[//M]

Originally Posted by //M

I had a quick chat with a SA at the Kia dealership in MG Road, Gurgaon today. The SA mentioned that the Seltos will have a rather sweet 10-16.5 L introductory price. The GT Line with DCT won't be available in the top spec so it will most likely loose out on some niceties like a sunroof and ventilated seats, quite a usual weird 'Hyundai thingy' of not selling the top spec variant with an auto box.

The display cars would arrive on 24th July and he mentioned that the base variant could enjoy a sub-10 L ex-showroom figure. Looks like Kia is really betting it big with the Seltos in India. An aggressive launch price could literally kill some of it's rivals.

Looks like the SA at the Kia dealership in MG Road, Gurgaon was spot on with the pricing details.

Incredible pricing by Kia, I am almost tempted to replace our 5.5 years old Honda City with the Seltos.

Kia, however, really needs to launch the DCT equipped GTX+ variant as well as a similarly equipped diesel variant to really strike while the iron is hot. It will be really interesting to see how the competition reacts to this.

[nikhilthegunner]

Originally Posted by 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.

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.

Honestly, I think the Hector bookings will hold steady because it's a much bigger car than the Seltos, offers similar features and many people believe the Hector is a VFM Product. I'd say Jeep is pretty much gone from the market because of the silly pricing. Harrier will be affected unless TML somehow brings in an Auto in these next few months (which I doubt!).

[dksv]

Here's the Seltos Owner's Manual. Should be useful if you want to check details of every feature of the vehicle and specifics of anything that KIA has not told us so far.

[dksv]

Originally Posted by Rigid Rotor

Anyone has the technical explanation for differences in Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and Vehicle Stability Management (VSM)? To the layperson, it appears the same, however, its been listed as two different features.

More details can be found in pages 311 thru 316 of the Owner's Manual.

[Harjot37]

Originally Posted by drjkonline

You nailed it there. 2014 EcoSport diesel titanium owner here. There are no upgrade options if you want a bigger car with same solid feeling, driving dynamics, engine and 6 airbags. Ford's lack of presence in this segment is disappointing.

After reading 2-3 posts on this thread on comparison with the Ford EcoSport, I'd rather wait another year for Ford to introduce their C-SUV. Our Fordie is not going anywhere, and I doubt anything would happen to her for years to come (we were one of the firsts to buy the EcoSport).
Kia's pricing did have the power to surprise- which led me to reconsider (The next car we bring home will entirely depend on my decision). I think I'd fallen for the gimmicks earlier.
You can read my comparison of the diesels on this thread itself:-
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...ml#post4639838

[manishkapadia]

The more i see the pricing of cars launched today, I feel I should keep using what i have. We have a G3 Honda City 2009, 2007 Civic , 2009 i10 Automatic, 1st Generation Jazz and a 2016 Brio in the extended family. All of them are super reliable, and a pleasure to use. The combined maintenance cost annually of these 5 cars will be lower than the 1st year insurance premium and maintenance of a new top end seltos. It just does not make financial sense to spend this much money.

[Bee]

The HTE and HTK variant have certainly been priced aggressively and have caught my fancy too. I just might book one after a few test drives (and ofcourse the teambhp review) in the near future

I do have a rather lame query though, the lower variants lack soft touch materials everywhere except on the armrest. The steering wheel can be leather wrapped and the gear knob too (maybe?)

What I wish to ask is can the soft material be added to the door armrest and the dash like in the higher variants? (see pic)

[WheelWake]

I was keenly following this thread as MG Hector and Kia looked as good option. My XUV is now 6 years old and wanted to look for alternative, not necessarily an upgrade but one with latest tech and slightly better driving dynamics.

However, with these prices I think I am better off keeping XUV for as long as possible and change only when absolutely necessary. Having said that I still see value in Indian manufacturers more than say Korean or others. I just hope Tata/M&Ms get close to these in terms of fit and finish, then it will easier getting one from them. Otherwise it feels bit of a rip off when you so much (2lac+ difference) for a smaller car with slightly better feel (driving/interiors/etc).

But it's good to see more options for the Indian buyers not limited as it was 5-10 years back.

[jithin23]

Originally Posted by doxinboy

Brilliant analogy!! Because of exorbitant prices of new generation cars, it will be wise to understand the OTR in terms of existing cars. I like this perspective.

Topend would easily crossover 20 big ones in Bangalore and customers will inadvertently include Compass and XUV500, not to mention the obvious sibling from Hyundai. I think younger folks might plonk it on Kia compared to conservative folks who would prefer an established brand. One thing I can't figure out is why would they use Tiger Shroff as a brand ambassador? Is it because it has a Tiger Nose

People are more smart these days to make an informed and rational decision these days and Kia has gone all guns blazing with the marketing just like Hyundai. It's going to be interesting that how many takers will be there for the mid and top trims of Seltos.

P.S. After owning two Fords, it is difficult to move to another brand and my 2018 EcoSport Titanium diesel with sync 3 at 11.7 Lakhs feels more VFM than the present crop of cars in that price range.

[adimicra]

I think the pricing is mostly spot-on! The higher variants are probably over-priced by 50K or so.

I think people in the forum needs to understand that companies are here to make profits and KIA has clearly bench-marked itself with the segment leader Creta.

In comparison with Creta, the KIA looks way better (the new generation Creta looks terrible), it clearly has much more features, the interiors, fit and finish are probably better and the driving dynamics are good well. It has a 140 bhp turbo petrol with a sub 10-sec 0-100 time. It has huge number of variants which should cater to a wide customer base. I can't find much fault with the Seltos and a way better deal than the Creta.

I see comparisons with all sorts of cars - Ecosport, Polo, XUV, Hector, Hexa and what not. None of these care are in the same segment as Creta, though some cross-shopping in inevitable. A person typically looking for a XUV wants a bigger car and will not be typically interested in the Seltos. I think even the Hector is not a direct competitor as it much bigger car and the Chinese heritage or news of breakdown is not helping (As a propsective customer of Seltos/Creta, I am not interested in the Hector as it's just way too big for my needs). I think the Seltos entry level versions can actually take away some sales from the sub-4M segment top-end models.

Overall, I see a big winner in the Seltos unless Kia messes up the sales or after sales experience. The 2020 Creta will come with all the bells and whistles which Seltos has but it looks awful. I hope Hyunda fixes the design for the Indian market. Till then, it's honeymoon time for Kia in India.

[lovesujay]

Originally Posted by dadu

Also would suggest to drive the Hexa AT.

I have driven Creta AT and Hexa AT, Creta stands nowhere near Hexa in peppyness, driving pleasure and comfort, if you are focusing only on the driving pleasure part of it.

You are spot on. Hexa is a totally under rated car in our country. It has the best ride quality and offers great value for money for a 7 seater. It's not meant for city driving or a small family. It's a terrific car overall.

[Rigid Rotor]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

You are not wrong. The Diesel only gets 2 airbags across all variants and ranges.

There's no 6 airbag diesel Seltos.

Originally Posted by AGwagon

Not only does it only have only 2 airbags, but it misses out ESC/VSM also ..

I suggest you check out the Kia website details in 'compare trim variants'. It was up late night or early morning and as of now it still shows Diesel auto included in the list of variants in GTX+, with 6 airbags and more importantly, with BA, ESC and VSM safety options. Unless its a major typo, the diesel appears to get all the safety options only in the highest trim.

Regarding Indians prioritising bling over safety - that is definitely a fact, however it is also a fact that our legalisation on safety is far behind the US and Canada, where I understand that Anti-lock Brake System, Electronic Brake Distribution and Electronic Stability Control are mandatory for all passenger vehicles, since a few years back. So, its essentially weak legislation also, in the list of factors.

Originally Posted by dksv

More details can be found in pages 311 thru 316 of the Owner's Manual.

Thanks for the update and uploading the user manual!

It appears that Vehicle Stability Management is a level higher than ESC, apparently with auto-steering inputs also being applied.

[funkyp]

Another disappointment after keenly following the Seltos launch - the wait for a sensibly priced SUV with 6 airbags + auto box + rear space continues. GTX in petrol is currently the only variant meeting this requirement. At 16 lakhs ex showroom, I doubt its worth the additional money over a sub-4m proposition like the ecosport.

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

I was seriously looking at Seltos and even took dad to showroom. The need was for an automatic. The Seltos was impressive but 22L for the top end GTX+ 7DCT estimated on road Bangalore is difficult to justify.

The dynamics and the solid feel of the Ford are really holding me back.

An upgrade Ecosport should atleast be a Compass or Hector. Barring few niceties and little extra space the Creta/Seltos doesnot have anything to boast about for extra 8-10lacs. The problem however is there aren't many AT SUV in 15-30L price bracket barring Creta/Seltos. XUV is too old, Hector comes with mediocre AT and Compass AT is 35L.

[AGwagon]

Originally Posted by Rigid Rotor

I suggest you check out the Kia website details in 'compare trim variants'. It was up late night or early morning and as of now it still shows Diesel auto included in the list of variants in GTX+, with 6 airbags and more importantly, with BA, ESC and VSM safety options. Unless its a major typo, the diesel appears to get all the safety options only in the highest trim.

That was exactly my point!

Remember, Kia initially had not decided to launch this variant. Only when they realised that it is now-a-days important to have an auto with a top-end trim, have they decided to rectify this. Although they are yet to give any details on when it will be launched and at what price! So technically it is still in a pre-launch.

Also in the gazillion trims and variants of Seltos, you can only have more than 2 airbags, ESC & VSM on a diesel if you choose to drive an automatic and shell close to 20L or more OTR. I will be very surprised if at that price it will find many takers! However, I am sure if they would have introduced these safety packs in lower variants, there could have been people willing to pay a little extra to prioritize safety over gimmicky features!

One more point to add for those who are considering diesel auto Seltos. Be cautious that the mileage is significantly impacted vis-a-vis a manual diesel (17.8 Vs 20.8, largest gap MvsA in claimed ARAI numbers). The shockingly poor real world mileage of the diesel auto has also been highlighted by some of the media reviewers. I am sure for most people mileage in a diesel is important. So please get an estimate on the real world numbers before you decide to buy one. Mind you, the 1.4 TPetrol is even worse.