While the Toyota is a great-looking vehicle, the Kia has the right dimensions for the urban environment. And the Skoda is the most compact of the 3.

BHPian karan561 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

This is an Ownership Review of my 3 cars from the same segment: Skoda Kushaq 1L Torque Converter A/T v/s Toyota HyRyder Hybrid 1.5L eCVT v/s Kia Seltos 1.4 GT Line DCT.

The above video is divided into the following chapters as below:

• 0:01 - Intro
• 0:36 - Exterior Walkaround
• 3:47 - Driving Experience
• 13:23 - Interiors
• 19:49 - Final Showdown

This thread will discuss how these cars compare with each other, but if you are looking for a much more detailed & technical analysis then you can also view the individual ownership review threads of each of these cars.

• Kia Seltos Thread
• Skoda Kushaq Thread
• Toyota HyRyder Thread

Exterior

^ Let's start with the Toyota HyRyder Hybrid as this is the latest of all the 3 I own. In the flesh, this looks the longest out of all the 3 cars here and has a very respectful street cred thanks to the TOYOTA badge. I personally feel the HyRyder is a great-looking vehicle, especially in the white monotone shade making the car look taller than it actually is & highlighting the panoramic sunroof prominently. I also like the alloy wheels which are pretty (not the prettiest which IMO are of the Kia's).

^ The Kia is the oldest car of the lot but in my opinion, it looks the most modern, especially the front which is absolutely beautiful, right from the way the LED headlamps are designed to the implementation of the GT Line elements everything looks spot on and made to measure. The side profile too is just perfect and though the Kushaq's alloys are great looking I feel the Kia's alloys are the most well designed. Overall the dimensions are just right with the right amount of presence and size to fit in the urban environment.

^ Coming to the Skoda the design has typical European influence with clean lines and a great paint job. Front is a combination of being rugged and athletic whereas the rear is in line with the typical Skoda SUV design language. The highlight for me in the side profile of the Kushaq is the 17" Atlas alloy wheels which really enhance the looks. However, the Kushaq is the only car here which doesn't get rear disc brakes and makes do with a drum setup. The overall exterior design of the Skoda Kushaq is the most compact out of all the three.

Interior

^ I really like how the dashboard layout is in this Suzuki - Toyota partnership product. The leather treatment on the dash works really well and the seats too provide that continuity. Cabin is feature loaded and has a good amount of buttons to play around with, I particularly love the A/C controls. The HyRyder gets the best A/C cooling / performance out of all the 3 cars in the discussion here. The rear legroom is the most in the Hyryder, however, the headroom and the boot space are the least.

^ The cabin is in line with modern Skoda designs, however, it feels most dated to me. Be it the touchscreen operation and software or the cluster knobs which though clear and simple but look dated. This is the only car that doesn't have a HUD whereas the rest of the two have it.

I know there have been reports about A/C Performance issues, however, my car doesn't face any such issues, but the performance in comparison to the Toyota's is average.

Kushaq having the most compact dimensions on the exterior really surprises with the interior space & space management, particularly in the rear seat which gets great headroom, knee room and legroom too is adequate.

Missing features like No 360 Deg. Camera, No Powered Seats, No TPMS, no HUD, No Blind Spot Monitoring System / Camera etc are all missed and present in the Kia Seltos, which we discuss next.

The Kia gets the most modern interior IMO and I personally find it the best out of the 3. The GT Line treatment/spec helps in the overall vibe of the cabin. My car being the 1st lot (Oct. 2019) GTX+ I have no complaints with the interior quality, fit & finish. Feature list too tops in the Kia as this is the most equipped of the 3. The wireless charger is also the best performing (worst performing is of the Toyota). HyRyder won the A/C Cooling contest, but interestingly the Seltos' seat cooling performance feels better. The Kia also gets the best music system (BOSE Audio). Rear Seat & Boot space is well managed too in the modified K2 platform product.

Driving Experience

Starting off with the Kia Seltos as this is the most exciting car to drive of the lot.

^ This variant is the 1.4 GT Line GTX+ variant; it gets the 1.4 L Turbo petrol motor and a 7 spd DCT gearbox. This is the most engaging car to drive from the lot, thanks to this engine + gearbox combo. Also when it comes to the handling and suspension tuning the Seltos is the best as its the most stiffly sprung and that aids the best handling, it also gets driving modes & specially in sport mode the car feels the best thanks to the weight being added on to the steering.

However, the ride quality is the not best for the lot but definitely is good enough particularly as you are gaining good handling from this stiff suspension. I have done 1 mod which is wide tyres 235/55/ R17 (Michelin Primacy 4ST), this has properly transformed the driving experience of the Seltos. Speaking of a few negatives about the Seltos in this combination is that this gearbox is best suited for driving on open highways, within the city, it gets jerky (like any dual-clutch would).

Coming to the Skoda Kushaq, the variant I bought is the 1L Torque converter A/T, I picked the Tq converter as this is going to be used in the city 99% of the time & did not want the DCT as that would have been torture for the drivetrain for the conditions it's going to be driven in.

Let's get one thing straight as we discuss the Kushaq, this gets the best-sounding engine of the lot. I am aware that this is a 3cyl 1L engine but still, it has the most sporty engine sound. The power delivery too is good, especially in the mid-range but there are 2 problems with the engine. Also note that Skoda is the only one from this lot which gets Paddle Shifters (Seltos started offering them later, not in the 1st few lots).

• Being a small engine with a full capacity of passengers and a boot load it feels underpowered.
• Because of being a small 3 cyl big boost turbo engine this suffers from a turbo lag under 2000 rpm.

How does this compare to the Seltos when it comes to the ride quality, in one word Better. Yes, this Skoda suspension is tuned for more comfort than handling. However, the handling is not only about the suspension but also about the platform, the chassis, which IMO out of the 3, has the best chassis tuning making this car feel the best from a driver's perspective. Very Chuckable indeed.

Right, the Toyota HyRyder

The Hybrid HyRyder gets the largest engine of all the 3 cars I own being a 1.5L but it's the slowest of the lot and the least engaging to drive enthusiastically. However, once you know how to modulate the throttle response so as to extract maximum EV range before draining the battery out it's actually fun. Even if you keep repeating the cycle of trying to drive on EV mode draining the battery out then letting the battery recharge & having a driving style conducive to letting the battery pack recharge again is challengingly fun. All of this is fun within the city limits because as soon as you are on the highway this is a boring car to drive, especially after you cross 120 km/h which is the legal speed limit on our expressways.

Coming to the handling, this was a surprise as this is a very mature chassis & the suspension tuning too is very suitable for high-speed driving. One of the cars has a well-tuned sporty suspension but doesn't have that kinda power to exploit the same. Also if you were wondering which of the 3 cars has the best ride quality then the easiest answer to that question is the HyRyder. Hands down this is the most comfortable car to be in, be it in the city or on the highways, this always makes the driver as well as the passenger feel very good with the way this car drives and behaves on our Indian roads.

To give all these 3 cars a fair chance I devised a Points based rating system to grade them on multiple parameters.

If a car is GREAT at something then that car would get 3 points, if it's a GOOD performer then 2 points & if it's just OK then a single point will be rewarded;

• 3 = Great
• 2 = Good
• 1 = Ok

Based on the above the Toyota Hyryder Hybrid wins this contest, with the Kia coming in a close 2nd & the Skoda coming in last. I have not included Safety as a parameter because the Toyota HyRyder is still unrated. However, as an owner if I still had to pick 1 car out of all the 3 I own then that car would be the Kia Seltos as IMO it does everything really well, because it looks the best (from my eyes), tops the feature list (being the oldest of the lot), good on interior space (both front & rear), ride-handling balance (mature suspension), fun to drive (engine gearbox combo) and great balance of reliability (Yes), Economy (Respectable) & VFM (Sale numbers are a good Indicator) which is what the segment demands.

Hope this thread will help the prospective buyers of the segment in their decision-making process.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The updated Seltos will also be equipped with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).

Images of another Kia Seltos facelift test mule have surfaced online. This time the images reveal a panoramic sunroof, which is expected to be offered on select variants.

The updated Kia Seltos will come with several changes both inside and out. The SUV will get a redesigned front grille with new LED headlamps, new design dual-tone alloy wheels, twin exhausts and sequential turn indicators.

The Seltos will also pack a host of safety features, including a 360-degree camera with blind spot assistance. But more importantly, the popular SUV will get Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).

The Seltos facelift will also come with a new 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine, producing 158 BHP and 253 Nm. It replaces the current 1.4-litre turbo-petrol motor. Kia will carry forward the 1.5-litre petrol and diesel engine options.

Source: Rushlane

If I do go ahead, should I anticipate any hurdles in car registration since the vehicle is manufactured before the BS6 Phase 2 kicked in but registered later?

BHPian deshmumn recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I am currently on the hunt to upgrade from my 10-year-old Hyundai i10 and focusing only on Petrol Automatic variants.

I recently visited a KIA showroom near me and was also offered the Seltos GTX 1.4 Turbo DCT. Although KIA is not offering this variant officially, when I enquired, the SA said, they have one manufactured in 2023 and are ready to offer it.

Would it be prudent to go ahead with this variant? If I do go ahead, should I anticipate any hurdles in registration since the vehicle is manufactured before the BS6 Ph-2 kicked in, but registered later?

Under other circumstances, I would not have considered this variant, but I could get a short TD of both the 1.4T DCT and 1.5 NA IVT variants. And compared to the 1.5 NA engine, the 1.4 was amazing!

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

The Kia Seltos GTX 1.4 is a discontinued engine. Additionally, it is neither E20 nor RDE compliant. You may even get a discount as it’s discontinued. However, as it's not E20 compliant, the new E20 diet will do harm to the engine internals.

My suggestion would be to give it a pass and wait for the 1.5 turbo that should be launched shortly.

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

From what I understand, the Apr-23 timeline is for new cars off the assembly line effective 1st April, not a deadline for selling existing stock. So registration-wise, you would be fine.

Here's what BHPian ashis89 had to say about the matter:

Registration is not an issue for BS6 phase 2. But note that the Seltos facelift is undergoing road tests extensively and should be launched any time soon. If I were in your position, I would take the current gen IF I needed the car ASAP or I am getting a good discount. Else I would pre-book and wait for the facelift at the risk of a price hike.

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

I would say, if you like it, you can go ahead with the 1.4L turbo. DCT is altogether a different problem, but the focus here seems to be on the engine front.

This is not RDE compliant/E20 compliant. But so are millions of cars in the country. Not like these cars are going to be scrapped. E20 fuel will be available as an option, like the higher octane/cetane fuels.

Do remember that the 1.4L turbo is an international engine as opposed to the newer locally made 1.5L turbo. Meaning, it has been tested so much across models, across countries. The newer 1.5L, being new, doesn't have testimonies on the reliability front. Also, if at all, a 1.5L turbo is available internationally, this locally-made one may not be an exact replica. So, I recommend you go with the proven 1.4L.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Honda plans to build 8,000 units of the Elevate SUV per month. A strong-hybrid version could be introduced at a later date.

Honda is all set to enter the mid-size SUV space with an all-new model that will compete with the likes of the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Volkswagen Taigun and Skoda Kushaq. If the latest reports are true, then it might debut on June 6, 2023.

Reports suggest that Honda's new mid-size SUV (codenamed: 3US) will make its global debut in Delhi next month. It could be called the Honda Elevate.

Honda’s new SUV will share its underpinnings with the 5th-gen City. In terms of design, the car is likely to borrow cues from Honda’s other global models. Spy images suggest that the car will have a decent road presence and will feature an upright front fascia with LED daytime running on either side, flared wheel arches and a set of roof rails. It is expected to measure anywhere between 4.2-4.3 meters in length. Inside, the SUV will reportedly come equipped with a 10.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system, among other features.

The mid-size SUV will be powered by the 1.5-litre petrol engine from the City, albeit in a higher state of tune. A strong-hybrid version is likely to arrive later, but it won't get a diesel engine option. Transmission options will include a 6-speed manual and CVT.

Source: Autocar India

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.

When I engage reverse gear and car is stationary, there are vibrations which are felt. These were not present before.

BHPian gk.93 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello folks,

I drive a Seltos HTX D AT (May 2022 manufactured) currently with odo at 14k.

There are 4 issues I need assistance with:

• During slow speeds, if I press the accelerator (no sudden inputs), there is some jerk which I experience, like engine is missing. The car remains in the same gear but jerks for a while. All this happens below 2k rpm.
• In third gear around 1500-2000rpm, the downshift to second is quite jerky. (The accelerator input is moderate to catch up the moving vehicle ahead).
• When I engage reverse gear and car is stationary, there are vibrations which are felt. These were not present before. (Brakes fully pressed).
• The engine rpm fluctuates at idle. I have shared a video recording of the same with service centre. But as there are no fault codes and the problem did not occur in their presence, they could not do much. It has happened quite a number of times now.

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

Hi gk.93,

I have the same same car, same month & year, hope yours isn't a black color.

I had the problem 1 & 4, the 3 problem was not as bad as you are facing.

This happened after I changed the engine oil at 10,000 kms.

But all these were due to a new BP fuel station. I changed back to my old pump and all has been fine.

I only do full tanks and stop at the first auto cutoff, the last time I noticed fuel wasn't flowing smoothly and I did a tankful to the brim, to ensure all air is out of the tank.

Try these and let us know if there is any improvements.

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

There can be many reasons causing rpm fluctuations at idle state involving fuel, spark plug, fuel pump, throttle body, injectors etc. It is a tedious process to check and identify all of that. If you know an experienced mechanic, then he can help to diagnose the issue with a test drive.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

So far, I have been driving the car in the city and have clocked only 230 km on its odo.

BHPian ninanp recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi All,

I have just got my Tucson Signature AWD in Amazon Grey. I haven't had much time to drive it though and have been driving it in the city only to the office and back. I have clocked about 230 Kms on the ODO. I have done ceramic coating on the car and nothing else. I changed the wipers to frameless wipers today as I didn't like the look of the dated frame wipers that are OEM.

The best thing happened today when I got an OTA update for the NAV system and after the update, I have full-screen maps on Android Auto.

I upgraded from a Seltos GT line that I had for 2 years and my main gripes with that were:

• Firm ride bordering on harsh
• Spongy brakes
• Lack of AWD
• Not good mitigation of NVH
• Parking sensors don't become active automatically at slow speeds

From my very brief experience with the Tucson, I can say the following:

• The suspension is much more plush
• Brakes are way better in both feel and bite
• NVH mitigation is very good
• ADAS is definitely a plus

One issue is definitely the colour of the seats and it is very difficult to keep them clean. Be careful even when you go for car washes as the dirt from the clothing of the personnel could also get onto the seats as happened in my case.

I'm in the process of ordering floor mats from Top Gear in Delhi and will let you know about the fit and feel once I install them.

Attaching a few pics

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The Kia Seltos facelift is expected to be launched in India by mid-2023.

A test mule of the Kia Seltos facelift has been spotted testing once again. While you may have already seen spy images of the car, this video confirms that the upcoming SUV will get sequential turn indicators.

The upcoming Seltos will be based on the updated model that is already on sale in the global markets. The SUV gets reprofiled LED taillights with an LED light bar and a redesigned rear bumper. This particular test car also had dual chrome exhausts and was riding on dual-tone alloy wheels.

Up front, the Seltos features an updated grille and new LED headlights, while on the inside, it gets dual screens with a digital instrument cluster. The SUV is also likely to be offered with ADAS.

The Seltos facelift will also come with a new 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine, producing 158 BHP and 253 Nm. It replaces the current 1.4-litre turbo-petrol motor. Kia will carry forward the 1.5-litre petrol and diesel engine options.

Thanks to Surya Chandra for sending this video in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP share page!

The clutchless manual gearbox is now standard across all diesel variants of the Sonet, Carens and Seltos.

Kia has made major changes pertaining to its Intelligent Manual Transmission (iMT) offerings. The clutchless manual gearbox is now standard across all diesel variants of the Sonet, Carens and Seltos. It is also available on the turbo-petrol variants, starting April 1, 2023.

Kia has updated its 2023 line-up with RDE-compliant petrol and diesel engines. The latter used to be offered with a 6-speed manual, which has been replaced with a 6-speed iMT across all three models. Prices for the Diesel iMT variants start at Rs 9.95 lakh for the Sonet, Rs 12.39 lakh for the Seltos and Rs 12.65 lakh for the Carens.

The 6-speed iMT is also available with Kia’s updated turbo-petrol engines. The Sonet comes with a 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine, while the Carens gets a 1.5-litre T-Gdi unit. The Turbo-petrol iMT variants are priced from Rs 10.49 lakh and Rs 12.00 lakh (ex-showroom), respectively.

The car just chugs along without throwing any tantrums. With the hybrid working model, the car is seeing a good amount of city roads these days.

BHPian guyfrmblr recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

3 years and 40,000 km service update:

The car has completed 3 years and the odometer stands at 40,500 km. It has been a pleasant ownership experience with this car so far. The car just chugs along without throwing any tantrums. With the hybrid working model, the car is seeing a good amount of city roads these days. I would say the ratio of highway and city driving stands at around 60:40. We have taken the car for multiple long drives in the near past and it's an absolute joy to drive this car on highways.

The 6th service i.e. 40,000 km service was done at Advaith Kia, Lalbagh yesterday. I didn't have any complaints as everything was working as expected. The overall service experience was great. My SA, Mokshith explained all the work that needs to be done in the morning and provided an estimate of around 10K. I asked him to add their usual exterior and interior cleaning, polishing into the job card as I don't have time to do these things myself or take the car to detailing centers. I'm aware of the fact that this kind of work leaves a lot to be desired at service centers but I don't have any other choice due to time limitations. The overall estimate came to around 15.4K.

I started receiving the pics and videos of all the jobs that were done from Mokshith:

The service cost breakup:

Fuel statistics till date:

After a recent drive to Goa:

This pic was taken somewhere near Halageri on the fantastic SH-76 during a recent drive to Sirsi:

Somewhere between Dharwad - Anmod:

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.