[simeonovitch]

Originally Posted by John

Test drive report from Korea. Fortunately the presenter speaks English! He keeps comparing it with the Venue and not with the Creta.

Another video from the same channel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iYJXVQyvzo

[RavenAvi]

Thanks to Shashank from Bangalore for sharing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcQ5VMbH5R4

[octane_100]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

Thanks to Shashank from Bangalore for sharing

Looks like the diesel manual top end. Any idea of number of airbags? I am more or less certain of trading in my i20 active to HTX+ auto, as long as it has all safety features.

[pavanth]

Interesting(and quite unfortunate) speculations. Though the thread was crowded with rants, it was still very fun to read. Looking at all the speculations, it seems unlikely that KIA will surprise us in the feature distribution to the variants. But what they can surprise us in is the pricing. I hope they get it right.

And as many people have mentioned, it’s a bummer that we don’t get a top-of-the-line Petrol/Diesel automatic. And we might see a few cancellations because of that. But I’m certain that this is going to be a hit, nonetheless. Remember that TeamBHP is filled with mostly enthusiasts and we are not the buying demographic. Most of the regular buyers will still give their money if priced right(and I think that the price is the primary reason we have been denied of the true top-of-the-line automatic; sacrifices in the features will translate to more competitive prices)

[bharathan]

Checked out the seltos in person today. It was the diesel manual top end.

It has ventilated seats. There was another button next to it, which I thought was the driver rear view monitor (SA wasn't sure either). but it didn't work even after turning the car. Maybe the gears have to be engaged for it to function?

Front seating is very comfortable (even for someone like me who is 6'1" and big made). not sure if its because of the ventilate seat option, but it felt maybe a little too soft. You get a very good premium feel in the cabin, much more than the Hector IMO.

As is always the case, the sun roof slot makes the head room smaller and because of this it hits my head when I'm in my preferred driving position(which is high and as close to the steering as my legs would allow me to get to). But this is a personal seating choice, so other folks shouldn't have a problem.

Back seats also reasonably comfortable, but leg room was not as you would expect. Maybe after seeing the hector, ones perception of legroom changes. . Rear AC Vents are present, but have no airflow adjust function, which I felt was stupid.

The Car I saw had 215/60 Good Year tires on R17 wheels, which suited the wheel arch and side profile of the car.

As mentioned before, it doesn't get 6 airbags which is a big bummer. For people who don't mind this, its a very good package. For people who do, like me, look elsewhere.

If priced well could be a big hit and will certainly eat into Creta and Harrier's numbers. But, IMO, it has to undercut the hector by a sizable margin to be successful, especially once hector reopens bookings.

[momsonlydriver]

The cars that are being avaiable for display are the diesel cars, I'm waiting for the petrol GT varients to come up. I'm really excieted that there are 3 showrooms around me.

[sandygordon]

Sad to see that there is no 6 airbag diesel version
Diesel safety enthusiasts can look at the XUV 300 with 7 air bags and AMT. It comes to 14.8L on the road here.

Australian media is not impressed by the ride and handling. According to them it is too soft and wallowy. Some one even compared its handling to a handling of a pig in mud. If Seltos GTX handles like a verna, I will cancel the booking. The seats feeling too soft is also a bad sign for me. Verna ventilated seats are back pain prone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS_JfMHLsrg

[octane_100]

No 6 Airbags on the diesel is a real bummer. The XUV3oo which is a segment down gets 7 and even the i20 has 6!! It's a really strange variant spread from Kia. NoKia for me, at least for now.

[Rigid Rotor]

Interesting point:

How come the Korean and Australian reviewers have stated in multiple reviews that the Seltos length is 4.375 m and boot space is 498 L , whereas the Indian reviewers state it is 4.315 m with boot space of 443 L?

Is the Indian version actually shorter? Or is it just incorrect information?

Also the boot space - does the space include the space for spare tyre, that is not included for the Australian and Korean version?

[Sebring]

Kia is rolling out showrooms covering every area. But I question this particular location in Yeshwanthpur, opposite the Railway Station. One has a lot of difficulty in reaching this place and parking since its the busiest road. It's by no means an upmarket locality as well since truckers and BMTC buses are always stationed here. They will find Test Drives really tough!

[realactivex]

Is there any further news about the UVA licence renewal after 3 years. Would we be hostage to whatever pricing gets charged by KIA to renew? Apologies if it is too early to talk about this. But i think this should be factored as part of your ownership costs.

[MukundanMK]

Originally Posted by octane_100

No 6 Airbags on the diesel is a real bummer. The XUV3oo which is a segment down gets 7 and even the i20 has 6!! It's a really strange variant spread from Kia. NoKia for me, at least for now.

It is a real disappointment. Spending almost 17+ lacs on road, you dont get the highest safety feature of 6 airbags. Kia must be doing this to keep the price attractive, especially after MG Hector's launch price. We also got to keep in mind that Seltos has BS VI engine, which naturally pulls up the cost. So Kia had to compromise on some bell/whistle, to keep the price competitive and unfortunately they decided to compromise on six airbags.

Looks like the leaked variant list is almost true. There was no mention of 6 airbags for Diesel top end. GTX+ could end up being the true top end model, albeit missing the auto gearbox.

Each and every model Seltos is compromising on some feature. Only hope now is that the price would be very competitive and compelling. Else it is heading towards self destruction.

[NAVREVV]

Lack of safety only shows the mentality of manufacturers towards Indian market. On one side Kia is giving some segment best/first in class features because they have learnt alongwith Hyundai that Indian customer can compromise on safety but not on attractive features. Sad reality but true!

If being cost conscious was the only criteria then Kia should have given less features but safety should have been beefed up!

[Arjun Reddy]

The few people that I met at the dealership were only asking questions on the touch screen, led lights, mood lighting etc. Not one person was talking about anything to do with safety or the build quality. Also overheard a conversation on soft suspension. Looks like people like the soft boat like ride.

Kia knows this and hence the omission of side and curtain airbags. Looks like the VSM has also been given a miss on most variants. Not cool Kia.

The entire Kia launch looks like people in an automotive or should I say white goods supermarket trying to put stuff into their baskets rather than a serious car launch.

[MukundanMK]

Originally Posted by NAVREVV

Lack of safety only shows the mentality of manufacturers towards Indian market. On one side Kia is giving some segment best/first in class features because they have learnt alongwith Hyundai that Indian customer can compromise on safety but not on attractive features. Sad reality but true!

If being cost conscious was the only criteria then Kia should have given less features but safety should have been beefed up!

Couldn't agree more... Seltos variants made for Korea and Australia come with 4WD. Agreed that 4WD is not a must in buyers list. Kia wanting to skip that feature in order to keep the price competitive is justifiable. However compromising on safety aspects like 6 airbags is totally unacceptable for me. All brands have 2 airbags in their lower variant to keep the price down. People buy those model, consciously knowing that they are compromising on a certain safety aspect. However customers preferring the higher or top end models, not only go for all bells and whistles, but also the highest safety package offered.

This particular attitude from Kia is kind off unjustifiable, as per me (can see lessons learnt from Hyundai and Maruti). I seriously hope that people boycott the Tech line top end models in diesel and petrol. Whats the fun in driving a car which has Bose music system, ventilated front seats, HUD, sunroof, 10.25" Connected system etc, and not have 6 airbags. Compromise on any fancy feature, but not on the top end security of the car.

I am striking off HTX+ Auto from my list and I wont be compelled to buy that, even if it is offered at a very compelling price. Over to GTX Auto and GTX+ to see what they are missing and how they are priced.