Got the 90,000 km service done on my Kia Seltos 1.5L Diesel MT

A last minute change in plan forced us to book a self-drive Zoomcar - a 2022 Toyota Urban Cruiser MT, 45k run and in decent condition.

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Another week of no activity for Coyote as I was traveling. But I ended up driving quite a bit across NCR, UP, and the UK, a Maruti....err Toyota.

During the travel, a last-minute change in plan forced us to book a self-drive Zoomcar - a 2022 Toyota Urban Cruiser MT, 45k run and in decent condition. After spending 2 days, driving ~600 kms, I thought of penning down some observations of the UC in comparison to my Coyote.

1. Engine, GB, and performance: Perfect city car, nimble on its toes and quick enough for city drives. The bottom end is perfect and the short gearing means one can potter around in any gear without requiring to downshift. Even with 3 adults and lots of luggage, the car could crawl about in 3-4-5 gears in slowing-moving Delhi traffic. The light clutch and slick gearshifts added to my comfort. Out on the highway, it does take some wringing but doesn't disappoint. 100 at 3k+ rpm means I kept missing the 6th gear throughout the trip. That and the outright torque of a CRDi engine. I have driven this engine on the Ciaz and S-Cross but those came with Hybrid assist (this doesn't I believe). FE on the MID was 14.6 kmpl but never checked the T2T numbers.

2. Brakes: The progressive brakes felt very good to use but the Seltos sheds speeds faster under hard braking. The Toyota had worn out tyres and hence I didn't push the car.

3. Handling: Ride quality was very good. However, even with a full load, the car didn't feel as planted as I would have liked. The super-light steering is a delight in the city but doesn't weigh in much as speeds increase. I had the same observation for the S-Cross.

4. Seating and cabin comfort: It is a comfortable 4 seater BUT not for me. The driver seat travel is limited which left me wanting 2-3 inches of extra space than what it offered. The result was my knee pressed against the dashboard and a weird angle for my ankles throughout the trip. I ended up with a sore left knee and both ankles after each 300 km drive. The passenger seat travel is slightly better and I didn't hit the glove box in the short 5 km drive that I did. The under-thigh support was also not enough for me leading to the weird ankle angle.

5. Boot space: The slanting rear hatch limits the boot space. We could fit 2 full-size suitcases after keeping them standing flat against the seatback, along with 2 laptop bags. Our other case car was a new 2023 Brezza MT which could take 3 full-size suitcases, standing perpendicular to the seatback. All this is due to the relatively flatter rear hatch design of the new Brezza.

A beautiful sunset behind the smog veil as I entered Delhi

Yesterday, when I got in my Seltos, I felt like moving from a studio apartment into a 2-bedroom house. Seating higher with excellent under-thigh support and so far from the dashboard with the option of moving further away! But when I started driving, the long wide cabin, heavy clutch, heavy steering, and weight of a heavy car reminded me of their presence. So did the torque. I would take the Brezza/UC with a better front seat any day for city use. Not the highway.

Now back to my Coyote. Although it was only 6.5k since the last service, I got the 90k service done yesterday as I have some trips for the next few weeks.

It was a routine service with 2 observations:

1. Fix the throw of the RHS fog lamp

2. AC was cold but wasn't bone-chilling like 4 years ago

Being Sunday and with skeletal staff available, this service took longer than I expected. I reached Epitome Kia at the appointed 10 AM and left by 4 PM. I asked them not to polish the car but to do a waterless wash + vacuum only.

Since I had opted for the 3yr/30k km service package, I only paid Rs.1044 towards some consumables (windshield liquid, alloy weights, grease, etc.). Also opted for their 3-year RSA plan by paying 3.5k.

The vent temperature shows 8.5C which I feel is not enough but I will observe for some more time as the AC cools well today. I have yet to check the fog light.

We also saw paw prints of rats in the engine bay (probably due to extended non-use) but didn't find any bite. Hopefully, they won't visit further once I start driving more.

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