in the Seltos. Upon switching to sport mode, the drive did become better and I got what I expected from the vehicle.
Consequently, if you drive in eco mode you can expect more of a lagging response when accelerating and I certainly wouldn’t try to quickly overtake. It may also struggle up a hill with any kind of zest. Driving locally, however, it performed adequately and has the benefit of improved fuel consumption in this mode.
If, however, you are driving on the highway, overtaking often, going up inclines or any other driving scenario where a bit of extra power is necessary, sport mode is more suitable.
Handling of the Kia Seltos is impressive imbuing confidence and the ability to take it quite far with no body roll. As a crossover (it is actually closer to a compact SUV), the suspension still allows for a comfortable ride quality eating up any road imperfections. Kia is one of the brands that whenever you drive one, it is always very confident, solid and enjoyable to drive.
The tested vehicle, Kia Seltos GT-Line, has a 1.5-liter, 4-cylinder, turbocharged GDi engine providing a fairly decent 118 kW of power and 253 NM of torque. This is paired with a 7-speed, dual-clutch transmission.
The claimed fuel consumption is 6.2L/100km which is considerably different to actual figures. For this segment it is not great, especially since the one area where two of its main competitors from the Chinese market struggle to compete with fuel consumption. This is one place where they stand to gain consumers and it seems like a missed opportunity. Lower derivatives, however, may be better than the GT-Line.
Initially the fuel consumption was around 8.6L/100km in eco mode. Once I changed into sport mode, this quickly jumped to 9L/100km with only two days of driving. If you are local, suburban road-kind of driver or sit in traffic often, perhaps the consumption associated with the eco mode will be closer to claimed figures but if you like an energetic vehicle that responds when you need it to, you are probably going to be driving in sport mode and should rather expect the 9L/100km figure.
The design
Over the last few years several vehicle manufacturers transformed their design aesthetic from more rounded lines to sharp, contrasting lines with a great deal of success. Kia is one of the brands that is doing this and the new design of the Seltos is sharper, edgier and sexier than what we saw from KIA previously.
Kia says the Seltos features a striking evolution of the original design featuring sharp lines pressed into the bodywork. It is also one of the largest and most practical compact SUVs.
At the front, the Seltos now features Kia’s award-winning ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy. It harnesses the creative tension generated by the divergent values of nature and modernity to deliver a harmonious whole. The headlights are redesigned to align more closely with Kia’s new ‘Star Map’ lighting signature. Along with a larger new iteration of Kia’s trademark ‘tiger nose’ grille and repositioned LED Daytime Running Lights, it has a redesigned front bumper with a new layout for the foglamps, all intended to emphasise the muscular front-end of the car.
The GT-Line has bumpers with colour-coded inserts and red brake callipers.
The side of the vehicle has updated mouldings at the bottom of the doorline, with the biggest exterior update reserved for the rear. It has a completely redesigned tailgate incorporating new taillights connected horizontally below the rear window. The new design replaces the former chrome-look garnish and applies the ‘Star Map’ lighting signature to the rear as well.
Other changes include redesigned alloy wheels, offering two 16-inch options as well as a new 18-inch design for the GT-Line model, new Pewter Olive colour and the optional two-tone combining either Glacier White Pearl or Intense Red with a black roof.
Like the Sportage, the Seltos interior plays with boldness in character, softness in qualities and innovation in technology intended to create a state-of-the-art driver-oriented space. It has a redesigned centre fascia with a sculpted, integrated curved display with a slim touchscreen pad and new detailed air vents.
The interior also seems to match a design feature I’m seeing more often but which I am not over yet. This uses contrasting colors, in this case black and white, on [normally faux] leather seats. Rather than just having contrast stitching, two colours are incorporated into the seats along with contrast stitching. This is a feature reserved for the GT line though.
What I disliked about the interior design, and again which seems to be quite popular, is very pronounced stitching and grooves in the seat. I believe this is purely aesthetics as it does not affect comfort. Yet, it is very intense because it is so eye-catching and can be a bit much.
The Seltos has one of the better sized boots in a crossover. It also has something so simple but also so undervalued which is side cubbies for items like drinks that would otherwise roll around while driving. Additionally, there is a rubber cover to protect the crossover and also to make cleaning easier.
Stepping inside
The interior of the vehicle is intuitively designed. An example is the dial to change between the different driving modes, conveniently placed in the center console close to the transmission lever, allowing you to quickly change to your driving mode without removing your attention from the road.
This intuitive design extends to most functions that could take too much attention from the road. The AC can quickly be adjusted just below the infotainment system -which if you know me is a pet peeve of mine when you have to use the infotainment screen to adjust it or it is not easily accessible.
I noticed that at night the buttons and dials light up which I recently heard buyers of new vehicles (that do not illuminate) complaining about. It is actually quite surprising how often this is excluded and if you do not know where it is out of habit, at night you find yourself fumbling around for it.
Another difference I noticed in the Seltos is how the transmission operates – only during this test did I realise how much it has changed. It has become a case of turning a dial or just moving the lever without having to push a button on the side or, even older, moving it in a pattern to the right gear. In the Seltos they still made use of the side button.
This would not deter me or be an issue at all, it was just an interesting observation, particularly since the tech is fairly advanced. This is not to say the more modern ones are better, only time can really tell.
For drivers that get agitated in the traffic, a feature they may like is what KIA calls ‘sounds of nature.’ You can select between different sounds encountered in nature like ‘country night’ or ‘crickets chirping’ (not sure why you would select that one). If calming sounds appeals to you to stay composed in congestion or with other drivers, this is quite a nifty feature.
There is plenty of cubby space as well. In the center console’s drink holder, there is a small slot between the holders to place something like a card or a parking ticket. If you are someone that climbs in the car and dumps the ticket in the first available space, you would definitely use this.
Another useful feature is the ability to use the reverse cam to zoom in on the space between yourself and the car behind to get a more accurate sense of just how close you may be to an obstacle. While there are no real-time 360° cameras, there is an illustration of the vehicle showing potential obstacles around the vehicle when parking or driving in tight spaces. There is also a button in the center console to activate your cameras even if you are not in reverse.
The accuracy of the sensors is quite impressive. I have a driveway that can be difficult to move around usually requiring you to ignore flashing sensors or panicked beeping. Most often these alerts are totally unnecessary as there is still more than enough distance between yourself and obstacles. In the case of the Seltos it was very accurate I could drive into tight spaces without overreactive sensors.
There is both a USB and C-port slot in the front with space underneath to put your phone. Above that is also what looks like a little shelf which is where you would find your wireless charging pad.
Additionally, the Kia Seltos has keyless entry and exit and the traditional place to use a key should your battery go flat. Most keyless entry and exit vehicles have this but it is generally hidden from view.
There is also a small button for the keyless entry unlike the newer sensor that you glide your finger over. Not many manufacturers get the sensor technology correct just yet, and you land up sliding your finger over 10 times before it works. Thus, I’m not opposed to sticking with what works rather than jumping to technology that is not quite there yet.
Other features include a digital driver information screen, heads up display, fully opening panoramic sunroof, AC vents in the rear, C-Port charging points in the rear with a cubby for your phone, ambient lighting offering either full colour or a glow only. Alloy pedals and paddle-shifters are available in the GT-Line only.
Safety
The Kia Seltos also features driver assistance technology. This is only in the Gt-Line even though I would have expected some of these features to be included in the lover derivatives too.
Sometimes vehicles show additional safety information on your heads-up display in addition to your speed such as the speed limit. The Seltos displays your blind spot warning indicating that a vehicle is in your blind spot or too close to change lanes in addition to the lights on the side mirrors. It is also one of the more accurate blind spot detection systems as some alert you to vehicles that are still far enough away to safely change lanes but the Seltos was fairly accurate.
The heads-up display further contributes to safety as it does not obstruct your view. Of course, you can always adjust your seating and the display to counter this but with the Seltos it was the easiest to adjust to thus far. The heads-up display is meant to be a safety feature reducing the time your eyes are off the road but if it is obstructing your view, it can become counterintuitive.
Additional safety features:
- Driver assistance with to alert you when it’s time for a break
- Safety shell
- Hot stamping technology ensuring high torsional rigidity
- Six airbags as standard
- ISOFIX child seat anchors
- ABS brakes with EBD
- Electronic stability control
- Central locking and immobiliser
- Rear park distance control sensors and a reverse camera with dynamic guidelines as standard
- Front parking sensors and hill-start assist control (mid- and high-spec models)
Additional safety features in the GT-Line:
- Smart Cruise Control system
- Advanced Driver Assistance Systems
- Blind spot collision avoidance assist
- Lane keep assist (if the lane markings are of poor quality, the system automatically reverts to following the vehicle ahead to aid steering for a certain period)
- Lane follow assist
- Forward collision avoidance assist with emergency braking
- Driver attention warning (DAW)
The Kia Seltos leaves little to be desired. Its only challenge may be that a price tag over R600k is a bit much in the current market where you can actually get more for less. Customer-loyalty will likely have to win through to get the same level of market penetration as some of its more affordable competitors.
Good to know
The specs
Engine: 1.5-liter, 4-cylinder, turbocharged GDi engine
Transmission: 7-speed DCT
Fuel consumption (claimed): 6.2L/100km
Power: 118 kW
Torque: 253 Nm
Price: starting from R626 995
Warranty and service plan: Unlimited kilometre/5-year warranty, inclusive of Roadside Assistance, and a pre-paid 5-year/90 000 km service plan. A variety of upgrade options available
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