[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by realactivex

The dealer said we could pay and pre book. However, to cancel they would charge 5k +gst.
Also, they wanted us to buy insurance from them only at their rates.
I asked for a longer td neXt week, before I could go further with hector

This nonsense about having to compulsorily take insurance from the dealer is utter hogwash. Please call their bluff to their face because there is a clarification from the government stating that there is no such requirement and the customer is free to take their own insurance . All dealers without exception are subject to this. Dealers make massive margins on insurance and use this line to dupe unsuspecting customers.

[naveen.raju]

Checked out the car in the morning. Accompanied my friend who is on a lookout for a new car. Here are my observations about the car, showroom and overall experience.

Showroom:
1) Prime location - Easily accessible and located in a good location.
2) The showroom isn't completed and the service bay was totally empty (no machinery).
3) Wish they had completed the work before this event since you could see workers and customers running around the showroom.

Staff:
1) Could see around 50-60 employees there (Almost all across the state were there since this would be the first showroom in Kerala which would unveil the car).
2) They greeted all customers well and it was a good experience.
3) As for the training, we felt they didn't know much about the car. Some basic queries were left unanswered or we had to fill the answers.

Car:
This would be strictly on comparison with my Creta as I haven't checked the Harrier/Hector etc. Two cars were there (GT - Manual petrol in red and TechLine - Manual diesel in grey).

Exteriors:
1) GT looked sweet with those alloys. While the alloys on the Techline looked plain and boring (very similar to the ones on the lower model Creta). All discs - nice.
2) As soon we saw the car, we felt it smaller than the Creta. It felt low to the ground. The SA confirmed that the height is less than the Creta but width and length is more. But in person, we didn't quite make it out.
3) GT had all the bells and whistles while the Techline had some features missing (Diesel top end) like no 360 degree cam, 2 airbags different alloy design etc. Typical Hyundai strategy where they don't load the mass market variant with features (Diesel AT won't be loaded, but Petrol AT will be).
4) Rear design is very similar to the Creta except for some detailing/LED treatment in the rear light.
5) Boot space looked very similar to the Creta but he confirmed that it's 432L. So some 30L more than the Creta. The woofer was also placed in the boot. The spare was not an alloy and was a size smaller.
6) The front end looked bulky and busy at the same time.
7) That diamond cut finish surrounding the grilled looked really tacky. The SA confirmed that even the base variant will have that. I seriously doubt that.
8) I liked the headlight cluster and the indicators They looked sweet. The SA commented that it's replicating S Class design and finish (No, I didn't comment on that ).
9) The DRL is inside the headlight cluster and I did see another white light strip extending towards the badge. Something like a light bar. He said that's switched on when the park light is on.
10) My friend didn't like the front end much and I only liked half of what I saw.
11) Wish they gave a panoramic sunroof. And manual sunroof cover is, meh!
12) Request sensor only on the driver side.
13) We did hear the engine and it was very refined (Diesel). Compared to Hyundai, it's on par or even better (showroom was buzzing with people so couldn't compare it with the one I have). But all good there.
14) Budget wiper looked out of place especially when you have that funky front end. As with all Hyundai cars, windscreen washer nozzle is hidden and not on the bonner.
15) The bonnet felt heavy and solid. I did have a tough time closing it. I had to finally bang it close. As for the doors, it was same as Hyundai. No "thud" feel like VW.

Interiors:
1) Seat looked nice (similar to the Compass) and was comfortable. The ventilated feature should make it even better. Definitely feels airy when compared to the Creta.
2) Both the cars had low battery so couldn't operate the HU.
3) Instrument cluster looked like Hyundai and even the MID on the instrument cluster with the car's image was very similar to my Creta.
4) The huge instrument panel looked really bad (not the graphics) and looked worse from outside. They should have not tried to copy MB. A proper instrument cluster with a touchscreen AVN would have looked good.
5) The chrome tipped toggle switches on the steering looked and felt tacky. No premium feel here. But loved the steering wheel. Felt good to hold.
6) Although the steering adjustment had a good range, I simply couldn't find a suitable position. The highest setting was even low for me and anything lower brushed my leg.
7) Same case with the seating position. I always like to sit high and in the highest position I was so high that my head almost brushed the ceiling. Certainly wasn't pleased with it. And that small windscreen area along with that huge touch screen panel definitely blocked my field of vision.
8) I didn't find wireless charging in the techline variant.
9) Plastics all around the car were hard like the Creta but all were fit perfectly. The only soft bit on the dash was the small leather section.
10) The leather padding on the doorpad was similar to the Creta but had very less cushioning. The ones on the Creta definitely makes my arm feel comfortable to rest on.
11) Bose speaker grille looked kickass and my friend commented that he heard his friend say it was awesome. We couldn't test it today.
12) GT line had the HUD.
13) Rear seat space is also similar to the Creta. I quite didn't like the hard set backs. Can hinder with your knee. The recline option made the seat angle comfortable.
14) In the GT spec, I saw a small display on top of the rear AC vent and it said "Clean air" or something. Upon asking whether it was a display, he said it will show the level of clean air. Didn't quite understand what he was trying to convey.

Test drives will start next week and the price will be revealed on 22nd as per the SA. I could see few customers booking the car. No photos were allowed but I managed to click one.



What I felt:
1) I expected KIA to be a notch above Hyundai when it came to quality but interior quality was on par with Creta.
2) Definitely have many features missing in the Creta but if it's priced on par or more than the Creta, I simply wouldn't buy. It will definitely make sense for someone who is looking for an upgrade.
3) My friend who had seen the international variant in person said that looked and felt much better than the Indian variant. He's anyways disappointed with the car but waiting for the TD to make the final decision.

Compared to the current Creta, it does feel loaded with features and fresh. Basically, a Creta with new clothing. Pricing will definitely matter here like I had mentioned above.

[Prateek19]

As per the images posted in the last few posts, we can see that only one car is having Bharat 6 badging. The others are missing the same. If it is having BS6 badging then it will be a BS6 engine and not a BS6 compliant engine. The RC must be mentioning it to be BS6. The main problem lies with the availability of BS6 fuel till April'20 as only few cities are selling it just now.

[r.K]

So here's the scenario. I've just booked a nexon diesel xz+ST. I like the Seltos. If priced properly with 6 airbags for the top diesel MT/AT, I would cancel the Nexon booking. Otherwise I'm planning to go with Nexon. What do you guys think?

[dksv]

Here are my views from my visit to Advaith KIA yesterday:

About the car:
1. The windscreen area is not great. It is sandwiched between a high-bonnet and a low roof. This is one area you'll be reminded of the lower height of the car, from the inside.
2. For people with height issues in their garages, like I do, this low height is welcome (those millimeters matter). This could possibly be the only SUV (that I actually want to buy) in our apartment complex that could probably enter inside the parking lot and not be forced to be parked outside on the roadside. The SA confirmed he'll let me check this during my TD.
3. There's a BOSE badge on the C-pillar, on the variants that get it.
4. SA confirms 3-headrests in the second row as a standard across all variants (the entry level may get integrated ones).
5. SA confirms 60:40 split seats are standard across all variants.
6. The second row seats were reclined to an angle which felt more sedan-like. A thumbs-up to this.
7. The battery was dead. So couldn't operate the power-adjustable seats to a convinient driving position.
8. Gear travel is small and sporty on the GT line. Did not check it on the Tech Line.
9. The KIA badge at the rear is the farthest point of the car at the rear and not its bumper.
10. Bonnet is heavy.
11. The diamond knurling finish doesn't look as attractive as it appears on TVC. You'll have either a love-it or live-with-it relationship.
12. The red colour goes well with KIA showroom's red-white theme. Probably the main reason they have the GT red car standing in the spotlight, while the gravity gray diesel lies in their service bay under dim lights.
13. The HTE does not get roof rails. All other variants do. I checked because of my garage height issue that I mentioned earlier.
14. A couple of pictures of the GT.





About Advaith KIA:
1. Staff is aplenty. Everybody gets attention in the crowd.
2. These are newly hired folks and not swapped from Advaith Hyundai.
3. The service bay behind the showroom has most of the machinery already installed.
4. Heard they have around 330+ bookings so far here. Not sure if it includes online pre-bookings as well.
5. They're expecting all variants (at least 7 display cars) by 7th Aug.
6. They'll call customers who have pre-booked on first-come-first-serve basis for TD and confirmation of variants and colours, starting 7th Aug.
7. Deliveries start from 23rd Aug.
8. They are not sharing any sort of printed material that is not yet official. So you won't get the variants chart from the showroom, that is doing rounds here on this thread.
9. The lady can get a free mehandi and the kid(s) can get their caricatures done while you wait for your turn to get on the driver seat.
10. They don't have a registry of the online pre-bookings for you to verify, if you pre-booked online.
11. If you've prebooked the car and the TD online, you'll see 2 rows like this on your online account.

[MukundanMK]

Originally Posted by Prateek19

As per the images posted in the last few posts, we can see that only one car is having Bharat 6 badging. The others are missing the same. If it is having BS6 badging then it will be a BS6 engine and not a BS6 compliant engine. The RC must be mentioning it to be BS6. The main problem lies with the availability of BS6 fuel till April'20 as only few cities are selling it just now.

I believe all variants of Seltos would be hosting a BS6 engine and not a BS6 compliant engine. The badging was not there in the prototype vehicles and also on the images posted online. There were 2 vehicles in the Kia Automotive showroom, where I have prebooked. The Diesel variant didn’t have the BS6 badging, while the GT Petrol had one. I think the customer cars (regardless of the variant) will have the badging for sure. You are right about the non availability of BS6 fuel. Only by start of 2020 we will start to have the existing bunks move to BS6 fuel. In Hyderabad, there is currently none. Even if B6 fuel is available at a radius of 25-30 Kms, I am ready to visit there and full my tank once in 2-3 weeks.

Originally Posted by r.K

So here's the scenario. I've just booked a nexon diesel xz+ST. I like the Seltos. If priced properly with 6 airbags for the top diesel MT/AT, I would cancel the Nexon booking. Otherwise I'm planning to go with Nexon. What do you guys think?

In my opinion, Seltos would be one level higher than Nexon and at par with Creta. So it should be good move, considering Seltos is a featuristic and futuristic car. 6 airbags are like to be available only in the GT Petrol variants - GTX and GTX+. Top end Diesel cars in all of the showrooms have only 2 airbags. Kia is not keen on upgrading the top end Diesel with 6 airbags. Rather they are tempted and demanded to bring in GTX+ Auto only.

[troublemaker]

Took a quick test drive of GTX manual yesterday.
1. Car looks as expected - HOT!
2. Quality is really good.
3. There still is confusion about GTX+ with DCT.
4. Bose sound is overrated (like always).
5. I'm used to the diesel torque. Turbo petrol definitely felt different. I think it will be okay with DCT.
6. There is no comparison with Creta. I totally dislike Creta but I loved Seltos.
7. They should put Black GT cars to display the red accent.

[_lewie_]

As Kia Motors is gearing up to place it's foot in India, it is expanding across the country to reach all the key markets. The Kia Seltos will launch in India on August 22 and ahead of it Kia has set up 192 dealerships across 160 cities in India and all its dealerships will also feature Kia's internet of things (IOT) theme or the Kia link App which simply means digital purchase and after sales services will be available at all Kia dealerships.

The Kia Link App will help scheduling a service appointment and the owners will be notified about an upcoming or service due reminder, to maintain the vehicle performance. Similar to Suzuki connect and Hyundai Bluelink

Along with the dealerships, the carmaker has also opened four parts dispatch centres in Chennai (South), Navi Mumbai (West), Delhi-NCR (North) and Kolkata (East) and three training centres for skill development of employees. The after sales and service program will be carried out by Kia Motors India's trained technicians who have undergone skill enhancement and training programs at one of Kia's training centres located in Faridabad, Mumbai and Bangalore.

This is to ensure they give a tough competition to the segment leaders. And we consumers can expect more attractive deals in the future

Source

Note to mods: Please put this post in an appropriate thread if any.

Regards, a seventeen year old

[pannags]

Originally Posted by pannags

The GTX+ 1.4 Petrol MT is silent and has fantastic refinement. The engine has very minimal NVH, responds well, but has noticeable turbolag. Although I could only take the car to 60 kmph on the short 4 odd km drive, it was wanting and waiting to be pushed. The turbo petrol will make a nice highway commuter and I personally think the DCT will do most numbers in this offering. City commutes on the MT may not be the best equation to settle for.

A couple of additional things:

The clutch is super smooth and has a slightly long play. In fact I had to adjust the seat incline a couple of times before being able to completely depress it.

The gear knob has a nice rubbery feel, throw is perfectly spaced and gears slot nicely, but without a confirmatory click.

Originally Posted by momsonlydriver

He replied along with a bunch of workers very confidently that it is going to be made available as Kia is checking on how many people are demanding/booking a 1.4L DCT.

Oh really?! The sales people at Kia VST were totally non committal about this and said that they had no official confirmation of the top end automatics in Petrol.

Originally Posted by momsonlydriver

Looks are subjective, to some its dead gorgous and to some it's too flashy.

Oh yes. As far as looks are concerned, to every man his own

Originally Posted by ramansh

Any dealership in delhi has petrol 1.5L cvt (HTX) for display / test drive?

The head of the dealership told me that only MTs have been dispatched for test drives and it was not clear in what order AT cars will come.

I was left wondering if the dealership will have all 6 combinations of engines and transmissions!! Perhaps, they will work out a shared model between themselves.

Originally Posted by momsonlydriver

Point to be noted. The cars available in the showroom were typical prototype in nature. The test car that I saw had few unfinished edges on the rear sun shade.

Not true for Bangalore at least. The display car as well as the test car were both from the production line. This was explicitly confirmed and there is also a unique series number for cars rolled out to dealerships.

Originally Posted by Storm2.0

Can anyone share their thoughts about the width of rear bench in Seltos.

I did not spend much time at the back, but this is understandably definitely not comparable to the likes of the EcoSport, but better than the Creta. Can't say this for sure because the beige seats give the car a very roomy feel.

Originally Posted by Prateek19

As per the images posted in the last few posts, we can see that only one car is having Bharat 6 badging.

Only the TechLine on display had a Bharat6 badge and it looked budget! I don't remember seeing an emission norms badge on any car other than the Indica.

[MukundanMK]

Originally Posted by troublemaker

7. They should put Black GT cars to display the red accent.

Black GT car with black seats will compliment the red accent line. The unofficial brochure had a mention that Black seats would be available as an option. Hope it is true! I am still not convinced that beige color seats are maintainable, especially when you have small kids.

Few pics from the launch event @ Kia Automotive Kondapur Hyderabad. ~50 people attended the event, which was scheduled to start by 11:30 and started by 12:45. Thanks to the chief guests’s punctuality.

Test drive cars (GT Manual and Diesel Manual) would be available from 10th Aug. No dates given for Auto test drives.

[r.K]

Originally Posted by MukundanMK

In my opinion, Seltos would be one level higher than Nexon and at par with Creta. So it should be good move, considering Seltos is a featuristic and futuristic car. 6 airbags are like to be available only in the GT Petrol variants - GTX and GTX+. Top end Diesel cars in all of the showrooms have only 2 airbags. Kia is not keen on upgrading the top end Diesel with 6 airbags. Rather they are tempted and demanded to bring in GTX+ Auto only.

Yes it's filled with, agree. But powerwise it's going to be similar if not slightly more. Not very excited about the sunroof (it's available as an accessory for the nexon); bose speakers would be excellent. Nexon has Harman which does the job pretty well. Nexon's touch screen is well integrated. If Seltos's diesel is coming with just 2 airbags for the top end manual, I just don't see the point. Airbags would save you in a crash, not the features. Nexon has a 4 star GNCAP rating. Please correct me if I'm wrong

[MukundanMK]

Originally Posted by r.K

Yes it's filled with, agree. But powerwise it's going to be similar if not slightly more. Not very excited about the sunroof (it's available as an accessory for the nexon); bose speakers would be excellent. Nexon has Harman which does the job pretty well. Nexon's touch screen is well integrated. If Seltos's diesel is coming with just 2 airbags for the top end manual, I just don't see the point. Airbags would save you in a crash, not the features. Nexon has a 4 star GNCAP rating. Please correct me if I'm wrong

Completely agree on the safety aspect. If 6 airbags is a must for you, like in my case, then this should NOT be compromised at all. I am keen on GTX Auto, which as per leaked specs has 6 airbags and reverse camera as well. Features missing on GTX+ would be sunroof (this is not panoramic, so I am fine), 360 camera (can live with regular reverse camera), ventilated seats, power seats are good to have, not must have. Definitely missing would be Bose speakers. Owning a Bose headphone is such a good feeling. Think of having that in your car .

We don't have the crash ratings for Seltos. But I am willing to take the risk as it has all other standard safety features and in hope that it will come with 6 airbags. Personally to me, I would pick a Kia Seltos than a Tata Nexon. The other USP is BS6 engine in Seltos. However the last verdict word would be based on the Pricing (Aug 22nd).

[aniyo]

Originally Posted by r.K

Yes it's filled with, agree. But powerwise it's going to be similar if not slightly more. Not very excited about the sunroof (it's available as an accessory for the nexon); bose speakers would be excellent. Nexon has Harman which does the job pretty well. Nexon's touch screen is well integrated. If Seltos's diesel is coming with just 2 airbags for the top end manual, I just don't see the point. Airbags would save you in a crash, not the features. Nexon has a 4 star GNCAP rating. Please correct me if I'm wrong

I have said this earlier and will say again, Bose speakers are not as great as made out to be. Bose is know for noise cancellation and not for sound clarity. I feel it will as good as Nexon Harman system nothing better. There are better audio brands that can beat Bose hands down.

I expect the price difference between Seltos and comparable variant of Nexon to be about 3-4L. It's up to one's need if that want to spend the additional.

[Sebring]

Kia has appointed some pretty good Sales guys at their dealerships. They are respectful and knowledgeable. Seems properly trained. Naara has the biggest showroom in all of Bangalore, I was told. The product is good and should be sorted once features and pricing find balance. I wish them the very best. (one thing I did not like was the pathetic leaflet which they are handing out to customers. This fails to make any impact, unlike MG which gave out a fat booklet)

[anubhav7286]

My Experience with Kia Motors

I had pre booked the seltos and was eagerly waiting for it. On Saturday 3rd of August I read that the Seltos is now on display and available for test drive. I visited the VST Motors at Bangalore to see the vehicle. On reaching the showroom, i was extremely disappointed at the behavior of the staff. Their attitude was as if they are doing us a favor by letting us see the car. There were close to 15 attendants at the showroom and not one had the time to attend to me. I waited patiently for over 30 minutes and every 10 minutes asked if someone could assist us. In those 30 minutes not one came up and spoke to us. While the car does look great, but if a dealer treats you like this even before you have made the purchase, i can only imagine how bad the situation will be post purchase. I was so disappointed and angry that i gave them a piece of mind before walking out. Irony was, still no one came up. I cancelled my booking out there it self and went on to mail the marketing and sales head about my experience. I am yet to hear back from anyone, but I am most definitely buying the Seltos anymore.