[jthomas]

Originally Posted by abhi9044

One of my friend is planning to go ahead with the HTK+ variant with the 1.5 Petrol. However, I would like to request the owners to respond to some of my queries.

2) What is the fuel efficiency that the 1.5 Petrol MT will give? The salesman said 16kmpl in the city and 19 on the highway. I know a lot depends upon the driving style, but owners insights would be useful.

My HTK 1.5 Petrol gives 14.8 kmpl in Kerala's state highway using tankful to tankful method. This is during night driving when there is not much traffic. However roads are windy and requires lot of gear ahifting. On mid it shows 16.1 kmpl. So there is atleast 1.2-1.5 kmpl gap wherein mid shows more always.

I have seen 20.3 kmpl in mid display while driving from Chennai to Trichy at 80-90 kmph speed. So factoring the MID gap, it would be close to 18 kmpl on sedate highway driving.

[papr23]

Originally Posted by abhi9044

One of my friend is planning to go ahead with the HTK+ variant with the 1.5 Petrol. However, I would like to request the owners to respond to some of my queries.

1) Has the brake issue been rectified by Kia? I can't see any new entries in the brake problem thread of Seltos since 2020.

2) What is the fuel efficiency that the 1.5 Petrol MT will give? The salesman said 16kmpl in the city and 19 on the highway. I know a lot depends upon the driving style, but owners insights would be useful.

3) Any other issues I should be aware of?

1. I never faced the infamous hard brake pedal problem.

2. The least I managed in city is 10.68kmpl. I usually get 11.5 to 13 in Hyderabad's b2b traffic.
On highways the best I got is 19.4kmpl over 770km
I usually get 17-18kmpl on most highway drives.
All numbers are from tank to tank measurement.



3. Rear AC! Absolute bummer. Most of the time only my little one is seated at the rear and she is too young to complain if it is blowing warm or not so cool air. I frequently feel the temperature to see if she is comfortable. But this warm air from the rear AC does not happen always.

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by papr23

3. Rear AC! Absolute bummer. Most of the time only my little one is seated at the rear and she is too young to complain if it is blowing warm or not so cool air. I frequently feel the temperature to see if she is comfortable. But this warm air from the rear AC does not happen always.

In case you are not already aware - the rear AC vent gives out air which is slightly but always warmer than the air from the front vents (probable cause, rear vent pipes pass close to the exhaust pipe and hence, the air heats up).


What I do - if there's no one in the rear seats, I set the cooling as per my comfort levels. If the rear seat is occupied, the AC setting is one level cooler and the vents are turned away from me. This has always worked for us.

PS: If I keep the AC at two levels higher than usual, the rear occupants complain of feeling cold. So the rear AC works well

[Aviator_guy]

What is resonable insurance quote (with zero dep) for Seltos HTX IVT in Bangalore? I feel dealer is over charging so want to get an idea. I'd prefer established insurance providers like ICICI, HDFC, Tata, Bajaj etc and no so keen on Acko etc. If any insights, please do share

[morphique]

Dear owners, has anyone tried changing the manual AC to automatic on lower variants such as HTK+?
What was the overall cost? Was there any electrical change that could cause warranty invalidation?

[techcoze]

Originally Posted by morphique

Dear owners, has anyone tried changing the manual AC to automatic on lower variants such as HTK+?
What was the overall cost? Was there any electrical change that could cause warranty invalidation?

I have seen a youtuber initiated this experiment, but have not noticed final updates on it. Would be great to know if anyone has done this successfully.

[Abhishek_Nikam]

Originally Posted by DeepeshKarnik

Hi All,

Not even when the customer is walking in himself ! I know the product (the actual car) has nothing to do with this experience but again, isn't customer experience the first step towards everything "sales" ?

Should I consider the MG Astor ? Not a fan of the Creta. Already had the Brezza/Urban Cruiser. Do not want to go Nissan. As much as I like the Compass, it's way beyond my budget. XUV500 is no more available. Did not like Tata products.

I totally understand, the experience in the showroom is the first step in buying a car, but I would suggest don't reject the Kia Seltos based on that.
Try to visit the showroom early morning or afternoon on weekdays and hopefully you will get better response.
My experience with Kia dealers in Pune was exactly the opposite. Both were very responsive.

Coming back to Kia Seltos and MG Astor.
- I feel the MG Astor is half a size smaller than Kia Seltos.
- The back seat accommodates three more easily in a Seltos, than an Astor.
- The Astor felt a little claustrophobic for me as compared to Seltos.
- There was one more issue, when you are sitting on the passenger front seat, my right leg kept hitting the vertical bar on the center console below the infotainment screen.

I do not like the overall exterior design of the Creta, so rejected it.
Also, when I visited Hyundai showroom to check on the Creta, the first thing they showed me was a whiteboard showing the waiting times, as if telling me to turn back.

I bought the Seltos HTX IVT version, and the same comparable version in MG Astor was giving me extra features, but in the end went with the Kia Seltos, as I personally felt that the Seltos had that extra touch of premium feeling, more roomy and the overall exterior/stance stole the show for me.

Been driving if for over 3 weeks, 500kms done, and absolutely no issues. The fit and finish, the NVH, just class apart.

[Abhishek_Nikam]

Originally Posted by morphique

Pune dealers are no different at least when it comes to Sales. I have been in touch with all three of them, and the experience is pathetic.

- They only chase you until you book with them. Once you do, they forget you. Then you chase them.
- If you cancel the booking, again you have to chase them for refund. They don't even acknowledge messages / calls / emails.
- The overall process from booking till allotment is not transparent at all, because there are no updates directly from Kia. Only if the dealer wishes, they'd email monthly updates with your sequence number in queue.
- If you don't take accessories and insurance from them, they will not allocate a vehicle earlier than the stated waiting period, and rather look for those who are ready to pay for accessories and insurance in exchange for an immediate purchase (no booking).
- Last moment thrill is when they call you to inform that a vehicle has been allocated but ask to make full payment without PDI, while giving a fake warning that they'd allocate the vehicle to someone else if you don't pay in full immediately.

Hi Morphique,

Which dealer did you consult with.
Infact my experience was excellent with both.
I called Crystal Kia, Baner and Aman Kia, and both helped me with a test drive. In fact, Aman Kia which is very far away from my home, also got the car for a test drive which I was not expecting.

I booked with Crystal Kia, and never did they ask me to buy any accessories, or force me to buy insurance from them. I only bought the mats as an accessory, that's it.

When the car was allocated, I asked for a PDI and the SA readily accepted. Called me to the showroom, and then we went together to the stockyard and checked the car.

I agree with you on the process being not transparent, as after booking the car, and waiting for 45 days, I had to call the SA every week to get an update.

[morphique]

Originally Posted by Abhishek_Nikam

Which dealer did you consult with.

Crystal - Baner
Since this is nearest to where I live, I selected this one for the test drive (request submitted online). They contacted me but were unwilling to arrange a home visit, rather asked me to visit the showroom. On visiting them, they never noted my name etc., just gave a few minutes of overview on Seltos and straight arranged a test drive, post which there were no further talks and no calls later either. I wanted to check Sonet Diesel AT too, so I later registered another test drive request. This time I received a call over which they asked for test drive OTP but never arranged a test drive. Later they called for a follow-up and when I told them that they never arranged a test drive only, they said they have showroom renovation in progress. I wasn't interested in this dealer any more then. I did leave a feedback on the link that follows a test drive mentioning "this test drive never happened" - apparently Kia never look at it.

Aman - PCMC and Dhone - Hadapsar
A request for Sonet test drive was entertained and they did a home visit too, but were not ok with zero accessories, and totally against outside insurance.

Aman - Nagar Road
The sales executive had recently joined and our initial overall experience was quite good, except that the consultant was giving incorrect info (Sonet was 4 star rated on safety as per him). We were given test drives of Seltos as well as Sonet. They did a home visit too. We finally booked Sonet with them, since they were ok with zero accessories and outside insurance. Another reason was that the consultant had told us that we could get a Sonet sooner than Crystal since Crystal has huge number of bookings, and backlog. However, once we booked, there were no follow-ups / updates, and I had to constantly chase them for updates, or our sequence number in their queue, to which their standard response always was that they had already told us it had 6 months waiting officially.

Meanwhile, we continued looking for availability at other dealers (even outside Pune) and even alternatives to Sonet.

Crystal - Tilak Road
Visited them just to check if they were any better, but no - they were only interested in getting an instant booking during our visit. They never called back for a test drive, neither for a booking!

-----

Crystal - Baner (again!) and Aman - Nagar Road
Later, I received an unexpected call from Crystal Baner - the consultant was new there and probably took over from the very first that was assigned to us (who had apparently left the job). The new guy straight talked business, which is what I liked. He told me about each variant that was in-stock, was ok with no accessories and outside insurance, and even invited for a yard visit. However, they didn't have the variants we were interested in. So he insisted I make a booking, and promised he'd try his best to arrange it soon. It was for Seltos, given the chances of it being available sooner than Sonet.

Thinking that may be Aman Kia too might have something interesting in stock, I called them. They told me about one (which was not our primary choice), but the condition was that I would have to take accessories and insurance from them. This completely changed our outlook about them. What if when our originally booked Sonet is available, Aman Kia put the same condition, going back on their words? (We do have those commitments from them on the Whatsapp group though).

Few days later, we decided to change our booking with Crystal Baner to Sonet. The thought behind this was that we were willing to stretch the budget for Seltos only if it was instantly available. If we had to wait only, we'd rather do it for Sonet. Informed the consultant about the change and also posted on the whatsapp group. There was absolute silence after this (same as Aman Kia). I had to constantly follow-up. Carens was launched, so we visited Crystal Baner for a test drive. Asked the consultant for updates on the Sonet booking, but he had none. I told him I never received a new docket for Sonet booking. He confirmed that he had changed the booking to Sonet. After a few weeks, we received an email about updates on our booking, and no surprise - it was still reflecting Seltos with a sequence of 20+ in queue! On enquiring about why the booking was not changed, the TL called me, but had no excuse for why the booking was never changed. Told them to cancel the booking - posted on whatsapp group as well as on email - there was no acknowledgement. I called at the showroom - the receptionist said that the TL would get back to me - he never did. Finally someone from their customer care confirmed that the cancellation had been noted and was in process. I am still waiting for the refund.

During just another follow-up with Aman Kia for what was in-stock, they had a Seltos. I made up my mind to go for it. Told the consultant to share VIN, which checked out fine. So I requested for a yard visit. He tried to discourage me for the same stating that the vehicle would be in a very dusty condition. I insisted I would still do a PDI at the yard and instantly make the payment after. He told me the location of the yard. I was about to start from home, but he calls me and says that his boss does not agree for a yard visit. I told him that I am ok even if he gets the vehicle to the showroom for the PDI, to which he said that I need to discuss with his boss after a couple of hours since he is currently busy. I never received a call after that. It has been a week!

Now what if when our originally booked Sonet arrives, Aman Kia deny a PDI for that too?

[Abhishek_Nikam]

Originally Posted by morphique

Crystal - Baner
Aman - PCMC and Dhone - Hadapsar
Aman - Nagar Road

The strange part is, Aman Kia one branch is asking you to buy compulsory accessories, while the other is not, when are both owned by the same owner.

I initially contacted Crystal Kia. The SA tried to explain features, but I said I was well aware of the features, and want a test drive. He had a DCT available, but I wanted a test drive of the HTX IVT, which was the version I was interested in.
That test vehicle had recently met with an accident, so it would need a week to get fixed and then he will come for the test drive. I said fine.
In the mean time, my BIL knew someone at Aman Kia, who said they have a HTX IVT Seltos available for delivery. I called him for test drive, which he promptly visited my place the same day and when I asked for the HTX IVT model, he said its sold out. I thought maybe he was bluffing, where in morning he had the model available, and afternoon I asked to book it and he said its sold out. or maybe I am wrong, in a few hours someone else bought it.
After a few days the Crystal Kia SA visited home with Seltos, took a test drive and booked it.
He said its ok if we do not buy insurance from them(in the end I took the insurance from them) and also ok with no accessories, but requested to buy some accessories. After looking at the list, I only asked for the mats. I knew the quality was good as my neighbor has a Kia Seltos bought via Crystal Kia, and I have seen the mats were good. He agreed.

Next, he said he will get the vehicle delivered in 45 days. But it took around 60 days.
Once the vehicle was allocated and reached the stockyard, the SA called me, we went for a PDI. Though he did not allow to start the car, but did un-lock it to check details. ODO had around 25kms. As per SA, there is a small test drive done at the manufacturing plant and then small test drive done once it reaches stockyard.

He asked me for a date, which was 20th Feb for us. He had the car ready at the decided time, with the mats. We reached, and within an hour we were back home. So overall, our experience was very good.

Originally Posted by abhi9044

One of my friend is planning to go ahead with the HTK+ variant with the 1.5 Petrol. However, I would like to request the owners to respond to some of my queries.


2) What is the fuel efficiency that the 1.5 Petrol MT will give? The salesman said 16kmpl in the city and 19 on the highway. I know a lot depends upon the driving style, but owners insights would be useful.

My friend has a Seltos 1.5 MT HTK Petrol version and has around 8500 kms done. And he gets around 15 in the city and 18-19 on the highway. This is via the tank to tank method.
The car MID on the other hand displays over 24 kmpl for him on the highway for certain trips.

[DeepeshKarnik]

Thank you so much for your inputs fellow bhpians ! I am happy to share that I have booked the Kia Seltos GTX Plus AT Diesel - Metallic Black today. It has around 20 weeks of waiting, per the Sales Rep.

I hope KIA reps follows the principle of "Under-Promise and Over-Deliver"

[car_guy1998]

After lots of research and deliberations, I had booked the Seltos GTX+ Diesel AT in white colour on 14th March at Automotive Kia, Nagole.

And, the waiting period I was quoted was 18-19 weeks but surprisingly, yesterday, in the evening, I got a call from my sales guy, whom I dealt with, told that there is a Seltos GTX+ Diesel AT available in the colour I preferred and asked me whether I should allot the vehicle or not, but, unfortunately said no as I needed some time for arranging the finances and told the sales guy that I'll take the delivery of the car by this month-end or next month hopefully.

[malim]

My Seltos has an odd quirk. Every now and then, though I live and commute in Bangalore, the Kia Connect (formerly Uvo) app marks one of my trips as occurring in Delhi. This occurs whether or not I'm using navigation aids. This screenshot is the latest example, where a routine drive to the airport is depicted as spinning my wheels in Lutyens' Delhi.
Has anyone else had this happen to them, and is there a known solution?

[xotiq]

Originally Posted by malim

My Seltos has an odd quirk. Every now and then, though I live and commute in Bangalore, the Kia Connect (formerly Uvo) app marks one of my trips as occurring in Delhi. This occurs whether or not I'm using navigation aids. This screenshot is the latest example, where a routine drive to the airport is depicted as spinning my wheels in Lutyens' Delhi.
Has anyone else had this happen to them, and is there a known solution?

Have seen it multiple times with our Seltos as well. Weird but true. Forgot to mention this during the 2nd service.

[malim]

Originally Posted by xotiq

Have seen it multiple times with our Seltos as well. Weird but true. Forgot to mention this during the 2nd service.

Does yours also default to the centre of Delhi?

That aside, I wonder what would happen if the bug were to occur while geofencing is turned on. Nothing good, I would imagine.