[shibujp]

Personally I think the pricing is spot on. It should see the Seltos do excellent monthly figures. Also all players in this segment are going to be hit and I feel The Jeep and the Hector would be hit hardest with the Harrier coming in next.

For a petrolhead the 1.4GDI would be the biggest boon and the GTK would be an instant VFM at that price.

Engines aside everything else would be compared to the Creta, which frankly beside the Seltos looks dated. That and the features that the Seltos offers should see good volumes.

Creta has already tested the price points at this segment and overpriced or not has shown what kind of money people are prepared to pay for a well rounded, quality product in this segment.

The Harrier I feel would still have a play in terms of size, road presence and good interiors. It looks the butch part much better than the Korean cousins. Would be interesting to see how the Hector bookings hold up now that the Seltos is out.

Anyhow this is one of the hottest segment now.

Drive on,
Shibu.

[Sebring]

Excellent pricing, and as expected in Creta territory. Creta will make way for Seltos for a few months before BS6-2020 Creta makes an appearance. The segment was too lucrative for the Koreans to leave empty. Your last point is intriguing, as every manufacturer worth his salt talks of Rs 2 Lakhs increase for BS-6, so this is really bargain-basement pricing in the upper echelons. Appreciate your thinking.

Originally Posted by anu21v

they are giving out BS-VI compliant car in BS-IV sales market and thus have reduced the price to remain competitive against existing players who all are selling BS-IV right now.

[amit1agrawal]

The prices are not aggressive at all. The base variant would be too bare bones and it's introduced only for the sticker price. 1.4 GTX Plus AT will be 20+ on-road Bangalore. That's Hexa/Harrier/XUV territory . I would any day pick Hexa AT, which is a segment or two above, over 1.4 GTX Plus AT Seltos (If I had the money). Call me old-school types but I value space over tons of features most of which I won't be using after the initial hype is over but space will be valued by family & friends and would never get 'outdated', unlike the features.
However, as others have pointed out the mid variants (am still confused with variants) will sell well as this is a new product based on newer platform and makes the Creta look outdated.

[sandygordon]

I think the pricing was as mentioned previously by many websites
I used to think that 20L for the GTX was VFM. But after checking out the size and finish of the vehicle, 19.6-19.7 lacs on-road (In Kerala including the 1% flood cess) for the 1.4 GTX DCT seems to be quite a big ask. It seems to be VFM when compared to a sparsely equipped creta diesel automatic. A test drive would solve my current dilemma. It is really disappointing that TD cars have not been arranged by Incheon Kia.

For me the options are GTX+ Diesel 1.5 Auto and 1.4 Petrol Automatic GTX. Spending more than 20 lacs for a Seltos is not worthy in my opinion. If it is the petrol, it would be the 1.4 GTX Auto (DCT) for me.

Jeep Compass Limited / Longitude options Automatic, if priced at 25-27 lacs on the road would be a good option to wait for, I suppose.

[captain.torque]

For some reason, the more I evaulate the Hector and the Seltos, the more I get inclined towards buying the XUV 5OO

[MukundanMK]

I am sitting on a pre-booking for GTX Auto and I am seriously thinking if the price tag of 19.23L (On road price for Hyderabad). GTX+Auto would cross 20.5 for Petrol and 21 for Diesel. These are seriously huge money and I am still finding it difficult to convince myself to proceed with this price point. Also MG Hector is flashing in my mind every time I see Selto's price. If you talk about the gimmicks that Seltos has, then Hector has the baap of all gimmicks in my opinion, Panoramic sunroof and obviously a few square feet of additional real estate, inside the vehicle.

Kia has played the pricing game very well. To attract higher sales volume, they have priced the lower variants very aggressively. HTK Petrol and HTE Diesel both are less than 10L (you avoid IT related headaches like PAN card and TDS). These 2 are the best priced model in my opinion. HTE Petrol should be ruled out for the very reason, that you get more than 30K worth of goods if you are willing to consider HTK Petrol. HTE Diesel, which is priced at the same price as HTK Petrol, gets the Rear Disc Brakes also which is a good safety feature to have. HTE though badly misses on Rear Wiper/ Washer/ Defogger (damn, these should be basic features from the base variant). Others are pure gimmick options, which are good to have and not must to have. Few of the missing gimmicks like fog lamps, mud guards, roof rails and rear camera can be added as an accessory even. Just for its price point, I would opt for the HTE Diesel. But, I am adamant on six airbags and auto gear. So its ruled out.

Whether Seltos is ruled out, well I need to think over again. 19.23L is huge money for me and I need to think over again. Wait, I haven't taken the test drive yet. My SA sent a message today that Diesel Manual has come and doesn't want to commit on 1.4 Auto TD. Let me first take a TD of Diesel Manual and see how Seltos drives.

I am sure many of the pre-booked prospective owners of Seltos would have been disappointed at the pricing and would be sitting on the fence about their final decision. Pls do share your views, as you guys might have some additional points which would help other prospective owners in taking a decision. I am going to play the waiting game and I am in no hurry to proceed with or cancel my booking.

[Vik0728]

Though Seltos was never in contention during my car hunt, I did like KIA's attention to detail and the conviction they had with their first ever launch. Incidentally, my wife happened to see Seltos soon after I bought the GT, and suggested that we should have waited a bit longer for this car. Although I am not a big fan of SUV/MUV/sSUV and so on, a combination of her interest and the various first hand reports of this sSUV made me think...but I never once regretted my decision.
Today, I shared the prices with my wife, and she agreed with my decision, for once!!
Nothing close to a comparison, but here's they way I look at it:

- Polo GT TDI - 1.5 TDI
Seltos HTX Plus - 1.5 CRDI (I don't trust AT gearboxes in India)

- GT - 110 BHP/250NM Torque
Seltos CRDI - 114 BHP/250NM Torque

- GT - 1153 Kgs
Seltos CRDI - ~1400 Kgs

- GT - 95 BHP/Ton
Seltos CRDI - ~82 BHP/Ton

- GT - VW after sales, Un-reliable.
Selto - KIA after sales, Un-known!!

- GT - 11.6 lakhs OTR Bangalore
Seltos CRDI HTX Plus - 18.75 lakhs OTR Bangalore

So my decision was not completely thoughtless I guess

[Vedant Gupta]

What is up with the Kia communications team though?
They have not updated the website, haven't uploaded a brochure or released one during the launch.
Colours, rims (I have seen 3 rims till now), upholstery (is black available in Tech Line?), variant wise feature list is still missing.

The pricing can only be assessed once the features are available variant-wise.
The car certainly looks like a better package than the Creta but I am not happy with the way Kia is handling the launch.

Maruti launched the XL6 recently, no hassle. All information was given on the right time.

[sunsetorange]

Originally Posted by Vik0728

So my decision was not completely thoughtless I guess

It would make a significant difference to those in the rear seat or those with aching knees.

[MukundanMK]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

This is my personal opinion, and I feel one of the reason why auto industry will continue to suffer more. Over the years every manufacturer has slowly and silently increased model pricing, making them move towards the next segment. All the cars in this segment (image) are at best 12 to 15 lakh On The Road price and honestly not worth a penny more. Just by adding gizmo and some marketing hype, industry think they will attract crowd, yes they would initially get booking, but in the long term, more and more people will move to pre-owned market which also is flooded with these new launches after a short period.

I had a brief drive of the petrol turbo DCT model, and I would rate it as Ecosport + better interiors + Space + lil gizmos and - (Minus) the solid feel of the ford. I would not pay 20-22 lakh for such a car. Rather look at a preowned next segment SUV at that price.

This is a big statement from one of our esteemed mods and I am sure that this particular statement alone would have helped a few pre-bookings to be cancelled. Kudos to Team BHP for the unbiased reviews or for such daring statements.

Auto industry has been playing around with Indian customers and the trend seems to be continuing. A lot of compromise on safety features, unexplainable pricing, paid marketing to mislead people etc. Even at this time of industry slowdown, the auto industry doesn't want to pull up their socks. Just hated the safety features (just 39% high-strength steel?) available in XL6 that was launched yesterday and also hated the pricing of Seltos launched today :-(

[quickdraw]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Prices as expected I guess, not necessarily disruptive when you take Hector into account. And putting all speculations to rest, there is no GTX+ in AT variant. Waiting for the official brochure to come up now to assess the variants exactly.

They might not have officially shown it at the presentation to keep their pricing WOW factor, but it exists and my dealer has confirmed at 17 lakhs ex showroom. Which makes it around 19+ lakhs on road for Delhi which is absurd in my opinion. Regular folks are going GAGA over the price and think its priced well, but us petrolheads are upset about the price.

Wife is not happy with the price and said I won't spend over 15. My only requirement is auto. We don't use the car enough to justify diesel. Plus GTX+ DCT means waiting for god knows how much longer. Will decide my variant tomorrow.

[sharninder]

There is a 3lakhs difference in OTR between the HTK+ Diesel Auto and the HTX+ Diesel Auto and I still can't make up my mind if its worth the extra. I haven't seen such a convoluted pricing and variant distribution ever. They might as well go ahead and give us an online configurator. Given what I've seen and felt in my brief TD of the car, I was willing to pay a max of 15 lakhs for the Petrol DCT. That is now going to cost 18+ in Gurgaon. I don't think its worth that much. I am willing to look at the HTK+ Diesel but I'm not completely convinced of that either.
I think I might just plonk the cash for a top end Verna now, since that seems VFM now looking at this. Will be deciding on my booking in a couple of days.

[momsonlydriver]

I'm really puzzled that we booked a gtx+ auto and the price list mentions it no where neither kia has confirmed any sort of post lauch regarding this varient. Does anyone have a solid bullet to prove if Kia is introducing the varient or not?

[sharninder]

Originally Posted by momsonlydriver

I'm really puzzled that we booked a gtx+ auto and the price list mentions it no where neither kia has confirmed any sort of post lauch regarding this varient. Does anyone have a solid bullet to prove if Kia is introducing the varient or not?

No, but according to the email my dealer has sent, it will be coming in a few days.

[jithin23]

The top end variants of the Seltos are directly overlapping XUV500 and Hexa gang which I feel is overpriced for a new car and a new brand. Base(HTE) and mid variants(HTK and HTK+) are a sensible buy.

Only thing I do not understand is that HTE and HTK petrol price difference is 30k and for the same variants in diesel, the price difference is 1.2L. Why is there such a huge price difference in diesel variants when the same petrol variants are not priced very drastically? Another miss is a rear wiper which is a small, simple yet significant part of a car.

9L on road price difference for base and top end variant, that's almost the cost of a base EcoSport.
New cars are almost becoming inaccessible to common people and enthusiasts.