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Old 13th November 2019, 20:48   #1
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My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+

This thread is about my Kia Seltos GTX+ Manual.

I will try to make it an in-depth analysis and keep it as unbiased as possible. ( I am a bit of a Hyundai-Kia fanboy.)

Likes

1. A stunning attractive design, catches the attention of all passerbys, even non car enthusiasts.

2. Well equipped (Bose audio system, 10.25 inch touchscreen, HUD)

3. Safety! (6 airbags, HUD, ESC, TC)

4. Air purifier is extremely useful in this toxic atmosphere.

5. Good interior packaging for it's size.

6. Powerful AC effectively cools the cabin in no time.

7. Powerful and refined 1.4 turbo petrol.

8. Decent overall ride-handling package.


Dislikes

1. Small for it's price: my parents are spending 18 big ones, they deserve more!

2. Interior quality- Has been wrongly hyped by the media as being great. I can find hard and scratchy plastics everywhere!

3. Inconsistent build quality- Solid doors, hood and Bonnet; But really light bumpers, with some flexing.

4. Ridiculous cost cutting! Why Kia, would you not give illuminated power window switches for all 4 seats?

5. Interior design of the Korea-spec model is way superior to the India-spec model.

6. Price! 18 big ones is a bit too much for a Creta sized car. Way more spacious top-end Petrol-Hybrid Hector isn't far off.

7. Korean-Spec models get a bigger and more powerful 1.6 T-GDI. C'mon Kia, you could have easily got that to India, considering the chassis can handle more power than it currently has.

8. Rumors of structural compromises on the Indian-spec Seltos are on the back of my head. Not confidence inspiring.

I hope you enjoy reading this thread. If you make it to the end, thank you in advance.
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My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191113_202009__01.jpg  


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Old 13th November 2019, 21:07   #2
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re: My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+

Background: Skip this if you don't feel like sleeping!

Long story made short, my parents were using a 2009 Hyundai i20(Asta) and a 2003 Santro Xing(XS). So this is probably why I am a Hyundai-Kia fanboy. In Europe and North America, they are the underdogs competing with the big guys like Honda, Toyota and the Volkswagen Group. Probably that's why I like Hyundai-Kia so much, they've always been able to undercut the competition and provide some never before seen goodies in the segment. That's what differentiates them from the other brands.
The Santro had served it's purpose well, my parents had only bought it as they had felt it was unsafe for me to travel in a two-wheeler when I was a baby. With the NGT ban on vehicles older than 15 years old, it had to go. It was painful watching it go, since I had fond memories in that car, listening to cassettes (my father has a really good taste in music, which I seem to have inherited), and I loved it's peppy and fuel efficient engine, and of course it's spacious cabin with it's high seating. I feel, that in some ways the new Santro cannot hold a candle to this one, because unlike the original, it is not radical in any way, nor is it a game-changer.

The i20, on the other hand was the opposite in many ways with it's lazy engine, low slung seating, advanced ICE( back in 2009!). But it was smooth, spacious and practical. It was a sensible car(except for it's horrible AC, that struggled to cool the cabin). Since 2017, my parents had been planning to buy a new car, and now with the Santro gone, it was imperative. The i20 would continue to be with us, now as a beater-car. After a lot of discussions and test drives of different cars, the budget was set at Rupees 17 lakhs on-road.

Last edited by BZ25 : 13th November 2019 at 21:35.
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Old 13th November 2019, 21:16   #3
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Cars Considered

Disclaimer: Several cars were considered, ranging from Rupees 9 lakh, to 30 lakh! This was due to my parents wildly fluctuating budget, since they kept changing their minds about the set budget.

The cars that were Seriously Considered:

1. Jeep Compass

Likes:
a) Looks like an American SUV.
b) excellent ride-handling package
c) Punchy 2.0 litre Multijet II

Dislikes:
a) Pricey for it's size, well equipped variants go way out of budget
b) under equipped- how can Jeep skimp out on features like 6 airbags on a 20 lakh car? It was later introduced for the 4x2 variants with the very pricey Limited Plus.
c) poor interior packaging- comparable to a A2 segment hatchback.

If my parents had the budget, they would have definitely gone for the Compass Limited Plus. Both of my parents love this car like anything.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-images-2.jpeg

2. Hyundai Creta

Likes:
a) It's a Hyundai! So it's bound to have it's usual traits. Right?
b) Comfortable Cabin
c)Well equipped
d)Smooth and punchy diesel engine

Dislikes:
a)Pricey for it's size!
b)Just satisfactory petrol engine, coming from a wheezy i20, my father needs a faster car now!
c)With newer offerings emerging, we knew there were better options out there.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-images-1.jpeg

3. MG Hector

Likes:
a)Striking looks from front!
b)Well equipped car!
c) Price to Size ratio is outta sight!
d) Massively spacious cabin.
e)smooth Petrol-Hybrid and Diesel engines.

Dislikes:
a)Weird looks from the rear.
b)Sluggish Petrol-Hybrid engine.
c) poor driving Dynamics, especially on highways.
d) MG needs to completely eliminate the stigma behind it's Chinese background to get my parents to become customers. (No offense to any prospective buyers, it's just their opinion.)
MG has a winner on their hands, as seen my the sales charts of the Hector. Shout-out to BHPian coolkurt for continuously helping out and updating prospective buyers about the Hector. He is a symbol of BHPian spirit.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-images-3.jpeg

Last edited by BlackPearl : 16th December 2019 at 04:17. Reason: Smiley count is restricted to two per post. Thanks.
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Old 21st November 2019, 13:07   #4
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re: My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+

Dealership Experience

There are currently two Kia dealership franchises in Gurgaon: Frontier and Allied. My father chose Frontier since it was closer to our home. The dealership is average to say the least, especially considering my parents are spending 18 big ones. The sales advisor assigned to us was a bit clueless about the car and it's features, and kept contradicting me every time I brought up the product decontenting work that Kia had done for India.
Annoyingly, he kept telling my father that "company" insurance, which was touching nearly 60k, is mandatory. That is just ridiculous, and my father told the dealership manager that he would not be taking their insurance. We got insurance by HDFC Ergo, which is pretty good, and i would wholly recommend it.
The dealership was crowded at all times, and of course, peaked during the festive season. The SA assigned to us, from my father's perspective was just a "kid," he was inexperienced. I won't mince words, and I'll be honest, he was not very competent or intelligent. I know I sound rude, but that is what I felt while interacting with him. The manager of that dealership seems to be in his own world, and, no offense, is also incompetent.
I don't think rating the dealership on a numerical scale would make much sense.

Last edited by BZ25 : 23rd November 2019 at 18:09.
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Old 21st November 2019, 21:39   #5
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re: My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+

Delivery Day

I recall coming back from school on the 3rd of October, with me and my father reaching the dealership at around 3:30 PM. Twenty minutes later, the SA showed us our car, albeit in a very dirty condition, mainly because during that period there was intermittent rains in Gurgaon. My father wasn't impressed, and told him that he expects the car to be spic and span. The SA assured us that it would be done. Here, I want to thank the two car cleaners of Frontier Kia who cleaned our car, when we asked, they cleaned it really well, and they secretly gave us some polish.
After this it was a very long wait. The SA spent a few hours processing the papers, claiming that it would take just "15 minutes." We kept patiently waiting till 6:30 PM, for when the umpteenth time the SA asked for another "15 minutes." What was more annoying was that people who had come after us we're taking delivery of there cars and leaving the dealership. Still we kept waiting. At around 7:45 PM, it started raining, which was is apparently auspicious, but I just felt annoyed that the car was dirty, again. At 9 PM, the client departs with their car, and notice that we're the only ones in the dealership. It starts raining again, and they finally move our car inside, with the poor cleaners cleaning it again. And then, the power goes out. Apparently, the building where Frontier Kia is, suspends power backup by this time. Not really impressive for the customer, is it? Anyway, car finally cleaned, documents finally signed, and a few photos shot from my father's phone, we finally depart the dealership at 9:45 in the night. If you're wondering where is my mother in the picture, she was at home, which was a good decision, she wouldn't have been able to handle the wait, not because of the excitement, but because of the annoyance. Off topic- But can anyone tell me that is it fine to wait for 6 hours to take delivery of a car at a dealership with no power supply? Though, never let a dealership experience defien your purschasing decision. If you see a great car, with a pathetic dealership and an average car with a great dealership, just go to another dealership and get the first car.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img20191004wa0003.jpg
That's me on the right, and on the left is my father.

Last edited by BlackPearl : 16th December 2019 at 04:18. Reason: Fixed formatting
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Old 23rd November 2019, 18:18   #6
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re: My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+

The Kia Seltos, according to Wikipedia is based on the platform that underpins the Hyundai Venue and Kona. But Wikipedia is an unreliable source. A better source is our own Team-BHP member karan561, in his excellent ownership report of his Kia Seltos 1.4 DCT that the Seltos is underpinned by a modified version of the Hyundai-Kia K2 platform that currently is the basis of the Verna and Elantra in India. But in Europe and the USA, it is the basis of some excellent hot hatchbacks like the Hyundai Veloster N and the now popular i30N, which gives you an idea that this chassis can handle a lot more that just a 1.4l turbocharged engine. :https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...l-gtx-dct.html (Ownership Review: My Kia Seltos 1.4L Turbo Petrol (GTX+ DCT))

Exterior

The Seltos, according to Wikipedia, is said to be designed by a gentleman named Byung Chul-juh, interestingly, Tom Kearns, who designed the Kia Telluride gave a speech about the design of the Seltos during it's India reveal in June. The except for the Tiger Grill, not much links it to the other Kia products, most of whom have been design by Peter Schreyer, who earlier designed the original Audi TT and the Volkswagen New Beetle.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191210_223710.jpg

Seltos= Eye Candy, especially from this angle. It looks gorgeous. Many have said that the Seltos lacks presence, and has been compared to the Tata Harrier and MG Hector and even the Hyundai Creta in terms of presence. From my perspective, it can hold itself against those cars and even looks better than some of them. My car was recently park next to an Innova Crysta, and on observing it doesn't look much smaller than the Toyota MPV. There is a Hyundai Santa Fe that is usually parked next to mine, which doesn't lookuch bigger either. What differentiates the GT line Seltos from the regular ones is the GT line badging on the grille, and some red accents in the front bumper, which look good with this gravity grey shade.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191210_223634.jpg

The all LED headlamps and indicators have excellent detailing and look amazing in the night. This is something I'm sure many Seltos owners are proud of.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191210_223655.jpg

Knurled finish on the grill looks good and suits the aesthetics of the Seltos. However, on putting some pressure on it, I could hear it creak, which brought about some questions on the build quality of the Seltos.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191210_224115.jpg

'Ice Cube' (not the rapper) foglamps provide great illumination, but I remember seeing an image on the Seltos thread that showed some condensation in a brand new model. Hope that was a one-off defect.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191210_223728.jpg

Gorgeous alloy wheels are similar to the ones found in the Kia Stinger GT, and those red calipers look amazing. The Goodyear tyres have proved to be great, though I've noticed many have changed their tires on the Seltos forum, though my parents haven't felt the need to.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191210_223512.jpg

Auto folding door mirrors are India- friendly. I found that out by the hard way. They are similar to the ones found on the Elantra, Verna and Tucson

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191206_165734.jpg

The camera for the 360° surround view is attached below the mirror. Thankfully it is a good application, however if a two hits the mirror, prepare yourself for a big bill!

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191210_223454.jpg

The so called all important sunroof. I don't really care if it didn't have one either. Sunroofs are useless in a place like Gurgaon, where it's better to keep all windows closed! I hope the sunroof mechanism remains reliable. And for the love of God, don't go around sticking your head out of the sunroof.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191210_223439.jpg

Roof rails are purely aesthetic. Don't go around installing a roof luggage carrier on one of these! They look good though.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191210_223540.jpg

I like the side profile, it's simple as well as handsome. The GT line models gets some red accents on the lower side of the doors. Notice that the rear wheels don't get the red brake callipers.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191210_223836.jpg

The request button is present on the driver side door only. On pressing it, the car gets unlocked if you have the key with you. Seems to be of good quality.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191210_223804.jpg

The passenger side door doesn't get any request button! That's offending to my mother. (Hehe)

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191210_223822.jpg

Kia has been shouty about the Bose association. I'm sure some fool will scratch it off. With such competent factory ICE systems, the after-market audio scene will vanish.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191210_223919.jpg

Kia is proud that the Seltos is already BS6-compliant. I think that's unecessary badging. It's not required as it clutters the rear. And it isn't anything groundbreaking worldwide to gloat about. I like the font for the 'S' in the Seltos lettering.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191210_223901.jpg

The GT line and T-GDI badging distinguishes this car from it's humdrum siblings. I like the design for both if these.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191210_223111.jpg

Large Kia badge proudly takes the center of the stage with a nice chrome bar around it, which is integrated with the tail lamps and houses the reverse lights.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191210_222631.jpg

The rear is simple while compared to the rest of the car, and I think that is why it's unfavourably compared to the Creta in terms of presence. But even simplicity can look good. The rear bumper houses 4 parking sensors and also gets red accents. Is that a fake diffuser with fake exhausts? (I'm channeling my inner Mat Watson )

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img20191003wa0034__01.jpg

Now you know what I'm talking about! Even with my horrible photography, those lights look great, and menacing.

Last edited by BlackPearl : 16th December 2019 at 04:22. Reason: Fixed formatting for better readability. Thanks.
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Old 23rd November 2019, 18:50   #7
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re: My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+

Interior

This is where you can write whole book on this. I'm disappointed that Kia did not retain the interior design of the Korean-Spec model. It looks way more premium and matured than the Indian spec model.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-20191122_111505__01.jpg

Dashboard with pointy edges on the touchscreen and instrument clusters looks like an afterthought.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-20191122_110531__01.jpg

Cool looking instrument cluster is shared with the Stinger GT and other international Kia models. But now it isn't the best cluster out there. Kia now offers a fully digital instrument cluster on its international offerings.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191113_202621__01.jpg
It looks amazing when viewed in the night. Please excuse my pathetic shaky photography.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-20191122_110522__01.jpg

Sporty looking steering wheel that is really good to hold. Knurled finish on the volume control buttons look pretty good. Interestingly new cars like the Seltos and Hector have a different orientation for switching through tracks and the volume. Horn pad is well sized. I like the GT Line badging at the bottom of the steering wheel, it differentiates the GT line cars from the regular Tech Line cars. The hornpad is well shaped. There is dual-tone horn which makes it's presence felt.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-20191122_110806__01.jpg

Switches for the windows and the electrically adjustable mirrors. They feel good to press, but...

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191113_202703.jpg

It has illumination for only the driver window button. How much money will you save out of this Kia? They'd prefer for us to drive blind in the night with such ridiculous cost cutting, that too in an 18 lakh car! Even my 2009 i20 has illuminated power window switches for all sides.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-20191122_1108241__01.jpg

Buttons for the Head-Up display, headlamp leveller and Traction Control have a damped finish, but they fell flimsy, and according to me, feel like they'll fall off after a few years. I liked the Start button thorough.[/b]

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191113_202717.jpg

Thankfully, they're illuminated at night. The white backlighting looks good when viewed in person.

Last edited by BlackPearl : 16th December 2019 at 04:24. Reason: Fixed formatting for better readability. Thanks.
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Old 24th November 2019, 13:05   #8
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re: My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+

Interior (Continued)

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191113_202525.jpg

The Start-Stop Button is illuminated. Thank Goodness. I can't imagine fumbling for this in the night.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191113_202238.jpg

Interior at night, when the car isn't on.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191113_203024.jpg

The illuminated interior at night looks really attractive. Excuse me for my mediocre nighttime photography.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191113_202938.jpg

Center console at night looks good, with sufficient illumination.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191113_202901.jpg

Good quality, illuminated buttons for the front ventilated seats, parking sensors and camera.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191113_202950.jpg

The red streak of ambient lighting on the dashboard always remains on. Won't it drain the battery though?

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191113_203149.jpg

Ice Blue ambient lighting as seen in the passenger-side speaker.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191113_203151.jpg

For some reason, I like this pink color.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191113_203155.jpg

This ain't a bad colour either.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191113_203158.jpg

Pink again.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191113_203329.jpg

Some kind of Blue?

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191113_203209.jpg

Pink ambient lighting on the driver-side speaker.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191113_203211.jpg

Interesting shade.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191113_203250.jpg

Red is probably the best.
My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-img_20191113_202348.jpg

More than sufficient cabin lighting provided by the LED bulbs.
My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-20191122_111601__01.jpg

How it looks in the day.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-20191122_110657__01.jpg

This unit holds the front driver and passenger lights, the sunroof controls and is complemented by a sunglass holder.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-20191122_111916__01.jpg

The Bose association is explicitly displayed. the door pockets can easily hold a 1 litre bottle.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-20191122_110625__01.jpg

The wireless charging pas(Don't put anything here other than a phone that supports wireless charging!)

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-20191122_110618__01__01.jpg

An old-school 12 volt socket, along with a standard and fast charging USB ports. The latter two are illuminated, even the USB letterings.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-20191122_111438__01.jpg

Still haven't purchased floor mats, since Frontier Kia didn't have them at the time of delivery, and we're suffering the consequences. Will purchase aftermarket ones soon.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-20191122_111713__01__01.jpg

Does Kia think we're still in the 90s? Lap belts for the center passenger. Thankfully, this car will only be usually carrying 3 people at most times.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-20191122_111334__01.jpg

The 10.25 inch touchscreen is similar to the ones found in international models like the xCeed and Kona Hybrid. The head unit, from what i've read on the Seltos forum is supplied by LG. Good choice Kia. It is slick to use, though I would've preferred some more colour. The inbuilt Sat Nav works well, but it's just better to use Google Maps or Waze(anybody get the Carwow reference?). Bluetooth easily connects to phones, and interestingly there is a Compass too. I wish that Kia had provided some physical buttons though, and I'm old fashioned, but also a CD player. I have a huge CD collection and though I've digitised I still play them. And yes, I'm a big fan of Thirty Seconds to Mars.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-20191122_111344__01.jpg

Pathetic quality plastic used around the fuse and OBD port. It seems like it will break easily if somebody decides to use their fists.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-20191122_111434__01.jpg

Yay! Rear AC vents, they're sufficent and is complemented by a USB port and a display showing the AQI in the car.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-20191122_111939__01.jpg

Sufficient storage space at the rear. Rear seated passengers will be happy.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-20191122_112013__01.jpg

Well shaped boot, can easily accommodate two big suitcases and a two small bags. Good for an airport run or moving days.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-20191122_112023__01.jpg

Dumb question- Is that the subwoofer?

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-20191122_112034__01.jpg

Spare wheel is not of the same size, and I think it is a steel wheel. Not Nice.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-20191122_110912__01.jpg

The air filter is in there. We've had some problems regarding the Air purifier. Details follow in the next few posts.

Connected Tech

The Seltos has Kia's UVO Connect, which is essentially it's branding of Hyundai BlueLink. Personally I do not really think high of connected car tech, and would prefer a car that is good to drive than a car that can starts itself. The network provider is Vodafone, so you can expect the service to be just average ( parents have been using Vodafone since it entered India and even Hutch before that!) Along with geofencing, remote unlock and follow me home function, the DCT variant gets the option of remote start and the ability to remotely turn on the AC, which I consider to be a waste of power.

Last edited by BlackPearl : 16th December 2019 at 04:50. Reason: Fixed formatting and typos. Thanks
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Old 15th December 2019, 16:19   #9
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re: My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+

Engine, Gearbox and Fuel Efficiency

The heart of the Seltos is it's 1.4 T- GDI Engine belonging to the Hyndai-Kia Kappa Engine family, so it is a distant relative of the 1.2 litre Kappa in my 2009 i20. It is a 1.4-liter turbocharged and direct-injected four-cylinder gasoline engine. It is a member of the new Kappa engine family introduced in 2015 together with a 1.0L three-cylinder version - Kappa 1.0 T-GDi. This 1.4 turbo version debuted in the Hyundai i30 at Auto Expo in 2016 and already has become available in a wide range of cars: Hyundai Elantra, Hyundai Veloster, KIA Ceed, KIA Cerato, etc.

My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+-i30_international_launch_029.jpg

The Hyundai 1.4T engine features smooth operation and low noise level, more like a V6 engine. It also provides extremely low fuel consumption, in contrast to the large amount of power and torque that you get. The engine is all aluminum and lightweight. It is smaller and 31 lbs (14 kg) lighter than the 1.4L G4FA from the previous Gamma family. The engine has an aluminum open-deck cylinder block, an aluminum 16-valve cylinder head with double overhead chain-driven camshafts, a head-integrated exhaust manifold, DUAL CVVT system (variable intake and exhaust valve timing), and hydraulic cam followers. The intake manifold made from plastic and has Hyundai's VIS (Variable Induction System). The shape of the piston skirt was optimized to reduce its size while the compression height of the piston was also reduced, resulting in weight savings. The optimized piston skirt is also treated with molybdenum disulfide. A highly sophisticated process of Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) is used to apply an ultra-thin layer of Chromium nitride to the piston’s oil ring. Chromium Nitride-coated piston rings using PVD is an innovative technology borrowed from the Hyundai Tau engine introduced earlier. Friction between the oil ring and cylinder wall has been further minimized by reducing the oil ring tension. The Kappa engine is the first Hyundai engine to be fitted with an accessory drive belt which does not require a mechanical auto-tensioning adjustment device, reducing the hardware and further lowering weight and cost. Because it is designed to maintain an ideal tension setting, the belt runs quieter and with proper preventative maintenance and care, the belt will last 100,000 mi (160,000 km). For ignition, the Kappa engine uses a new, longer reach spark plug which enabled engineers to enlarge the size of the water jacket to promote more efficient engine cooling around the critically important spark plug and exhaust port area. The long reach spark plug (M12 thread) also enabled engineers to enlarge the valve diameter for increased airflow and combustion efficiency. A lightweight, heat-resistant engineering plastic was used for the intake manifold. The fuel delivery pipe assembly is a returnless type (to eliminate evaporative fuel emissions) and is made of SUS (steel use stainless) with a specially designed inner structure for the reduction of pulsation noise.

The cooling system of the Kappa 1.4L engine has two separate cooling channels with individual thermostats for the head and engine block. The head thermostat opens at the temperature of 190 deg F (88 deg C), providing suppression of detonation due to better cooling of the head. The second thermostat keeps the block at the temperature of 221 deg F (105 deg C) for friction reduction.

The main features of this 1.4 turbo unit are direct injection and turbocharger. The new fuel system operates at pressures up to 200 bar (2,900 psi) and delivers fuel directly into cylinders using six-hole direct injectors. A single-scroll turbocharger is equipped with an electric wastegate actuator which improves low-end torque and part-load fuel economy.

I'm attaching Karan sir's excellent review of the Seltos, which the best I have seen. It clearly details on the engine, it's performance and refinement.


According to my father, the gearbox is smooth and the gates are well spaced. You have to pull up a button to engage into reverse gear. He said that upon taking delivery of the car, gearshifts felt initially clunky but the niggles ironed out after a few trips in the car.

Surprisingly, for what is a turbocharged engine, the 1.4 T-GDI is fairly fuel efficient. It manages around 9.4-10.5 KMPL in the city, and 16-18 KMPL on the highway. My father hasn't taken the car for many highway trips, but from whatever we have experienced, fuel efficiency is great. The engine is refined, with sufficient insulation. There is a gentle push when the turbo is supposed to kick in, accompanied by a mild whistle sound. I really like the sound of the engine, especially when in starts and when the turbo kicks in.

Last edited by BlackPearl : 16th December 2019 at 04:51. Reason: Fixed formatting for better readability
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Old 15th December 2019, 16:41   #10
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Ride and Handling

The ride quality is great, considering that we also drive a 2009 Hyundai i20, most of you would know how floaty and uncomfortable the ride quality of the i20 is. So, the Seltos came as somewhat of a surprise. This probably has to do with the K2 platform whose cars seem to be more stiffly sprung than other Hyundai-Kia products. The suspension is quiet and deals with the bumps and ruts well. You know how 'great' most of Gurgaon's roads are.

Handling is something on which I cannot comment, since it's still not legal for me to drive. You can go through Karan sir's excellent ownership review of his DCT GTX+ Seltos: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...l-gtx-dct.html (Ownership Review: My Kia Seltos 1.4L Turbo Petrol (GTX+ DCT))

Though one thing that keeps coming in my head is that the Korean and American-spec Seltos is available with excellent 1.6 T-GDI engine belonging to the larger Gamma family and is capable of making a sweet 201 BHP! I wish that Kia had brought this brute than the 1.4 T-GDI, I can imagine learning how to drive in a 201 BHP car!

Air Purifier Issue

One of the features that attracted my parents to the Seltos is the air purifier. On the day of the delivery, the SA ran us through how to operate the air purifier, which was working at the time. On reaching home, after the delivery, we noticed that the display showed the AQI as 0, though we did not take much notice at the time since we were tired after spending around six hours at the dealership. What we did not realise over the next few days was that the air purifier itself had stopped working. To be honest, we've never kept nor operated an air purifier, we were more curious why the AQI was being shown as 0 when the air purifier was on, even after Diwali. On 5th November, for it's first service, my father got it checked through nothing came up. A week later, Kia mechanics came over to our place to diagnose the issue with the air purifier, which they could even after scanning through the OBD and the ECU. They just took a few images of the purifier the VIN number and lefty, saying that a replacement part would come from Chennai. Though this was frustrating that such an issue popped up just days after taking ownership, we hope that it would be fixed. Two weeks ago, from writing this report, a new purifier finally arrived at the service center and it was installed in our car. Though the whole experience was unpleasant, I would really like to thank the Service Manager, who was a gentleman. The Air purifier is now working perfectly and you can hear it chugging away.

Last edited by BlackPearl : 16th December 2019 at 04:53. Reason: Merged two small posts for better readability
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Old 15th December 2019, 17:35   #11
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re: My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+

Conclusion

Having lived with this car for over 3 months now( and also having become addicted to Team-BHP ) and gone through several threads of the Seltos and it's rivals, I could understand why it has been chosen to be the 2019 Team-BHP COTY. It looks good, it's powerful, practical, has the backing of the very powerful Hyundai Motor Company, and most of all, there is a Seltos for everyone. Well, almost everyone, I say that because:

If you want a butch, commanding SUV that dominates over the others in this price band, go get yourself a Mahindra XUV500 or Scorpio. In my opinion though, are you driving a car for pleasure or to show your masculinity to everyone?

If you want a spacious, practical SUV, get yourself the MG Hector or the Tata Hexa.

If you need an offroading vehicle, get yourself a Thar(or wait for the next one), Scorpio 4x4 etc.

The Seltos is for:

Somebody who loves to drive, wants a fun to drive petrol SUV to counter rough roads, but finds an Ecosport or Venue to be too small or impractical

Someone who needs a comfortable and efficient diesel automatic highway cruiser.

A couple or a small family of around 3 members who need a car that can cater to almost all their whims.

Somebody going through a midlife crisis, who wants to feel young again!



If you've made it to the end of my review of the Seltos, thanks for sticking with me! Hope you enjoyed it. A big thank you to my parents for buying this beauty. Muchos gracias to the moderators for accepting my membership application for Team-BHP. Thank you to all BHPians, karan561, ashis89 and rahul_goyal for your excellent ownership reports! (Sorry if i'm forgetting anyone.) Last of all, a very big thank you to all BHPians and non- BHPians who are reading this thread. Without you all, none of this would've been possible!

Cheers,
BZ25

Last edited by BlackPearl : 16th December 2019 at 04:55. Reason: Fixed formatting for better readability
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Old 15th December 2019, 22:13   #12
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re: My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!
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Old 15th December 2019, 22:44   #13
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Congrats dude! That was a sweet write-up. Wishing you many happy miles and a smooth ownership experience ahead.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BZ25 View Post
And yes, I'm a big fan of Thirty Seconds to Mars.
Greetings my fellow Echelon!

Quote:
Originally Posted by BZ25 View Post
[/b]That's me on the left, and on the right is my father.[/center]
Wow! Your father actually looks a way lot more younger than you do.

Last edited by BlackPearl : 15th December 2019 at 23:06. Reason: Removed duplicate lines
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Old 15th December 2019, 22:54   #14
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re: My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+

Quote:
Originally Posted by jailbird_fynix View Post
Congrats dude! That was a sweet write-up. Wishing you many happy miles and a smooth ownership experience ahead.
Thank you sir for your kind words!


Quote:
Wow! Your father actually looks a way lot more younger than you do.
I seem to have missed that error while editing.
Actually I'm the chap wearing the Nike t-shirt in the right.
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Old 16th December 2019, 12:48   #15
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Re: My Kia Seltos 1.4L Petrol MT GTX+

Glistening review BZ25. Congratulations and enjoy the ride.
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