Hyryder or Seltos: Better option for a 60-yr-old coming from Grand i10

I wanted to go for either Kushaq or VW Virtus but the Skoda is beyond my budget and I am concerned about getting in and out of the latter.

BHPian Sricar recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hyryder or Seltos

Looking to upgrade from a Grand i10. Budget is around 16 lakhs OTR.

Went to the Lanson Toyota showroom on ECR today to enquire about the S AT Neodrive variant. Being a Sunday only one salesperson was available. No crowd. But the S variant was not there. Only a G variant was available in cave black colour.

Me and wife liked the vehicle. Being on the wrong side of 60, the automatic being a torque converter appealed to me the most. The next thing I wanted to check was the back seat comfort. One major complaint in this vehicle I often hear on social media and TeamBHP is the back seat headroom.

I am a tad above 5'10" and in shoes, I stand nearly 6 feet. But I found the headroom very adequate. The back seat did not give us any claustrophobic effect. The interior in the front was passable. Not able to avoid the feeling that we were inside a Maruti. Driver-side switches could have been really improved. Bonnet was clearly visible from the driver's seat. Boot space was decent. It was obvious that the front doors were stronger than the back ones. A few taps on both doors will make you aware of this. Really don't know why these sorts of compromises are being made by the manufacturers.

I asked about adding alloys, changing the halogen to LED, fixing a 360-degree camera and changing to a bigger display. He advised me not to go for a bigger display and that the OEM one is adequate. Other things he readily agreed and quoted the below prices.

• Alloys-16k/per wheel (I felt this was on the higher side)
• Changing to LED headlights-10k
• 360-degree camera-20 to 25k (Does this cost this much in the aftermarket too?)
• Bigger display-25 to 35k (whew!)

The waiting period quoted was 3 to 5 months. May test drive it in a few days.

Then we visited Capital Kia in Adyar. Wanted to have a look at the HTK Plus IMT variant.

In this vehicle, I felt the roof being nearer to my head from the driving position. This is the second time I am having a look at the Seltos. We felt the room for 3 persons was slightly more than the Hyryder. But here the salesperson said they won't change the halogen to LED and said the OEM headlights are enough. But in the market report, the biggest complaint is the inadequate light throw in the HTK variant. The vehicle already has alloy wheels.

Both vehicles will have a good road presence.

When comparing the above vehicles in these particular variants these are the points to be noted.

Hyryder

• 17-inch wheels (But no alloys)
• Safety rating is expected to be at least 4 stars
• Torque Converter Auto
• Being a hybrid, will give more mileage than Seltos
• GC is 210mm
• All disc brakes
• Dealer says a few accessories can be upgraded at the showroom itself
• Wearing a Toyota badge (Though its a Maruti in disguise)
• Default warranty for 3 years or one lakh km
• Extended Warranty for 31k-5 years or 2 lakh km
• From the third service, we have to shell out 4 to 5k

Seltos HTK Plus IMT

• Alloy wheels (R16 compared to R17in UC)
• 6 airbags (Only two in UC)
• SunRoof (Not in UC)
• All disc brakes
• Bigger display
• Being an IMT, more control?
• Can wait for the arrival of the facelift this year
• Default warranty-3 years with unlimited km

I read a lot that this has an unstable shell. (Told by GNCAP?). That's a concern.

Having said that, I am a sedate driver and most of my driving will be within Chennai. Even on the highways, I may not reach more than 90.

I am leaving India in April and will be back only in September. I want to part with my much loved Grand i10 before leaving. So when I come back I can't afford to wait to get a car home. Given up two-wheeler riding and a vehicle is a must in the household. So before leaving, I want to book a car so that I can take delivery once I come back.

It is going to be a toss-up between the above two. Will be immensely great full for any suggestions between the above two or any other car. Mostly this may be the last car I may be buying.

Wanted to go for either Kushaq or VW Virtus. (Seeing great reviews for Virtus). Kushaq AT is beyond my budget. As far as Virtus is concerned ingress and egress is a major concern for a person like me, who isn't getting any younger.

Here's what BHPian drsachin had to say about the matter:

Alloys are definitely expensive, should not be more than 10-12k outside. Being a Maruti base, alloys should be easily available in the market.

360 camera is a tricky part. I did my market research before buying my Hyryder. Blockbuster bbt601 6GB, 128GB storage 9inch display with 360 camera is available in Delhi Karol bagh for around 30K+ Additional 2.5K for fitment.

I am a little surprised that the dealer offered a 360 camera which is not available as an official accessory with Hyryder/GV , so in all possibilities, he is offering an aftermarket camera only. In the aftermarket 360 camera alone is also available at some places(12-15k) but it's more of a Jugaad thing. Integrating this 360 camera with the OEM system is difficult and controlling various camera angles is also tricky.

Toyota/Maruti are also not providing the OEM 9-inch display (Used in G/V variant) as a separate accessory so if you upgrade to 9-inch, in most probability the dealer is offering an aftermarket display only.

Now regarding Seltos vs Grand Vitara/Hyryder

The only area where I feel Seltos is ahead is a slightly more powerful engine and better build quality.

TC gearbox from Aisin is way ahead of iMT which is not a proper automatic. Manual control is present even in TC using paddle shifters.

Regarding safety, I always consider the crash testing rating and structural stability ahead of Airbags. Kia is providing 6 Airbags in almost all cars since it knows all its cars have failed crash worthiness so using a psychological fix, its cars now come with 6 Airbags.

Hyryder suspension is way ahead of Seltos.

Sunroof only has a novelty factor, especially in India.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.