[Stribog]

One thing though that only owners might pick up on is the sheer stupidity of the UVO update process.

Basically when your uvo stops working, that's when you realize the version has changed, you then drive it into the service center, wait 15 mins and they flash it on a pendrive.

If you are lucky it wouldn't crash anything but like many of us have observed and I am going through now, updates are unstable and crash the UVO or Android auto.

[Researcher]

Originally Posted by Stribog

One thing though that only owners might pick up on is the sheer stupidity of the UVO update process.

Basically when your uvo stops working, that's when you realize the version has changed, you then drive it into the service center, wait 15 mins and they flash it on a pendrive.

If you are lucky it wouldn't crash anything but like many of us have observed and I am going through now, updates are unstable and crash the UVO or Android auto.

Will it be possible for you to please confirm from the service center if there is any way that the update can be done without depending on them? I believe the first generation Smartplay system in Maruti cars could be updated by anyone who had the correct system files.

[ashvek3141]

Superb review guys, of an equally superb car! Every minutest detail covered so beautifully. No wonder why T-BHP reviews are miles ahead of the competition. Late to the party, but with a BANG!
Like most of the BHPians said & others would agree, Seltos is THE car to look for in the sub-compact SUV segment, atleast till the arrival of the new Creta.

Well done KIA.

[landcruiser123]

Superb review. Wonder whether XUV 500, Hyundai Creta or the Kia Seltos generated most interest. Looking forward to see this car in person someday.

Two things that are not so nice for me:
1.Shocking that a such a well-equipped car doesn't come with 3 point belts for the center passengers.
2. The pricing is high. I know someone who bought a Toyota Innova Crysta 2.7 GX over the Seltos.

[fhdowntheline]

Originally Posted by lemedico

This is a great review, but I have one major disagreement with what you've stated.

"there is very little flex when you press the metal with your thumb"

Honestly, I cancelled my booking just because all panels, apart from the bonnet, flexed with even my index finger! And I saw too many shared images of the Seltos in accidents which appeared to have terribly shattered plastics and crumpled metal bits. Do the other bhpians agree?

I think that there has been enough discussion in this forum on what constitutes good build quality and robustness. Most Honda cars may not feel robust, but will age better than others. As for crumpled plastics and metal, as long as people inside have survived in accidents, that should be good isnt it? Please do not expect cars to be tanks. There is no car in the world that will protect a rash and reckless driver, who may drive at 150 kph/ may not wear seatbelts/ may allow his passengers to ride the car without seatbelts.

[kauphylover]

Great review as always! However, there's one major gripe I have for such a premium car - it feels somewhat cheap inside (the plastics, seats and just the overall impression I got). The first time I checked the car out, that was my impression. Then, I heard so much raving about the car that I doubted my first evaluation and went to check the car out a second time and that didn't change my impression. Maybe I have unreasonable expectations for a 21L car?

[GeeTee TSI]

Wonderful review and well worth the wait.

I find it curious that a transmission temperature gauge is being provided. Being a dry clutch DCT, wonder what is being measured for the temperature readout.

Regarding overheating of the DCT at urban crawls, I am keen to know if it a problem unique to only Seltos DCT as opposed to an inherent weak area of DCTs in general. This since I haven't experienced anything amiss in my 5 year old Polo GT TSI's DSG during stop and go crawls (except the FE plummeting alarmingly!)

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by GeeTee TSI

Wonderful review and well worth the wait.

I find it curious that a transmission temperature gauge is being provided. Being a dry clutch DCT, wonder what is being measured for the temperature readout.

Regarding overheating of the DCT at urban crawls, I am keen to know if it a problem unique to only Seltos DCT as opposed to an inherent weak area of DCTs in general. This since I haven't experienced anything amiss in my 5 year old Polo GT TSI's DSG during stop and go crawls (except the FE plummeting alarmingly!)

It's a little surprising that an owner of a Polo GT TSI does not know about the VW DQ200 gearbox.

The 7 speed DSG in Polo GT, Vento TSI/TDI, Rapid TDI, Octavia 1.8 TSI and Superb TSI all use the DQ200 dry clutch 7 speed DSG box notorious for it's reliability.

There are many cases where the DSG in Polo has had issues due to overheating. However the failures in the Superb and Octavia are more than those in the Polo. The Polo has a lighter weight and lowest power application so the DSG is at lower risk than the Superb and Octavia.

Ford had a similar dry clutch DSG in the Ecosport and Figo and even that was notorious for it's reliability. Ford withdrew the box and got a conventional torque converter with the facelift.

So the Seltos with a Dry clutch DCT as well as the Hector is something to look out for in reliability.

[Ithaca]

What a way to bid farewell to 2019 with the most awaited review of the year for most enthusiasts on this forum.
Voted 5 stars. Would give more stars if possible.

Congratulations to Aditya, Eddy, Viddy, GTO and rest of the team.

Have shared the link of this thread with few friends who were interested in this vehicle.
This review is going to be a benchmark for lot of them even before they test drive the vehicle.
Amazing review.

[invidious]

Wonderful review. I think I just ODed going through all the features. The cars now come with so many bells and whistles that you wonder whether it is a car which happens to have some many gizmos or is it a gizmo which incidentally happens to be a car?

I wonder how many features are actually used - reminds me of the presentation by Steve Jobs when he compared the first iPhone with a simple interface to the phones at that time - Blackberrys and Nokia business phones. I know I'd use the Android Auto and the music system and the cooled seats. If I was toggling with the multitude of features on offer - I'd better leave 15 mins before my usual time to do so.

I guess it's the way the industry is moving though. Wonder at what point, you just want a car.

Originally Posted by abhishek_hch

The absence of ISOFIX anchors on HTE, HTK & HTK+ is disappointing to say the least. I had made up my mind on buying the HTK+ Diesel AT but this is a complete deal breaker. I had assumed that all versions must be having it (even my base version Baleno has the same), should have checked explicitly!

Thanks for such a detailed review and saving me of a soup.

You can always use seat belts to fit the car seats. Even with Isofix in one of my car,s I am so used to seatbelts that I don't bother with ISOFIX.

[ach1lles]

As Kia's entry and Seltos' launch will become a business case study, this review should become a showcase for (automotive) journalism in detail, perspective, and grasp. The breath of this mini book of a review is staggering, and the posts themselves bring forth the effort that would've gone on behind the scenes to compile this behemoth.
Take a bow, everyone.

I have been seeing the Seltos everywhere, and maybe it's just me, but it appears smaller than the Creta on the road, which is peculiar. Infact, it almost looks Brezza sized to me, specially in darker colours.

Next to its fiercest competitor. The Seltos looks far more aggressive & modern. However, the next-gen Creta is coming in early 2020.

I believe Seltos is just starting about and will be in higher demand in the coming months, and may be the highest value car to breach the 20000 a month mark soon. Don't agree? Just look at the above picture. What reason do you have to pick the Creta over the Seltos today?
The next Creta will probably be a worse looking thing; Hyundai's design team has gone off the deep end. At best the 2020 Creta will be a larger Venue. At worst:

Attachment 1925364
Ugh.

PS: Small suggestion: a small link at the end of every section (as in the review index) of the review which will take the clicker back to the index. Will make navigation more convenient.

[theguardian]

Joined TeamBHP in September 2019 and before that for 9 long years I have been reading all the reviews posted in this section; always wanting to thank the team for super detailed reviews.

Now I will not miss the chance. Thank you, Aditya, Eddy, Vid6639 & GTO for such a detailed review. It's not an easy job. Reviewing diesel & petrol with manual & automatic in each and in addition to that with different technology in automatic, IVT/CTV, DCT, torque converter. Quite commendable!!!

Loads of new launches in 2020, so my best wishes are with you. Last but not least, wishing you all and your loved ones a very Happy & prosperous new year!!! God Bless you all!!

[BoneCollector]

A fantastic review to end the year. 1800kms of testing also means that you guys have thoroughly loved the car. It took me 2 days to properly read this review and still I'm not sure if I read everything.

Originally Posted by Aditya

Automatic transmission options include an IVT (CVT) for the 1.5L petrol, a 7-speed DCT (dual-clutch) for the 1.4L turbo petrol and a 6-speed torque converter for the 1.5L diesel.

Is there a plan for a short review of 1.5L IVT also? We are in market to replace the City. Need is automatic, but considering the absence of 6 airbags in IVT, we may give it a skip. Not considering the DCT variant at all. So we may end up with 1.5L D TC.

LED pilot lamp strip extends almost till the center of the grille:

"Heartbeat" LED DRLs are located in the outer corners of the headlamp clusters.

I'm confused with what I've seen regarding the DRLs. Some cars have just got them lighted up in the headlights and some have extension till hood. Is it due to variant or am I missing something?

GT Line variants get a red badge on the right:

Isn't the GT Line variant red badge on left side of the car? It might appear to be on our right side if we view the car from front.

[Rajeevraj]

Excellent review to round off 2019. Thanks for the detailed review. Kia has done everything thing right with the Seltos. All that remains is to see how they handle after sales and service as the volumes scale up.

Pretty strange omission for backlit window buttons.

[Stribog]

Originally Posted by Researcher

Will it be possible for you to please confirm from the service center if there is any way that the update can be done without depending on them? I believe the first generation Smartplay system in Maruti cars could be updated by anyone who had the correct system files.

I spoke with the call centre, the servicing manager for Kun Kia (a very nice gent who recognized me from the time I used to give my Santro to him in 2006 when he was with Kun Hyundai) and someone from Kia called me back.

All have confirmed that so far, there is no solution to the update conundrum. If you don't update, your system will fail. To update you need to take it to the service center.

They are hopeful of rolling out OTA updates but no ETA is on the horizon.