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-   -   Ownership Review: My Kia Seltos 1.4L Turbo Petrol (GTX+ DCT) (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/215698-ownership-review-my-kia-seltos-1-4l-turbo-petrol-gtx-dct.html)

Likes;

- Looks (Exteriors + Interiors)
- Engine Performance & Gearbox
- Handling & Steering (Sport Mode really weighs up the steering well & is excellent for this segment)
- Feature Packed (Its loaded, especially in this all options ticked GTX+ trim)

Dislikes;

- No Paddle Shifters (A Big miss for this Engine / Gearbox combo and should have been offered at-least in this GTX+ trim)
- Ride Quality at low speeds is not that great.
- Good Year Assurance Tyres (The size 215/60 R17 is Ok but the compound already feels hard & this selection makes the car understeer in some situations & also puts down the ride & handling capabilities / potential of the Seltos)
- The GTX+ variant misses out on the Dual Tone Exterior Colour Option.

Video;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3REBIzjQlA&t=917s

^ This is a driver focussed review of the 2019 Kia Seltos with the 1.4 Turbo Petrol in the GTX+ trim with the DCT gearbox.

There is a discussion on Engine Performance, Torque & responsiveness of this engine at various RPM range;



^ The Chassis, Handling & the Ride Quality is also discussed.

There is a talk on the much discussed Dual Clutch Transmission;



A quick suggestion on the recommended upsize for people wanting to upgrade their OE tyres;



Finally talk about the interior & seen here pointing out the irregularities of the screen + cluster integration which should have been seamless;

Interesting.

Congratulations on the new car. So except the two 3, entire garage going all suv ?

Would a change in rubber improve your concern of ride quality ? Any experiences yet with after sales ? In my experience Hyundai cars after 2 years throw up a lot of maintenance and Japanese are better in that aspect.

Booking Experience;

- I booked the car on day 1 when the official bookings started i.e. 16th July 2019. I had booked the top model in Automatic.
- Around early August (about 3 weeks before the launch when the variant break up was released) i confirmed the dealership a GTX DCT variant with the Dual Tone option. (White with Black Roof spec). Was eagerly looking to have the car delivered on the day of the launch.However Kia India wasn't dispatching the GTX DCT variants and also the dual tone option production was uncertain. The waiting went into the month of September and people who had booked the car (like me) on day 1 looked like fools not getting their cars
- In the meanwhile Kia announced the GTX+ DCT variant (IMO the late announcement was all a part of the plan which Kia India sweet coated as saying GTX+ DCT was launched due to customer demand which they listened to, however if you closely observe the ads they showcase the model has a sunroof & DCT too, hence it was always a part of the plan well before the announcement) listened to customer demand and i had the option of upgrading my booking around mid September. I was mentally prepared to wait for a few more days anyways coz wanted to get the car now during the festive season of Narvratri or Dussehra (which was an even more preferred date in the family). Upon following up with the dealership & some Kia India officials i was updated that my car will be from the initial 1st lot. Around 21st September i got to know that my car is in production & by late September the car was dispatched from the factory.
I was not too keen on the GTX+ variant & would have gladly accepted a GTX Dual tone on day 1 of the launch (or atleast in August) however this was probably a blessing in disguise as i got to upgrade to a GTX+ DCT variant.
- Finally took delivery on 8th Oct. 2019 on the auspicious day of Dussehra.

Dealership Experience;



I booked the car at Kia Rathod Autolink (Vapi, Gujarat) on the 1st day when official bookings started.
They were very transparent in communicating every update throughout the deal. Things like Vehicle Handling Charges, Basic Accessories Kit etc. weren't unnecessarily charged.
Though i had the option of selecting my own insurance provider (where i got quotes of approx INR 52k, i still went with the official Kia insurance provider which was approx INR 64k as thats what i usually do for the 1st year.
Standard Warranty is of 3 years. I opted for the 2 year extended warranty which cost me aprox INR 23k now making the total warranty of 5 years.
The dealership was kind enough to give me OE Kia floor mats on FOC basis.
Overall Dealership Experience, Positivity & Vibe was a full 10/10.

Few Pictures from the Delivery Day;







727;

My Kia's registration number is 727 inspired by Boeing 727 which was an mid sized narrow body aircraft. It was designed with the Intention for short and medium length flights, the 727 got popular as it could use relatively short runways at smaller airports.
Shares a lot of attributes with my Seltos which itself is a Mid Sized SUV designed for small Urban roads but still can cope with inter-city commutes with ease.
I always like my cars registration number based on Aircraft variants, happy to have got 727 for the Seltos.
It shall compliment my BMW very well as that is a more powerful turbo petrol flaunting the number 747.



Have received the official HSRP number plate too (through the RTO), shall install it soon but in the meanwhile im liking the current arrangement font for the front which was actually a stop gap arrangement.

While the rear has a cool custom TEAM-BHP sticker on the no. plate;

Exteriors;

One of the strong USP's for the Seltos is the way it looks;



^ The dimensions of the Seltos are ideal for a City commuter and holds decent respect while out on the highways.



^ Fun fact, the 1st time the Seltos was spotted during a commercial (outside India) it had the same GT Line rim design but in 18". Glad Kia India developed the exact rim design in 17" as 18s would have been an overkill.

The bonnet is very well sculpted on both the sides and the headlamps are a sheer work of art, excellent fit & finish by Kia.



GT Line badging & kit does add a sporty flair to the exteriors & adds much more WANT to the already desirable exterior.



The LED Headlamps & Fogs have brilliant illumination;





The DRL bar upfront is also very attention seeking & gives the Seltos a very premium feel.



Interiors;

The interiors of the Seltos are really technologically advanced and a great place to be in be it for the driver or the passengers. Infact its almost identical to the sketches released by Kia.



^ However, the overall integration of the head unit & the speedometer cluster looked really flawless in the sketch, unfortunately in reality it could have been better integrated as there is some design disturbance if you closely observe which should have been better, im sure most of us would agree here.



^ A closer look at the dual tone interior of the Seltos GTX+ DCT variant. At 1st id thought the seats were beige / grey combination, hence always wanted an all black interior (specific to GTX). However gladly the seat colour is more towards the white-ish ivory tone with grey combo which makes it look really premium in flesh and the cabin provides a sense of more spaciousness compared to the all black interior available in the lower GTX trim. Also love the fact that it has red stitching with the GT Line badging to enhance the sportiness of the interiors. Glad to have opted for the GTX+.



^ Interestingly the blind spot monitoring system (operated by the indicators) is useful during parking in such situations as well :)

- The Interior Space is sufficient for the front passengers and have no complaints at all up front. However the rear legroom could have been slightly better, but thankfully you can slide your legs under the front seat with ease so that relief.
- Rear Seat recline angle too comes in useful. Rear seat Centre armrest is also very comfortable.

However, the favourite part of the interiors for me is the steering;



Absolutely a joy to touch & feel the steering coz Kia have got the haptics just right :thumbs up

Engine Performance;



- Hyundai/Kia name their engines based on Greek numerals like Gamma, Kappa etc. This engine is the 3rd Generation KAPPA Engine.
- Overall this engine has a wide torque band, but sometimes you do feel some turbo lag, however most of the times its bang on perfect.



- The peak torque too is achieved low @ 1600 rpm & BOOST Stays strong upto 6000 rpm, but from 6000-6500 rpm there's no point its better to upshift and go into the meat of the torque band of the next gear.
- The 0-100 km/h sprint would be done in well under 10 seconds (9.7 secs quoted by Kia), also if there's one word to describe the engine it would be ENERGETIC.
- Also the engine modes are fairly responsive, specially in SPORT mode you do feel the the car really eager & the steering does weigh up nicely to provide more support when going hard, so yes the Sport mode is not a gimmick.
- Fuel Economy achieved so far is approx 7.5 - 11 km/l in Traffic / City Limits, 14 - 15.5 km/l on Highways.

DCT Gearbox;

- This DCT is the new generation gearbox replacing the earlier 6 speed DCT of the Hyundai / Kia family & this new gearbox (transversely mounted) is codenamed the D7UF1-2 has been rated for a maximum torque output of 340 NM.



- The DCT performs extremely well out on the open roads as well it is very responsive in upshifting as well as downshifting.
- About the DCT heating issue, Some people need to understand this issue is not Kia specific but a general DCT trait which does tend to get heated up if stuck in long duration traffic. (Note: Ive never got troubled by this issue yet)
- Driving style should be to shift back in to N during longer halts at signals / traffic.
- Also while stopping its better to keep the brake pedal pressed completely, otherwise the clutch may remain partially engage & create such issues. Think of it like a manual gearbox & the way we operate our clutch when in traffic.
- This DCT is a Dry Clutch, well i did research a bit and found out that the dry clutch DCT's are more modern and have higher max torque limits.
- Some people think that the Transmission Heating issue is because its a dry clutch & should have been a wet clutch & people are taking the word 'dry' in a literal way & forgetting that this gearbox too has transmission oil.
- Also if the car has a transmission temperature gauge, isnt it a good thing that if by chance the transmission gets heated up (due to whatever reason) you can halt for a bit till temperature gets back to normal. Overall this should help safeguard the gearbox & aid long term Longevity than to one day suddenly completely have a breakdown.
- Unfortunately many people just reporting the issue without changing/ adapting the driving style & some opportunistic youtubers, websites unnecessarily making videos & news as per their attention seeking traits. Overall i think this is much ado about nothing.



^ In the meanwhile I Hope Kia India has already reached out to the troubled customers & providing them the required assistance, Lets hope for the best :thumbs up

Handling & Ride Quality;



- The chassis is so good that even in a relatively tall car it feels sedan-ish to drive (remember the K2 platform under pins the Verna & Elantra too) plus excellent aerodynamics (0.35 Coefficient Drag), underbody air flow glide performance are felt when driving hard.
- Let me remind you that globally the Seltos internationally is also available with a much more powerful 1.6 L Turbocharged petrol making 177 horsepower too so thats a give away that this chassis can handle that much power too from factory. So those people looking to tune their 1.4s may not hesitate that much as the dynamics of the Seltos' wont be the limiting factor.
- Braking Performance is adequate & good in most situations. (16" Front Discs , 14 " Rear Disc)
- The Ride Quality of the Seltos is surely good, but do keep in mind that you do have to slow down for major bumps and you cannot fly over small speed bumps etc you cannot take the Seltos for granted at at the end of the day though its a compact SUV its a monocoque platform. This however gives it good high speed manners and a compliant ride (gets better with speed, but low speed ride is average).



- The suspension surely has been tuned for better high speed manners over ride comfort.
- IMO the sweet spot of the Tyre Pressure for an ideal Ride/Handling balance is 32 Psi all round. The TPMS is pretty accurate and helpful;

Other Miscellaneous Observations;;

- The Kia Seltos uses the modified K2 Platform from the Hyundai Kia family & by now everyone is aware this same platform will be used for the upcoming New Generation Hyundai Creta.
- My Ecosport is a good handler & this is as good (may be better). However the Ecosport feels heavier & better built (Note my Ecosport is the 2014 1.5 Petrol with the DCT).
- The Seltos does understeer & i blame the tyres.
- The Paintjob, Glacier White Pearl (in my car) is excellent. The pearls can be observed clearly during day as well as night time.
- The bonnet is really well sculpted from the both sides, giving a very muscular stance to the Seltos.
- The indicator stalks are really premium to operate.
- Rain Sensing wipers modes are visible & selectable through the cluster screen.
- The TCU seems to be learning the driving style to adapt the clutch control in different driving environments/situations.
- Acceleration in the DCT during the initial launch is slightly slower, but it does make up with faster in gear shift times.
- BOSE System is an 8 speaker unit. Most of the people reported mixed reviews. Well i was one of them who initially did not really fancy this system. But with a few quick adjustments in the equaliser settings you can get it sounding better.
Also the real test of the system is observed after 50% of the volume range and then you can finally touch the BOSE magic and you'l genuinely appreciate this system in a car of this segment. Im enjoying the music system and no complaints at all :thumbs up
- The camera quality of the parking assistance as well as the blind spot monitors is Excellent.
- Kia claims it has used a thicker Windshield for front wind noise reduction. In addition to that the overall refinement is also excellent thanks to damping material used in the Dash (Pu + Resin), Optimisation of design to reduce panel vibrations & also the driveshaft uses increased damping to achieve linearity in acceleration noise.
- My favourite part of the interior design is this FLAT BOTTOMED steering wheel which is of exceptional quality, feels great to hold and use. Haptically perfect.
- Horn sound tone is Excellent (Note: Its a Dual Tone setup) Kia India interestingly claim its 3 dB louder than competition.
- HUD: I keep it tuned down in city limits. I do have to adjust my seat position as per the HUD screen which is not a good thing. Im aware about the HUD adjustments in the infotainment but still do have to go low down & then you lose the entire SUV upright seating. Hence that's just left for the highway while driving hard its a great visual to have without taking your eyes off the road.
- Also as many people are already aware the HUD screen pops up with the press of a button, so if in case you forgot to put the screen down & are already outside the car, with the remote press the lock button it will automatically go down, just the way mirrors fold in by themselves.
- The Sunroof is of decent size, hope people dont try coming out of it & say its too small.
- The Sound Mood Lights can be changed from a variety of selection, however the dashboard ambient lighting remains red.
- The interiors are very well lit at night and a nice place to be in, However the Power Window switches (only 1 switch gets illumination) & the mirror controls buttons are not having illumination is a slight disappointment.
- Drive Selector Modes (Sand/Mud/Snow) on the Seltos remind you that the car can go OFF ROAD, but then you CANT because the Seltos is Front Wheel Drive. Best to keep your Seltos safe than to get carried away with those modes.
- The keyless entry button is only on the driver side, im used to having it on both the sides in my Fortuner.
- The Key Fobs (2 Provided) are of extremely good quality & feel very premium.

Conclusion;

So to conclude things i'd want to say that with the wide price bracket & various variants on offer there's a Seltos out there for everyone shopping in the 10-20 L price bracket.
With the amount of bookings the Seltos has garnered, Kia India has proved that Car Sales are no longer dominated by any particular country or brand but by technology, features & futurism.

P.S. - Shall keep on updating this ownership thread on a regular basis with pictures, FE Data, Road Trips & Other Experiences. Thanks for your attention :thumbs up

1st Service of the 1000 km interval done at Shreenath Kia, Thane;



The service included a General check up & also the under body inspection was done. In addition the AC, Air Filter cleaning was also done;



The Infotainment was updated as well;



Was in & out within 2 hours including the wash & the interior vacuuming :thumbs up

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

Your car is going straight to our homepage :thumbs up.

Congratulations sir on your new acquisition!clap: I have a GTX+ manual and I agree that surprisingly, for a Hyundai-Kia car, it's a good car to drive.
Most people on the Seltos thread have been critical of the Bose Speakers, but if you toggle the EQ settings, the sound is way better than in the default settings.

Congratulations Karan. Wish you & your family unlimited safe & happy miles ahead with the Seltos!

Been seeing the Seltos aplenty on the NH48 since a month & indeed it does seem to handle very well. The drivers at the wheel (even with new cars) are very confident in navigating at high speeds through heavy traffic of rolling chicanes all over the place. So surely it is a good drivers' car!

You have an Ecosport & feel that the Seltos is a better handler than that. That's saying something & I'll applaud KIA for getting it so right. Especially for their very first car in our conditions!

Yep - paddle shifters would really have sweetened it all to a next level. I'm wondering why its not becoming mainstream & remains mainly in the 25+ L segments. Very few like the Jazz/City (CVT :() and EcoSport are giving paddle shifters. Its not that its actually a very costly thing to make! Silly feature decisions...

Loved your review. Rated it well deserved 5 stars. You've taken real efforts to explain the car & proactively cover a lot of doubts readers & interested buyers may have. Cool video reviews!

Great review. Keep updating the thread with your experience. Couple of questions

1. Learnt that GDI engines are prone to intake valve carbon deposits resulting is compromised performance. Are you using any special additives or fuel to counter that?

2. How do you wish to keep these white seats clean. The TD vehicle in the showroom had terribly soiled seats and that too in the earlier months when the vehicle was relatively new.

Big thanks to you Karan for promptly bringing out your review. And big congratulations to you and wishing you many happy miles & memories. I am rating your review 5 star as you have pretty well covered all aspects and very cleverly left some for the owners to find out! And also appreciate your efforts and energy.

I was and is very impatiently waiting for team BHP review and you kind of offered a consoling hand. I am also looking forward to change my ride and Seltos is one of the considerations. I was also bit skeptical for the DCT gearbox and was inclining towards the 1.5 x TC box. But after hearing your views I will rethink about it.

And you are very true, once a new product is launched some people unnecessarily start digging out to find some points to bash. And with my experience of owning three cars and each clocking about a lakh kilometers, there were several features which I very rarely or never used as well. So each product and each owner is an unique combination. And these unnecessary criticism of some points or features keep some prospective people from enjoying the product.

Thanks again!

Congratulations Karan! Heres to wishing you a million happy miles with the Seltos! :thumbs up

BIG^2 Thanks for the an enthusiasts perspective ie someone who knows how to appreciate the mechanical capabilities of a car apart from just its Brand name and design. These kind of informative reviews are much needed in todays time, wherein Journos & car-gossip-websites fail miserably in portraying a clear picture of a car, its capabilities or the right way to enjoy the good stuff. I've never seen such objectivity, clarity & comprehensive understanding except for Team-BHPs Official Reviews. clap:

Congratulations Karan on your new ride. I generally don't have liking for white colour (in whatever shade pearl, pure, etc.) they come in; but on Seltos - it's seems the engineers have got the design right so much so that even this looks good. I especially like the red brake callipers on alloy wheels which increase the appeal of the car. A couple of questions -
1) How is the noise level while driving at highway speeds say - 80-100 kmph?
2) Have you been able to check the boot in terms of space and luggage carrying capacity, especially compared to day a Creta?
3) In case, you were able to notice that under full load, does the rear suspension sink a lot?

Thanks again for the wonderful pics and congrats on your ride.

No not yet, i do have a hot hatch as well (Figo 1.5 D).

Definitely !

Yes, check this post;

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...ml#post4695365


Thanks GTO !

Thanks, good to know that you drive a GTX+ Manual. Enjoy !

Exactly my point. Plus if you stream music through high quality sources then too it makes a larger difference. The clarity & the Sound of this system is best experienced after about 40% of the volume range. Bass could have been better though.

Thank you Reinhard for the wishes !

Yes, the Seltos is a sales hero no doubt & glad to know that the new owners are enjoying them to the fullest.

When i bought the Ecosport in mid 2014 it was a star in its segment & one of the most sought after cars then. Also the VFM pricing was attractive with the safety kit it offered. However the 1.5 L non turbo engine was just good for city limits & never felt engaging like the Seltos' 1.4 Turbo. Plus as i said the Seltos is based on the modified K2 platform which underpins their sedans so that too might have worked in favour of the Kia. Ford no doubt is having its own speciality in tuning their chassis & suspensions well but all in all the experience is pretty similar for both the cars as far as the Handling is concerned.

True !

Thanks once again for the appreciation & the 5* Rating !

Thanks, Sure !

1) Havent come across someone reporting this issue yet. Im currently using regular fuel without addition of any additives. However my car is still young and hasn't crossed 1500 kms on the odo yet, hoping for a stress free ownership hence picked the extended 5 year warranty :thumbs up

2) A Bi-Annual Detailing should hopefully do the trick.

Thanks for your motivating comments & also for the 5 * Rating !

Glad my review could be helpful in your buy decision process.

Well said, i agree. Also in addition to that i believe that all the new entrants in the History of Indian Automotive market (Like Ford, Opel, Fiat etc.) have had supply issues in the initial months of service or accidental repair work part availability. It's jus that time the social media wasnt there and such issues never really got noticed. However nowadays people are vocal about everything they like or dislike, lets hope for the best though !

Hey GrammarNazi, thanks for the wishes !

Thanks for such an inspiring comment, truly makes my entire effort worth it :thumbs up

Thanks for the wishes !

Surely, but dont understand why the rear brake callipers were not painted Red ?!

1) Very Good, i believe (i read somewhere) Kia India have used some thicker windshield for wind noise reduction.

2) The boot is fairly accommodative, check out this pic from an airport run;



3) Not yet observed, will check & report on this thread later ...

Thanks Again !