DCT vs IVT: Which variant of the Kia Seltos should I go for

There is a difference of nearly 3 L OTR between both DCT and IVT. And this is without considering the maintenance cost of DCT against IVT over the years.

BHPian abhinav1817 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello BHPians,

Have been a follower/admirer of this forum since 2014 when I bought my first car. Those were simpler times. Budget was less (for me) and therefore had only 3-4 variants from 3-4 major players and me and wifey decided for Hyundai Xcent 1.2L petrol S (manual mid variant) and it has served us without any issues till date. But time has come to upgrade to CSUV segment and that’s where I need guidance/advise from the forum.

What I need:

• An automatic with budget approx. 20L (can manage 22L for top end’s / extended warranties but that’s the max I can go).
• Petrol would serve the purpose.
• Would love Paddle shifters.
• Mostly will keep the car for next 7-8 years again.

What I have researched:

The reason I have used the word “researched” is because I am yet to test drive all possible options in this segment. My cousin has Seltos GTX+ so i know how that works. But still haven’t test driven all others in competition like Kushaq, Taigun, etc. So, all my knowledge or understanding, as of today, is only based on multiple Teambhp forum discussions and multiple youtube car review videos.

And based on all that research I am inclined towards Seltos GTX+ or Seltos IVT. So for the purpose of narrowing the discussion on this post, I will be focusing on only these 2 variants down below.

I have already booked both of them for test drives in the coming week.

About my driving:

I had the love for driving from the time memory serves. As back as when I was 14-15 years old sneaking on my father’s car when his driver used to drop us for school tuition on rainy days when cycling was not an option. This year I am gonna be 36, so more than ~20 years of driving with 3 years of driving in Germany/Croatia as well during my Onsite deputation.

I am not a sedate driver. I love to push pedal to the metal on my Xcent (along with left hand on gear). For reference:

• I am on the 120-130 range on highways on average and have touched even ~170 on long EMPTY stretches say between Hyderabad – Adilabad awesome Highway. (Do not endorse it, everyone should drive safe and within limits).
• No trouble whatsoever in accelerating on say 36 hair pin bends on way to Ooty or say climbing on the not-so-wow roads of Mullayanagiri Peak near Chikkamagaluru.
• Even within city, some one who will be looking for overtaking on every possibility and be slightly on the faster side than average.

Why the confusion:

I am sure most of you have already made your mind to call me dumb (if moderators allow) and suggest to chose DCT over IVT hands down. But here is the catch.

I live in Bangalore.! (Two smileys done).

• Most of the drive is city, with Return to office already in existence for me. Bangalore is ‘almost’ back to its infamous traffic with many schools and offices reopening. Although to be honest I have flexibility in office hours and I can skip peak hours, per say. So all the talk about DCT overheating-and-all comes into play here because we cannot avoid bumper to bumper traffic in Bangalore (or any metro for that matter).
• Occasional trips around Bangalore once in a month or two (Love Coorg!) and most probably one trip to my native (~1500kms one side) yearly or every two years is always on the cards.
• Next point: Wifey is interested in driving more compared to the manual Xcent today. She is more the sedate one and though she has not driven either yet (planned next week), I feel the turbo lag may not be to her liking/comfort.
• There is a difference of nearly 3 L OTR between both DCT and IVT. And this is without considering the maintenance cost of DCT against IVT over the years. That always plays in the back of the mind. I agree GTX+ has loads of extra features but nevertheless.
• Kia has now added paddle shifters in IVT along with Drive/Traction modes. So that is very nice to know before I make up my mind.
• 360 camera sounds an amazing feature as well and I assume we can get this installed as accessory from after sales market shops in case I go for IVT.
• Deliberately not focusing on GNACP, Fuel Economy, as I am okay with that.

Seeking advice from you all on:

The general consensus across Team BHP (and You Tube) is:

If most of your drive is in city and you have a sedate style, IVT ticks most of the boxes.

Now while the first part of the above statement is true for me, the second does not fit me. I also fear that small test drives in East Bangalore may not give a very conclusive picture. And therefore, decided to write my own post as I could not find/conclude the answer.

Which way to go? Would love to hear from respective owners driving specifically in heavy traffic conditions.

Are there any improvements in recent models of DCT? (I can sense Senior BHPians saying there is nothing called as a reliable DCT/DSG still…)

Or does IVT deliver sufficient power? (on paper I would be moving upward from 83bhp 1.2L to 114bhp 1.5L although will lose manual control over gear shifts).

P.S. – Wifey wants the upgrade to automatic and hence manual is ruled out. Plus wanted to keep the discussion purely on IVT and DCT and hence no mention of any other car from competition. Will surely test drive them as well.

Here's what BHPian Aviator_guy had to say on the matter:

I have a Creta and Seltos IVT in my family and we are more than satisfied with these on the price, reliability and long term peace of mind vs the DCT or Diesel AT.

The only caveat is that the IVT is not suited for pedal to metal type of driving style. None of us in my family are spirited drivers and we enjoy sedate 90-100kmph Highway drives with only calculated overtakes. In fact I have hardly used pedal shifters in my 5k+ km Creta ownership.

I think except your expectation of pedal to metal driving, IVT is a good choice. I also live in East Bangalore and chose IVT for the same reasons you mentioned (mostly city commute with occasional long drives).

I'd have suggested Diesel AT as it will tick almost all your boxes but for the uncertainty around Delhi NGT type ban in future.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.