[pradyumnakalagi]

I am quite intrigued by the Seltos' styling. It has all the essential KIA elements but the elongated headlights, two-step grille and beefier bumpers separate it from the Kias sold in the States and in Europe.

It seems clear that Kia is going beyond just giving a snazzy exterior and flashy interior. I was amazed when I read that it will have four gearbox options! How cool is that! I am guessing the 1.5 diesel will have the Torque Converter, the 1.5 petrol will be mated to the CVT and as we have seen in the video the turbo petrol has a DCT. Manuals are likely to be for the 1.5 engines only.

Enough engine and gearbox choices, smart interiors and grown-up exteriors, tonnes of features and Kia's legendary image of fuss-free ownership, I can already see the Seltos winning in the Indian SUV game. Can't wait for the detailed Team-BHP review!

[hiren.mistry]

The car really look spot on, not too big that would overwhelm the driver in the our bustling cities and not too small to cover distances on the highways. What is interesting is the engine and gearbox options. I have a feeling that the 1.5 NA petrol with CVT and 1.5 diesel with 6 speed Torque converter will be available at launch but the 1.4 Turbo petrol with the DCT might be made available later, and will be priced at a significant premium over the others.

Exciting times indeed. This festive season will be a fight of the SUV's.

[yd_gli]

Awesome car and what a way to make an entry!! Super stuff. Kia has nailed it.

Just goes to show the things you can do when you have invested into developing your own engines, transmissions and other tech modules. You can pick and choose what engine + transmissions to offer since you know exactly how they work together and you can absorb lower volumes for each since you don't have to pay royalties. They have changed the game with the powertrain offerings.

Tata is going to pay for their half hearted approach with the Harrier. They should've developed their own powertrains for the Harrier. The autobox is still a mystery 6 months after launch.
VW had the technology to do what Kia has offered but they didn't have the seriousness to do well in India.

[octane_100]

The design is by no means clean or elegant IMO. It is quite busy albeit sporty. Don't know how it may age. But I am hooked on to the GT Line variant. It might be the perfect vehicle for "young racer at heart" family men like me :-)

[Ithaca]

This car looks impressive to me. I hope they provide our market with all the engine variants announced.
I also hope they do not follow the tried and tested Hyundai playbook of not providing all the features on the top end Automatic versions.
Since the vehicle will be launched with BS 6 engines, hopefully, depending on reviews online and the official Team BHP review, will have to short list this vehicle next year.
Kia is making the right moves so far and I hope the market rewards them well provided the pricing is spot on.
Kia should learn what not to do from Honda and keep their Indian Portfolio top notch and price sensitive.

[YashD]

I apologise well in advance if this feels like a long post. Also, I might go a little off topic but then again I'm not able to contain my excitement hence here I go.

First of all, what an entry by Kia to the Indian Automotive scene! This is the kind of excitement I would want to see among consumers as well as enthusiasts regarding a new launch in our industry. The Seltos looks absolutely gorgeous, I loved the front end, even though it's extremely busy with LED Projector headlamps, 3D Effect kind of turn indicators, their "Ice Cube" fog lamp housing etc. There is a lot to digest in terms of design but it shouts premium.
Tbh, I feel the Hector seems overdone in front of this. Even with such a design, Kia has taken the sophisticated route and it does not feel overdone. Then again, designs are subjective. I for one, absolutely love it!
Moreover as everyone said here, It's indeed the perfect size. An ideal highway cruiser with that strong appearance & presence of a SUV and at the same time it seems spot on for city driving as well just like the Creta.

What impressed me the most are the engine options on offer, a 1.5L Petrol & Diesel with multiple gearbox option and I'm sure it will produce similar power or more than the Creta along with the introduction of 7 Speed DCT with 1.4L GDi Heart and branding it as a Performance variant. Something, none of the makers in the market has attempted yet in the UV Segment. A HOT UV?! Hell Yes! That too with terrain modes, couldn't ask for anything more.

The initial equipment list, is the icing on the cake, Bose speakers in this range, are you kidding me? The cheapest car to come with it was Renault Koleos that too was above the 25 Lakh mark!
Heads Up display, even my Luxuryline 3er doesn't gets that. The ventilated seats, again an extremely nice touch but it was kind of expected thanks to Hyundai. Though the surprise touches as reclining rear seats & Rear door curtains.
A 360 Degree camera, more gadgets to play with and Leather seats with Sunroof in all display cars as per Autocar India. If they pull that off then the packaging keeps on becoming more tempting.

Now, I'm reading a lot of comments above that Kia & MG are entering a sinking ship. To be honest, I feel this day was coming anyway, in India, most of the manufacturers are providing low cost vehicles with nothing exciting to choose from hence consumers aren't willing to shell out such high prices for them! To top it off, the increasing prices are also a huge put off. I still remember getting my i20 Asta for 6 Lakhs on-Road. Now, the same costs more than 8.5 Lakhs in 10 years?! The same goes for my other rides as well, Corolla Altis, 15.5, now it costs 24 Lakhs that too in just 5 Years! The Civic, 13 - 14 Lakhs on road and now it touches 30!
Are you kidding me?! I can't fathom paying 15-16 lakhs for a Honda City now which I had purchased for nearly 10 Lakhs a few years back and I'm sure a lot of consumers feels the same. These new entrants are actually going to save the market from sinking and wake the lazed out manufacturers making them take necessary action if they want to stay relevant in the industry.
Gone are the days, when people accepted the Duster with it's shoddy interiors and it got evident with the massive failure of Captur. As Nissan didn't do anything interesting for the consumers, they too have been shown the exit, same goes with Fiat. The sales of Honda too is falling as again nothing exciting, people liked their attempt on Amaze hence they accepted it. They did not like the prices of Accord & CR-V hence again they're market duds. The same goes with Toyota, Irrespective of the trust built, consumers have realised that only the UVs from the Japanese market is exciting enough and has that wow! Factor hence people don't shy away from spending. They feel that Value for money factor with reliable engines, a decent interiors and low cost ownership experience. The similar vibe isn't present among the sedans hence they don't sell well. The survival of Skoda & VW is partly due to enthusiasts in the country, even after the poor After sales service, both the brands know how to make good products hence people are still buying them.
Skoda in India, works due to it's premium line up (Octavia & Superb) whereas VW is surviving on offers. Now, with Hyundai, Tata & MS already being aggressive in the market, these new entries are heating it up further. Finally, consumers have understood the premium factor among vehicles. For them, it has become more about the overall lifestyle and what a vehicle offers in terms of pampering them along with driving experience. They don't shy away from experimenting a little, even if they're brand loyal, the current generation has different tastes and they highly influence the final decision of their families. This where these new entries plays an extremely important role, they're offering Indian consumers what exactly they want without compromising in any aspect. It makes the consumer furthermore, smarter hence people are on a rejection spree. The one who got it right are relevant in the market today, for e.g Creta, Baleno, Elite, Verna, Nexon, Ecosport etc.
Hence, interesting times ahead especially for these giants, I'm quite keen on seeing how these other brands counter attack Kia & Hyundai together now.

Also, regarding the pricing, Seltos could be a little more expensive than the Creta but it's definitely not going to cross the 18.5 - 19 lakh mark (Ex-showroom) as Kia like Hyundai is said to be an extremely value for money proposition in other markets and I'm sure they would like to make the same their USP in the Indian market as well.

[rapid_fire]

I second YashD’s opinion. I don’t think Indian auto market is a sinking ship. The current slow down is mostly triggered by the “Generation change” expected to occur by 2020. Almost all major car makers are bringing updated engines and newer engines by next year. So most of the people who are up for an upgrade, including me, might be thinking either to wait till they release the newer models or to wait till the year end for serious discounts. Buying new BS 4 car now for the usual price doesn’t make any sense at all (Seltos has the advantage now for being BS 6, I am seriously considering it. Will decide after the test drive).

[giri1.8]

Originally Posted by YashD

Are you kidding me?! I can't fathom paying 15-16 lakhs for a Honda City now which I had purchased for nearly 10 Lakhs a few years back and I'm sure a lot of consumers feels the same.

This is quiet true and runs in mind of all the middle class people looking for an upgrade! Imagine working hard to earn more money, only to realise that you can only afford the same car with inferior quality again

Hope new brands like MG and KIA can bring in strong price correction and make us buyers happy again.

[troublemaker]

KIA - brand perception from US:
I have seen the US market since 2000. People used to make fun of Hyundai and No one knew about Kia. In the current scenario, both of them have climbed up the ladder and have reached very close to Honda/Toyota.

The main differentiator between Hyundai and Kia is DESIGN language. Hyundai is plain Jane while Kia is is the sleek and sexy one.

I have experienced a Kia Optima GT and I can vouch for the style as well as performance.

I'll accept that I do like the design language of current generation of Kia.

[shiva75]

Like many have echoed on this thread, looks like a great start for KIA. Many years ago and atleast in the US (I spent 10 years there) , no one would touch KIA cars with a barge pole. Not sure if they have turned around and how. Many Indian consumers may not know that they were known for poor quality and safety and ranked pretty low on all these key aspects. I assume they have turned around since then as this product is a far cry from those days. Yes, I have not been following their journey and so please do not go after me for this.

The other thought that runs in my mind is the after sales service . Any idea on how they plan to service at scale? This should be a very important factor to consider before purchasing a brand new entrant. What about part replacements , are they going to be super expensive like it was the case for VW and Skoda? Or are they planning on piggy back on Hyundai’s network?

[yd_gli]

Originally Posted by YashD

These new entrants are actually going to save the market from sinking and wake the lazed out manufacturers making them take necessary action if they want to stay relevant in the industry.
Gone are the days, when people accepted the Duster with it's shoddy interiors and it got evident with the massive failure of Captur.

Don't get me wrong. The Seltos is a phenomenal product but its not good value especially at the top end where all the turbo fun is. Assuming the DCT with turbo launches at 17 lakhs ex-showroom, the OTR figure is going to be around 21lakhs which is pretty high for a 2x4 1.4l 5 seater. The XUV, Hexa, Compass, Tucson will offer more/better mechanicals at that price point and then there is the Crysta. People complain about the Creta being too expensive for a hatchback on stilts and this is on the same lines unless Kia pulls a rabbit out of the hat with the suspension and 4x4. Imagine the Harrier with a DCT and 4x4 at 17-18lakhs? That would've definitely disrupted the segment.

The Captur actually offered far better interiors than the Duster and it failed spectacularly but the Duster? It continues to sell. I have a Polo GT, Creta Petrol Auto and a Duster CVT. 9 times out of 10 I get into the Duster and it cost me the least of all three.

[Games Goblin]

Originally Posted by Latheesh

Other Companies hesitate to offer auto box variants during initial launch, and here KIA is offering 3 auto boxes for us to choose from. Here are 3 auto boxes, take your pick.

Yes, this is what surprised me most - KIA has taken an entirely different approach from the other main manufacturers - with most launches we were made to wait for the auto box (e.g. Harrier, XUV300 etc in recent memory) or in some cases it never comes (e.g. an auto box paired with a diesel)

Glad to see KIA is not going down that road - If you have your heart set on the car, you can book it on launch day itself and not wait seemingly forever to get an auto box with the engine of your choosing.

Hope they offer the automatics with all the equipment and not delete stuff from the top-most automatic variant (recent example - Hyundai Venue)

Originally Posted by shiva75

Or are they planning on piggy back on Hyundai’s network?

I think this would be the case - I have observed in recent TBHP reviews of Hyundai cars, many components have the Kia logo on them in addition to the Hyundai one (same with the case of VW group)

Regards

[SpideyBoy]

So after that show, Kia website has a feedback poll questionnaire as 'what did you like more?' and the results are below. Tiger nose grill and the touch screen seems to be everyone's favorite and not many care about air purifier much as the results speak.

My personal vote goes for the 8 speaker Bose sound system and the stunning alloys.

[DreamsUnlimited]

I am sold on this ride , hope they price it sensibly. Even Creta territory won't be too bad; anything above Creta and they will have an uphill battle.

[abhinavinc]

Originally Posted by shiva75

Like many have echoed on this thread, looks like a great start for KIA. Many years ago and atleast in the US (I spent 10 years there) , no one would touch KIA cars with a barge pole. Not sure if they have turned around and how. Many Indian consumers may not know that they were known for poor quality and safety and ranked pretty low on all these key aspects. I assume they have turned around since then as this product is a far cry from those days. Yes, I have not been following their journey and so please do not go after me for this.

I have been living in Toronto for the past 5 years, and I think Kia's and for that matter Hyundai's perception as a manufacturer has really taken an upward swing. Kia has a lot of models in their lineup, coupled with great first in class features, competitive pricing and cheap maintenance costs- although a bit more than a Ford or a Chevy which generally have cheaper spare parts. Frankly they don't hold their price very well compared to say a Toyota, and hence they are a steal in the used car market (a lot of Uber drivers own an Elantra/Sonata/Optima/Forte/Sportage/Sedona).

I am not sure about their reliability, and the only old Kia's I've seen are some Optimas, so i am assuming that they didn't use to do well here in NA up until recently. A lady friend of mine has a high mileage 4 year old Forte and it's never let her down even when it's -25 degrees outside.

To answer most people's question, I as a regular Joe would gladly buy a good looking, feature laden Kia if priced correctly, especially some of the CPO ones, as they would be very reliable and generally have better features compared to the similar Toyota or Honda (my 2018 Corolla doesn't even come with Android Auto!)

Or since they don't relatively hold their value well over say 7-8 years, i would also look into buying one on a 4 year lease term.

Thanks.