[AGwagon]

I had also pre-booked the DCT and even after the dealer promising the TD vehicles a couple of times already, they have no idea when will they have the TD vehicles available. May be these are the same ones which were used in the Media drive and will now start to reach showrooms, may be not. Who knows? But, the story remains the same all the new launches have seen the auto-boxes being delayed or just absent at the launch and taking a considerable time in their deliveries.

Seltos will now launch in a couple of days, so not much time to gauge the pricing and then deciding if the TD is worth taking or not. Fingers Crossed!

Then will need to drill down on the mileage!

This whole pre-bookings, reveal, feature launch, pricing launch, etc has turned it into the Indian marriage type situations, even till the end you are none the wiser

[Biraj]

Took a test drive of the Petrol 1.4 GDI earlier in the morning. Tried it on various types of surface (including one with a non-existent road) and traffic. Here are my initial observations:

1. It looks nice in flesh. The right size for a young couple or a small family. Not the most spacious of cars but good enough for a family of four (two adults and two kids). The rear bench felt a bit narrow, and the boot space felt lesser than the number stated. Case in point, my Linea's boot space is 500 litres but it feels at least 1.5 times of what the Seltos felt.
2. Interiors are well put together. I checked if the central touch screen unit is well put or will it rattle after some vibrations/usage but it seemed fine. The overall quality of materials and features is good for the segment (possibly, a segment above).
3. The door doesn't have the thud of my Linea but is ok. So, the door beadings or rubber used seems to be of good quality.
4. I had to put the seat at its lowest and steering slightly higher to get a comfortable position. I am 5'8" and very very heavy.
5. GDI is responsive and since my daily drive is a 1.4 Tjet (1.4-litre turbocharged petrol), I could draw many comparisons.
   • Torque band starts earlier (~1400) in this than the Tjet (~1800) so, much lesser or almost no lag.
   • Power delivery is linear so I missed the emphatic turbo-kick. I am a turbo-kick addict and have stated earlier - "With turbo-lag comes a great turbo-kick." For the regular (read normal) users, the power delivery is fine.
   • Engine is quite refined and doesn't get too loud at high RPMs or perhaps the sound deadening is very good. My Tjet too is quite refined but gets loud as the rpm progresses.
   • I missed resetting the ODO but I guess I got around 7-8 KMPL, which is closer to what I would have managed on my Tjet in similar conditions. So, no complaints.
   • The clutch is very light and the travel is lesser than the Linea.
   • Overall, a good engine and gearbox combination. Will wait for the DCT as that's what I have booked.
6. The ride quality on bad roads wasn't nervous. It wasn't as planted as my Linea (pre-ground-clearance increase model) or Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI but it certainly wasn't as unsure as the Creta is. It took the bad roads (almost 6-12 inches deep potholes, some filled with water) quite comfortably. The suspension thud does creep in but nothing unsettling.
7. Steering is light but not vague. Then again, I have been spoilt by the Linea Tjet's steering.

Will wait to test drive the DCT. They expect it to arrive next week. As per them, the first lot assigned doesn't have any DCT yet so, the delivery of DCT might start from September. Anyway, I will hold on my decision until I get to check the gearbox response. Otherwise, it's a very good package. Might not wow in any particular aspect but overall a great product. I will call it a jack of all trades, In a positive sense.

PS: I was so focused on the car that missed clicking pics. After I shared my feedback on the test-drive booking/arranging method, the dealership has been quite responsive and brought the car to my home and was very courteous. So far so good.

[goldsmit409]

Originally Posted by ani_meher

If you plan to keep your car for longer period of times (above 5 years), then I would suggest stick to what your heart suggests. Brain adjusts to heart over time, but not the other way around. Especially if you are smitten by Compass, I would say don't compromise, especially if you don't change your cars every couple of years.

That's what I am planning to at least keep it for 7 years before I start looking for other cars.

Originally Posted by Reinhard

Welcome to the forum Goldsmit409. See you around. Congratulations on your bookings.

Both excellent cars. If I were you, I'd go with the Compass if I could afford it.
However - the difference between 70k and 1.3L is HUGE. I don't feel you should take the insurance from them in that case. Getting ripped off unknowingly is one thing. Letting someone do it & knowing it beforehand is not right! Get the insurance from outside & take the discounts still.

Originally Posted by MukundanMK

Agreed on what @Reinhard is saying. All dealers will agree to cut down their insurance margin and would try to match with the online quote. I believe indirectly that is the only discount that the dealer is giving to you. Ideally you should negotiate on cash discount on the car and over & above that, discount on the insurance. That would be a sweet deal. When I was negotiating for the Jeep Compass Petrol Auto, they offered me 1L cash discount, 60K discount on insurance and 50K exchange bonus. I however didn't proceed with the booking for other reasons.

If your heart is tilting towards Compass, then go for it. The difference in cost would be substantial, when you are comparing with the Seltos price. However if you keep the car for longer time, say 5-6 years and then sell it, then you wont feel the impact of the price difference much. Also when you are selling the car, you would partially recover the higher difference that you had paid when purchasing the car.

I would any day go for the JC compared to any other car. Last year I convinced my wife and almost finalized on JC Petrol Auto, but dropped due to the not so good review/feedback from TBHP. Auto is a must for me and there was no Diesel Auto then and Trailhawk is completely out of my budget range even. Have pre-booked the Seltos long time back and nothing much has happened after that. Waiting and waiting (im)patiently for the next steps

I agree and I had decided not to take insurance from them but they said they would match it and gave some further discount. Trying not to go off-topic in the current thread more details here (Jeep Compass : Official Review)

If they don't budge - I'd say Jeep is too arogant.

Cannot agree more here.

[vinya_jag]

Originally Posted by Biraj

Took a test drive of the Petrol 1.4 GDI earlier in the morning. Tried it on various types of surface (including one with a non-existent road) and traffic. Here are my initial observations:
[*]GDI is responsive and since my daily drive is a 1.4 Tjet (1.4-litre turbocharged petrol), I could draw many comparisons.

• Torque band starts earlier (~1400) in this than the Tjet (~1800) so, much lesser or almost no lag.
• Power delivery is linear so I missed the emphatic turbo-kick.
• The clutch is very light and the travel is lesser than the Linea.

[*]The ride quality on bad roads wasn't nervous. It wasn't as planted as my Linea (pre-ground-clearance increase model) or Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI but it certainly wasn't as unsure as the Creta is. It took the bad roads (almost 6-12 inches deep potholes, some filled with water) quite comfortably. The suspension thud does creep in but nothing unsettling. [*]Steering is light but not vague. Then again, I have been spoilt by the Linea Tjet's steering.
.

Thank you so much for this, I was waiting to hear from someone who is extensively using TJET (my dream machine at one point of time and whenever Turbo Petrol comes into picture, I can only imagine this car).

I have few questions,
How is the throttle response at different gears? How effortless do you think during highway overtaking?
How is the breaking power (as we know Linea is the king here).
Does this car look like an upgrade from TJet?
Finally how do you rate Seltos w.r.t FTD factor compared to FIAT?

PS: I own Punto, and driven TJET for couple of times (not more than 100KM though), and I booked GTX Manual.

[Krishnan83]

Ex showroom is 11.48 for HTK plus manual petrol according to very reliable sources; based on factory despatch invoice to the dealer.

Adding it here to know how close it is to real price in 2 days :-)

[AGwagon]

Just received the brochure from my dealer. So the black and beige leather option is in HT line as well?

Just how many variations are there Kia?

[deepjaju]

Originally Posted by AGwagon

Just received the brochure from my dealer. So the black leather options are in HT line as well?

Just how many variations are there Kia?

In the second page of the PDF it says the IVT is with the diesel engine and the AT is with the normal-petrol engine.
Everywhere else its the other way around. Have Kia goofed up their brochure ? The plus pack is my choice.

[AGwagon]

Originally Posted by deepjaju

In the second page of the PDF it says the IVT is with the diesel engine and the AT is with the normal-petrol engine.
Everywhere else its the other way around. Have Kia goofed up their brochure ? The plus pack is my choice.

Honestly I am so confused with Kia at this point, I have given up. I have never seen someone launch so many variants and still get it wrong, which thankfully they corrected subsequently (GTX+ Autos). However, I have an inkling that the pricing of the GTX+ may just kill it and Kia might think it was better without them.

Also no All Black option as per the brochure on GTX+

[aniyo]

Originally Posted by Krishnan83

Ex showroom is 11.48 for HTK plus manual petrol according to very reliable sources; based on factory despatch invoice to the dealer.

Adding it here to know how close it is to real price in 2 days :-)

This would mean about ex-showroom of 13L for HTX diesel or almost 15.6-16 on road Bangalore. The kit will decide if it is worth the price. With so many variant list floating not sure which to trust

[Biraj]

Originally Posted by vinya_jag

I have few questions,
How is the throttle response at different gears? How effortless do you think during highway overtaking?
How is the breaking power (as we know Linea is the king here).
Does this car look like an upgrade from TJet?
Finally how do you rate Seltos w.r.t FTD factor compared to FIAT?

Thanks, Vinya

Here are my responses based on the limited time I have spent with Seltos.

• Throttle response is good. As I mentioned, it has very low or negligible turbo-lag so, driving in the city or highway will be effortless. Plus, overtaking should also not be difficult as the engine is responsive and acceleration is rapid. It doesn't have a kick-down like 1.8 Tsi or 'pushed in the seat' feel of my Tjet but it is a good car to drive.
• Braking was sure-footed. I tried braking from a high speed and the car maintained its line. There was a slight nosedive but that's expected from a crossover SUV. Braking power seemed adequate.
• Upgrade from a Tjet - This is an extremely tricky point to answer. I love the Tjet too much and I honestly haven't enjoyed driving any car (except Octavia 1.8 Tsi) as much as I do while driving it. Even after 7.5 years, it drives and feels amazing. Moreover, I like the timeless design of Linea than the current crop of overdesigned and bling-bling products. In fact, my wife has been asking me to make up my mind about the next car as she feels I will end up comparing the ride and handling of whichever car I buy to the Linea Tjet and then never enjoy the ownership. Unfortunately, a greater number of features is not my definition of an upgrade. For me, it has to make me feel better, which I don't think will happen until I cross the Octavia threshold but then it will mean keeping two turbo-charged sedans because Crusoe (My Tjet) isn't going anywhere.
• It is good to drive but fun-to-drive - not sure. My definition of fun is ghat sections or hilly roads. I love the Fiat's dynamics on such roads. Haven't driven the Seltos on such a terrain yet so, can't really answer objectively. All I can say is, It should do well in most circumstances and please most owners. But, a Fiat is a Fiat.

[momsonlydriver]

Originally Posted by AGwagon

Also no All Black option as per the brochure on GTX+

White and Black interior color wanted to be avoided by me but I guess I have to maintain the seats very well. My Sx4 has a very light beige upholstery and still looks new and well maintained. Yes, it's definitely a pain but at the end of the day the cabin looks very airy.
Black does have pros and cons as after a while you feel claustrophobic and black seems to feel faded overtime. Interior color is not a deal breaker for me as my family is very neat and clean with everything.
Atleast something differentiates the gtx+ from the base varients that have black interiors.

[AGwagon]

Originally Posted by aniyo

This would mean about ex-showroom of 13L for HTX diesel or almost 15.6-16 on road Bangalore. The kit will decide if it is worth the price. With so many variant list floating not sure which to trust

if the HTK+ for 1.5NA Petrol is 11.48 ex-showroom, there is no way the diesel HTX would be 13L, my guess is the HTK+ Diesel may be 13-13.5L, but if you look at the equipment addition from HTK+ to HTX (in the brochure I have shared) you will notice there are things like (FATC, All LED Headlamps and Fogs, Air Purifier, Leatherette upholstery, bigger alloys, bigger screen & UVO), which would mean an increase of ~1.5L from HTK+ > HTX. So I guess the HTX Diesel should be closer to 14.5 to 15L ex-showroom.

Originally Posted by momsonlydriver

White and Black interior color wanted to by avoided by me but I guess I have to maintain the seats very well. My Sx4 has a very lignt beige upholstery and still looks new and well maintained. Yes, it's definitely a pain but at the end of the day the cabin looks very airy.
Black does have pros and cons as after a while you feel claustrophobic and black seems to feel faded overtime. Interior color is not a deal breaker for me as my family is very neat and clean with everything.
Atleast something differentiates the gtx+ from the base varients that have black interiors.

Well easier said than done with small kids. Plus the colour in Seltos is almost white which in leather is more prone to staining even with jeans, etc. rather than the fabric!

[momsonlydriver]

Originally Posted by AGwagon

Well easier said than done with small kids. Plus the colour in Seltos is almost white which in leather is more prone to staining even with jeans, etc. rather than the fabric!

Oh Lord, how could I miss the jeans stains. They were a nightmare. Well, I'm the kid in my family as I'm the youngest
I am actually right now terrified of another beige ownership. I hope Kia spills a magic spell and spawns a black inteiror option for GTX+ trim.
Will I spend my time driving the car or cleaning the seats and deciding when to take out the car and let who be my passenger.
I travel by Uber daily and on most occasions I get Ford Aspire, Dzire (small Boot). All I can say that Seltos is much better in providing very less of beige. Those Uber cars with beige plastics trims turn mud color after maybe a weeks use. It looks very gross.
I have noticed that GTX+ seats are black + white. Whereas HTX+ has pure white seats. Both the trims get a huge black plastic panel at the rear (due to ventilated seats), so kicking won't destroy any seat upholstery.

[troublemaker]

I have almost started fearing about two things:
1. GTX+ DCT price getting into Compass territory
2. Turbo Petrol giving 5-6 kmpl

A combination of these will be really bad for Kia's initial years in India. And don't forget the state of Auto industry at the moment.

[coolkurt]

Originally Posted by momsonlydriver

No, these gimmicks are not present in the Seltos. What you do get is a much sort after technology.

They're decent features, even if it might seem gimmicky. What sought after technology? They're more or less the same as far as specs is concerned, except for the HUD.

@All

So as per my understanding, the HUD will be available on the GT Spec diesel AT but not on the Diesel manual?