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.

BHPian ashis89 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

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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The SA too had glanced at them and read more on this tab and immediately remarked to completely ignore the car and not go ahead.

BHPian 07CR recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Major Update-

Short Version- Dodged a missile, decided to keep my Pre Owned iMT for much longer now.

Longer version

So I visited the used car dealership in Mumbai to checkout the car on Saturday. I visited the same in my Sonet, to also check what value the dealer would give, for my Sonet, thus enabling easier transfer.

Quoted price for the DCT Sonet was 10.75L. We checked out the car, and it was easily apparent that the owner had not maintained it well. Not too serious, but was pretty sure, it would need a good dent paint job on the outside, and a detailing session on the outside as well as interior. I got major red flags which I would describe below-

Red Flag 1 Me and wife were discussing in the entire journey to let negotiate the price down to atleast 10.25L from the 10.75L. So after checking out the car, we asked the dealer straightaway the final price. He slashed the price to 10L immediately, and with little more pestering agreed to a price of around 9.8L. 9.8L for a 31K Km run GT Line Sonet was music to my ears (especially considering I was getting offers of around 10.25L for my preowned Sonet iMT HTX).

Red Flag 2 Despite the heavy discounts, the dealer also agreed to completely change the exterior look of the car, by repainting the panels and areas that had lost paint. I was happy with this as well.

Red Flag 3 During inspection we observed the car didn't feel as strong as my iMT Sonet. Can't describe this in words, but it felt like everything right from the panels, the door handles, windows, or the bonnet, nothing felt as strong or heavy as my Sonet's. This is the first time I started suspecting something was amiss. On closer inspection we also observed that all 4 doors made creaking noises, seatbelts missing clips, passenger seat headrest having tears and the inner door handles had lost some paint. There were even scratches on touchscreen panel and even the steering mounted buttons had started losing there color. This is in stark contrast to my iMT Sonet, which still looks like it's out of the factory (age difference between both cars is just 5 months).

Red flag 4 Next we decided to take the car to a KIA dealership for inspection. Autobahn KIA, Powai were extemely helpful in this regard as they went out of their way and accommodated my special case and allotted a service technician for test driving this car. During my drive to the dealership (which was an hour long drive which took me through traffic, highway etc condtitions) I observed the gearbox and engine behavior. Both behaved amicably and I felt satisfied with the drive. Even when the service technician drove the car, he commented that there are no issues with the engine, transmission and suspension setup. However, he cautioned me that there seems to be an issue with alignment of steering which could either be minor or something major as well. He mentioned we can get the underside of the suspension and steering column checked to confirm on this fact.

Red flag 5 Untill the technician was getting car ready for testing the underbody of the car, I was guided through the service records of the car. Here comes the bummer. After scrolling through numerous menus and tabs regarding the service of the car and after most of it being good or nothing serious, I saw the words - TOTAL LOSS!

The SA too had glanced at them and read more on this tab and immediately remarked to completely ignore the car and not go ahead. He mentioned the car has been in some major accident and the car's structure and chassis has been damaged beyond repair. He remarked it might look good on the outside for now, but he won't trust the car one bit going forward. All my thoughts regarding the panels not being so strong etc, came rushing back! By this time, even I had decided to completely avoid this car. I would be immensely thankful to Autobahn KIA Powai that they went out of their way on a busy day and saved me! They didn't even charge a penny for this. Kudos, keep up the great work.

I returned to dealership and didn't straightway reject the car, as all this time, they had my car at their yard, and I wanted to end this cordially.

What I learnt

• Avoid all deals going forward that are too good to be true.
• As my dad had remarked earlier, since my iMT Sonet looks as good as new, and there isn't even a minute niggle with the car, there is no need to replace it. I won't be replacing this car atleast for next 5 years at the minimum since it solves all my major requirements.
• I would also be avoiding any deals in Mumbai for forthcoming future, and look for deals only in Pune if and when needed, as I wasted an entire day.
• I felt like I betrayed my buddy (iMT Sonet) and gave the car a great wash the day I returned. It shines like a new penny! Hope she forgives me. Behold the pics of MY Sonet.

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For DPF regeneration, the service centre followed the same procedure that is meant for Hyundai Creta.

BHPian dipdawiz recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

3 years and little more than 21500 Km later thought of updating this thread. Done 3rd year service from Advaith Kia Bansankari. Service experience is decent, used their pickup and drop facility as it is 15km from my home. I avoided JSP Kia which is just 4km from my home based on the experience of two of my friends.

Yokohama Earth 1 performing better than before. Suspension is softer. The mileage in Bangalore is between 10~12kmpl. On the highway runs, it's 17-18kmpl. Kia Connect subscription got over, did not reactive it this time considering the functionality - actually the lack of it. Took Kia's RSA though, for 3 years at 3499.

Got DPF regenerate warning at 21400km. Luckily it was in the service center, so they initiated it. Asked about it, looks like even though it is not in the 2020 Seltos' manual, the same procedure as Creta works on Seltos. Giving the procedure here from the Creta manual

Sorry for the long image

For me out of 21K Km, 80% drive is on the highway, but looks like a couple of months in the city clogs up DPF really fast.

After 3 years, the unfortunate happened while on a trip in Kerala. The hotel I was in, has parking in tall grassland. So the parking sensor was beeping all around. It was raining and evening time, while backing up there was a protruding tree branch; I backed on it and that put a dent in the tail gate and broke the tail light. Gone my last 8 years 50% NCB.

Moral of the story, if you are distracted, try to calm down a bit while in a tight situation.

So again, it went to Advaith Kia, Bansankari. As it was there for body shop work, asked them the price for dual tone conversion, it was some 17k odd they told me. Tried to negotiate, they said they would see if they could reduce, later they did it for 14k. 90% happy with the quality of workmanship. Though it is good on a casual look, you can bring out some issues here and there both for repair and painting, but the paint quality feels good. There is nothing better than factory fitting. Do not get me wrong, it is as good as you get for the service quality we get here in India for any other thing.

PS - Do not know what regular dual-tone Seltos is written on the RC card. Basic color is white so did not bother to change the RC card yet.

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I really appreciate them going above and beyond their work to accommodate my request.

BHPian Sufficient_shop recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Had a very pleasant experience with Zekardo for the PDI of my new vehicle in Bangalore. The dealership wasn't confirming me the correct date for PDI since I refused to pay anything before checking the car. Zekardo's guy (figured out later he's the co-founder) WhatsApped me a day before the 'probable' PDI date I had entered on their website and I asked them to push it to the next day.

The next day when I got the location of the stockyard, it was like 30km outside of the city. The engineer told me they won't be able to travel that far. There are just two engineers employed in Bangalore as of now (probably explains some negative experience in comments above), and both of them have three time slots per day.

I requested them to come to my home and I'll drive the engineer myself to the stockyard. He hesitantly agreed and got the other engineer who had a morning slot to take my PDI. So he came an hour early (9.30am) to my place and we went to the stockyard, got the PDI done in ~45 minutes and were back by 12.30pm, more than enough for his next PDI scheduled at 1.30pm.

I really appreciate them going above and beyond their work to accommodate my request. The PDI was thorough and helpful. Although, as per their own admission, Kia cars hardly have PDI issues, it was still helpful to know my car was mostly fine (had a small chip off in the fibre below the driver door.)

Overall, a very positive experience.

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After driving the car for 20 minutes, I started to see all kinds of warnings on the instrument cluster.

BHPian saisree recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

My Seltos got two intruders last Tuesday. It has been parked for almost a week untouched and the recent rains have made these intruders check for a new home.

As usual, I took the car out of my parking space on Tuesday morning and parked it to close the gates. There was some unusual noise from the engine bay, and I saw a well-grown rat come out of the engine bay. It struggled to come out and believe got hit by the radiator fan. It had its last breath and died on the spot. Instant Karma!

Opened the bonnet and did a quick check on the probable spaces in the engine bay and did not find any issues. There were no alerts in the MID and so thought of driving the car.

I had a constant check on the MID and 5 mins into the drive, saw a Low Battery issue. AC was not cooling. Called the KIA Service center immediately and said I was driving there for a check. 20 mins later, I started to see all the alerts ABS, ESC, TPMS, Airbags and power steering flashing. Steering became hard and I managed to park the car on the shoulder and turn it off.

Used the KIA Connect and called for roadside assistance and got a prompt response and a recovery van was arranged in an hour FOC. Tried to start the car, and it started, and I drove it to the top of the recovery van. Car was taken to the Capital Service center at Perungudi.

Explained the details to the SA and asked him to do a thorough check. Found that there was one more rat that got stuck in the alternator drive belt and it was not rotating. So, all the components started to consume power from the battery and 20 minutes into the drive, the battery got depleted and hence all these alerts. Battery was charged and the car was tested for any issues. Luckily I did not have any bites or cuts in the wires.

ASC washed the car and handed it over to me with a bill for Rs 750/-. Did a 350 km-long drive the last weekend and did not find any issues.

Have to appreciate the KIA RSA and the KIA ASC for their prompt service and constant follow-ups.

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Even my wife complained about it and it was so extreme that we had to go back to the Kia dealership and return the car.

BHPian DoonDude recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello Everyone!

I recently had an extremely strange experience with the new Kia Seltos and wished to share the same with fellow Team-BHPians to have their views on it.

I live in Dehradun and recently booked the new Kia Seltos GTX+ Petrol White. The same was available for delivery on 31.08.2023. Me along with my family went to take its delivery in the afternoon at approx. 3 pm, filled with excitement.

As we drove off, I immediately had the car topped up at a petrol pump opposite the dealership and proceeded to take the car to a temple.

On the way, I started experiencing heavy strain in my eyes and had to actively try to focus on the vehicles and the road ahead. However, I kept mum about it attributing the same to the afternoon heat and the excitement of a new car!

However, after 10 - 15 minutes, my wife complained about the exact same symptoms to me! Eye strain, difficulty in focusing through the windshield etc.

We got the Pooja done and went back to the dealership to talk to them about it. Naturally, no one agreed about the same. The SA took a test drive with me and even he laughed it off and suggested I try the car for a few days.

On the way back home, the eye strain increased to such a point that I had to return to the dealership to actually RETURN the car since it was creating a safety issue. I was adamant about getting the car replaced.

Thankfully, the dealership agreed and they arranged for a new car just today i.e. 12.09.2023.

I took the test drive with my father this evening and alas! The SAME issue with this car also! Eye strain, distortion in the windshield etc. I'm at my wit's end.

100% payment is with the dealer for the past 12 days, all the excitement is gone and this is something I have never experienced in my life - ever. I have driven over 5L kms over the past 25 years in 40 - 50 different cars but this is something totally new.

The dealership staff had the audacity to suggest me that I get my eyes checked - if there was an issue in my eyes, I would have got the eye strain in other cars also that I drive or the taxis I travel in sometimes.

Please let me have your inputs on this windshield distortion issue and tell me if anyone else has experienced the same.

Thanks in advance!

Update 1

I did a thorough PDI. No damage. Immaculate condition!

Focus on the blue scooty in the centre. Video link

Animated GIF (Eg. look at the rear grab handle of the blue scooter):

RTO wasn't done yet. They simply cancelled the invoice and sold the vehicle to another customer. ODO reading was less than 60 at the time of return. I put the insurance on hold.

My full payment is stuck with them though!

I returned the 1st car on the same day itself within 3 hours and ODO less than 60 kms. They got the next car on 12th Sept. which I again drove and faced the same problems. Haven't taken delivery of the same yet hence no pictures of any car yet.

I have however a small video I took of the 1st car's windshield. You can clearly see the distortion in the centre.

Also, I have noticed that ALL the cars standing at the dealer's showroom had significant distortion in the BOTTOM 2 inches of the entire windshield.

I feel that Kia's glass supplier chain is at fault since I have not noticed similar distortion in any of the other brand cars during the past 2 weeks - Maruti, Hyundai, Tata, Mahindra, MG.

Update 2

My main aim for this thread is to know if there are other Seltos owners (especially the facelift version GTX / GTX+) who are facing similar issues so that we may understand the general trend and force the company to make a recall to provide windshield replacements to the affected parties.

This is a serious safety issue that needs to be addressed promptly if widespread!

Both the cars that I drove have the same issue. I'm finally about to take delivery of the 2nd car tomorrow and will update this thread in a couple of days once I drive the car around in different lights and environments for longer periods.

BTW, I did have my eye test yesterday at Titan. No change in the power (0.5) in the past 15 years.

I did approach a couple of new car owners in a local shopping mall over the past few days. They both had the lower trim (HTK / HTK+) and did not seem to notice this issue. However, their windshields DID have heavy distortion in the bottom 2-inch strip across the entire glass pane. This generally does not affect the driving but does speak volumes of the quality of the glass used!

Here's what GTO had to say about the matter:

Very weird, I must say.

I know it will be difficult to travel from Dehrarun, but try driving another '23 Kia Seltos from another dealer and see if you face the same problem.

Else, get the windscreen swapped with one from the pre-facelift model or a 3rd-party expert like Windscreen Experts. Easier to change the windscreen than to change the car.

Here's what BHPian libranof1987 had to say about the matter:

With new cars, dealerships often try to polish every surface (internal / external) of the vehicle they can find to ensure it is all shiny for the customer. It is possible that the cleaners (who tend to use the same cloth for multiple types of surfaces) rubbed polish / some other chemical used for one surface (say, dashboard or tyre) and continued to clean the windshield with it.

Have the windshield thoroughly cleaned and check if the problem persists.

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

This is the first time I am reading that cars can be exchanged off the shelf, even after driving post delivery and doing pooja. Usually, it involves courts and takes months. The whole saga seems bizarre.

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

Like others here have mentioned, this just sounds weird!

I've driven a Kia Seltos for nearly 3 years now, with no visibility issues. I have a history of severe myopia, Lasik-corrected in my early 20s, and now in my 40s need progressive lenses to account for age-induced hypermetropia. As such I am quite sensitive to anything that impedes visibility including scratches on the windshield, defective wipers, cracking sunfilm etc. Trust me the Seltos stock windshield is not the problem here (am talking pre-facelift but how different can it be really!).

Have you got new eyeglasses made recently? I've found that using polarised sunglasses can cause some eye strain- they definitely take getting used to. Or, in case you don't habitually wear glasses, perhaps get your eyes checked? You are 41 as per your bio and it's possible you may need progressives now.

All I can say is that you should have test driven a couple of other demo/TD vehicles *before* demanding (and miraculously getting) your vehicle replaced. Now I guess you are stuck with it.

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

I haven’t experienced it myself, but I have heard about this once, when a guy raised his concerns during a safety automotive discussion/presentation (his issue was night driving and concentrating on the side vehicles which appeared to be wavy while crossing or overtaking) and the instructor told it must be related to something “cross-car distortion”! Just google it a bit more and see if it’s the same condition.

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Before finding solace in this SUV, I checked out cars like the Toyota Hyryder, Skoda Kushaq, Honda Elevate and Hyundai Creta among others.

BHPian SPB_drives recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Panther Arrives: Kia Seltos 2023 Facelift 1.5 Turbo (Petrol) DCT

If you appreciate quality and frugality with good looks, there is clearly only one car which offers it below the INR 50 Lakhs budget. To my mind, this car is the Kia Seltos 2023 facelift. With my current daily drive being a Jeep Compass (manual, diesel, BS IV), christened Cheetah, I wanted to also have a fun turbo petrol in the garage before we strongly transition towards EVs. After experiencing literally all the notable cars within the INR 60 Lakhs budget, I have found solace in Panther, read on to find out why.

Why Seltos?

Maruti Grand Vitara / Toyota Hyryder

Maruti’s Grand Vitara / Toyota Hyryder, come with a nice hybrid tech, and were instantly likeable when I drove them in the city, but their overall lack of quality really shocked me. The automatic gear lever doesn’t move with sophistication, the plastics remind me of my first-gen year 2005 Swift (the power window switches are the same!) and the boot space is just impractical. Also, the noise from the Atkinson cycle petrol engine was crass and was very much audible in the cabin. This car made perfect sense as a city car, but we like our cars to be multi-purpose, so this one was overruled.

Skoda Kushaq / VW Taigun

These both look gorgeous, especially the Taigun in red. Come with potent engines. But inferior air-conditioning and glaring steps taken towards cost-cutting make their presence felt quite alarmingly. From the noisy seat ventilation motor to the poor plastics, small boot and doubtful after-sales stories, I decided to not say hi to the German engineering which has been diluted for Indian audiences.

MG Astor

Except for the beautifully red stitched dashboard, I found the car to be overall a “jack of all trades, master of none”. While I do know that the complete adage is “…but still better than master of one”, I found the small boot, unimpressive 1.3 litre turbo mill with TC gearbox, plus the useless (and might I add, distracting) robotic eyes on the dashboard to not appeal to my senses.

Hyundai Creta

I don’t like the design language Hyundai has adopted. I liked the new boxy design language Hyundai premiered on the Santa Fe and I hope they adopt it for the incoming new vehicles. But with a facelift around the corner, and with the same platform and engines as that of Seltos, ignoring the segment leader was an easy choice.

MG Hector

I already have a black Hector at my disposal, christened Kaala Haathi. It is a fabulous vehicle to be driven around in, and for the highways, but it is clearly not a city car as it is too big.

With the budget being flexible and aspirations running high, I did check out the BMW X1 (2023 facelift), Mercedes GLA and the Audi Q3. You can read my thoughts on these here. To sum it up, I found myself paying exorbitant money for the badge with very little change in the driving characteristics or dynamics. The big-league car brands need to level up their game to provide an experience and technology to their prospective customers which helps them justify the price they pay for their cars and not just on the basis of the brand name.

Honda Elevate

I did check out the Elevate in a showroom but did not get a chance to test drive it. To me, it looked like a fat Maruti Ignis from some angles. Honda has not put any one stand-out feature/characteristic in this car; I was honestly waiting for the strong hybrid Elevate but that is not happening as Honda has decided to jump onto the EV bandwagon. Also, the Honda showroom people looked quite overwhelmed with the attention they were getting. I feel Honda is playing catch-up and still has not brought in its game to the fight.

Seltos Materialises

With the facelift being launched, I knew in my head that I was sold on this. I had already driven the previous 1.4 turbo DCT transmission and was mighty impressed. With the new raving reviews of the 1.5 turbo DCT, I knew I would like it in a heartbeat. The DCT failure tales did strike me and to be honest, this was the only chink in this otherwise gorgeous package apart from safety; I noticed that Hyundai/Kia group with time have implemented their learnings, and among other things have dulled the initial pickup of the car in order to protect the DCT unit. Also, have taken the extended warranty for peace of mind, so que sera on this much-debated topic.

The good bits:

• Suspension feels mature and minor road undulations are ironed out quite well. This experience is probably due to the new tyres, but I must mention again that the JK tyres for someone who will be confined to the city are not bad.
• Road noise is well contained and this car is silent till 100 km/hr, it gradually starts creeping in from then on. This is unlike Compass where you literally feel cocooned and oblivious of the speeds you are doing.
• The dual screen set-up is very well executed. The driver’s screen has got trippy backgrounds which add zing and intuitiveness.
• The buttons and switches have a very nice tactile feel and feedback and operate well.
• When driven in the Eco mode, the car more often stays in the 7th gear while cruising and this aids mileage a bit. That said, the normal driving mode is very acceptable for the city as well as the highway.

The bad:

• The car wants me to take a coffee break ever so often. I think this is a software issue which should get ironed out soon. The media drive cars had this feature, but this is missing from my car, I’m sure this is an inadvertent miss.
• The boot door takes a good push to shut properly.
• The roof headlining is not a well-woven cloth, it is some other material found in cheaper cars.
• The in-car-entertainment unit notifies that there is a software update required, but it throws up an error of “insufficient space”. I wonder how much space is required when the used-up space is literally zero MBs as this is a new car. The service personnel informed me that they will install this software update during the first service (what happened to OTA updates?)
• While the ADAS features stay switched off once they are switched off, the rear cross traffic alert warning and braking switches on every time the car is switched on. I don’t think this is too problematic as the speed while reversing is anyway too slow.
• Safety is a big question mark and I honestly don’t see it taking any major leaps in this facelift update. This is a feature rich car meant to pander to the gizmo loving audience.
• The automatic headlamp full beam and dipper function is very sensitive and keeps the headlamps in dipper mode more often than required. Had to switch it off.

Driving the Panther

The car handles well and the steering has considerable weight making you feel confident when you take that quick corner. I feel the body roll is very well contained, the car does not feel all over the place. This car is quick to drive and overtaking either in the city or on the highway is a breeze – this is very important as the highways are increasingly getting more crowded. Did I try the ADAS you ask – no, not at all. I think except for the very new expressways such as the Samruddhi Mahamarg (between Mumbai and Nagpur) which are straight as an arrow and are sparse, using ADAS on any Indian highway/expressway is still a pipe dream for using these technologies which can control the vehicle. Our highways are full of cars overtaking from the wrong side, stray dogs and cattle, people jumping in from nowhere and speed breakers/potholes. Then why did I buy the GTX+ variant, well, it was only for the electronic parking brake.

Should you change the tyres?

Just post the delivery I swapped the JK Royale UX with the Continental UC6 in the same size. Now, to be honest, my vehicle had a psi of 46 in all four tyres, and I drove in them for some 30 kms before getting them swapped. I actually found the suspension to be softer than the 2019 model which I had driven, very much Creta-like. And mind you, this is with 46 psi, the recommended tyre pressure is 35psi. With the UC6 tyres, the car did get a bit more stable and no more did it feel jittery like it did with the JK tyre – but this is not an apple-to-apple comparison as the tyre pressure on the JK tyre was too high during the delivery. So you might ask why I still changed the tyres, well simple, I wanted to leave no stone unturned to have a superlative experience with my new machine. I can tell you that the car performs well with the UC6, no tyre noise, no squealing, no traction loss, no skidding on the corners. I drove it extensively in the rains while going to Amritsar from Gurgaon and found them lending a positive impact on the car.

Frontier Kia (Gurgaon) experience

• Overall a nice experience. My request for PDI was well received. Insurance and accessories were not forced on me. I eventually took the insurance from outside as it was much cheaper.
• The salesperson refused to take a cheque for the full payment of the car price and I was compelled to do multiple RTGS transfers to make the full payment. In fact, while asking for taking the payment by cheque, I was asked to deposit the cheque myself in the bank! What happened to the customer experience?
• The car delivery experience could have been better, they have a very small delivery area and allow only their personnel to drive the car out. Unlike your expectation to drive your own car on your own from the showroom.
• No discounts were offered, and I was prepared for this as this is a new hot car in the market.

Please do let me know what all of you think about my thoughts above,

Cheers!

All ready with the new Continental UC6 tyres

Panther arrives at Ramada Amritsar

Finally decided to take a coffee break on our return journey to Gurgaon. The car gave a coffee break warning again just 15 mins after driving off.

When driven sedately, it actually gave respectable mileage figures

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The cabin of the Kia feels silent due to the petrol engine but it doesn't filter out the road and traffic noise as much as the Jeep.

BHPian vattyboy recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Introduction

I want to pen down the side-by-side comparison of my 2 SUVs i.e. Jeep Compass Limited Option Diesel and Kia Seltos HTK Plus 1.5 NA Petrol. Although they are not of the same segment, size-wise they are quite similar.

In this thread, I want to discuss how Compass and Seltos compare to each other based upon my ownership i.e. what things you get when you pay approximately 10 to 15 lakhs more than the Seltos and in which aspects Seltos is better.

Driving experience

Jeep Compass

• The first thing you will notice is the hard clutch which you will have to press to start the car.
• After pressing the push button to start the engine, it comes to life with a slight shaking of the car.
• The moment you start the car you will realise that now you have the command over a big turbo diesel thanks to its high NVH and diesel clatter.

City

• The first-gear ratio is very short and the second-gear ratio is high.
• On the speed breaker, if you take out 2nd gear then the vehicle starts to stop and if you take out 1st gear then the RPM becomes high which causes a jerk.
• From 3rd gear, things go great, it drives very smoothly with good torque and power.
• Due to its hard clutch and bad 1st and 2nd gear ratios, the Compass feels unsuitable to drive inside the city.

Highway

• This is where the compass truly shines and feels at home.
• It is fast on open roads with a power-to-weight ratio of 110 bhp/ton and torque-to-weight ratio of 225 nm/ton which results in 0 to 100 kmph in 9.5 secs.
• The suspension setup is mature and doesn't break a sweat on any undulation on the road or potholes which come your way while the car is cruising at higher triple-digit speeds.
• Highway stability is excellent, it feels like there is no limit, and it doesn't break a sweat at high speeds. 120 kmph feels like doing 80 kmph.
• The gear ratios of 4, 5, and 6th gear are very good. In fact on highways, 90% of the time all you need is 6th gear. You will beat 90% of the traffic on the highways even when you accelerate in 6th gear.
• It's a mile muncher on the highway, you can drive it at triple-digit speeds all day long with the engine spinning at 1750 rpm @ 100 kmph and 2100 rpm at 120 kmph.
• You will love to take corners at triple-digit speeds on the highways, Compass tells you to push it even harder.

Kia Seltos

• The clutch feels so light in comparison to the compass. It feels like I am shaking my legs in the air.
• The car starts with no vibrations and minimalistic noise, of course, it is a trait of a petrol engine.

City

• Seltos is easier to drive in the city thanks to its lighter steering wheel, soft clutch and good 1st and 2nd gear ratios.
• Due to its less kerb weight approx 400 kg lighter than a compass, it feels nimble to drive in the city.

Highway

• The moment you take out Seltos on Highway, you will notice that there is no torque in the 1.5 NA engines compared to the compass.
• Now to extract more power you will downshift and floor the throttle but it will make no sense, you will keep on accelerating while waiting for the car to accelerate fast but it does not and will let you feel the thirst for more power with a sudden drop in mileage.
• But do note here that it takes a few extra seconds to accelerate but once it reaches a certain speed it can maintain that speed with ease up to 120 kmph.
• Highway stability is decent for speeds up to 100 kmph due to the stiff suspension setup.
• Cornering capability is also good, while other cars reduce their speeds while approaching the corners you glide through the corners leaving the other cars behind.
• Compass handling on highway outshines Seltos after 120 kmph, if you drive below 120 kmph then both are good.
• After 120 kmph, the pace of picking up the speed drastically reduces.
• 100 kmph engine spins at @2250 rpm, at 120 kmph @ 3000 rpm.
• 0 to 100 comes in around 12.5 seconds.

Suspension Setup

Compass

• Feels a little stiff at city speeds but bearable. I fill 2 psi less air than the recommended tyre pressure by the company to correct it.
• Feels best at highway speeds, absorbs undulation and gives cornering confidence.

Seltos

• Feels bone-jarring stiff at the city speeds, feels like you are sitting on the rocks. Reducing the tyre pressure also doesn't make a difference.
• Considering mine is an HTK Plus with 16-inch higher sidewall tyres, I don't know how the owners manage the comfort with 17 or 18-inch rims.
• Highway stability is good thanks to stiff suspension, you can beat 90% of the cars on the highway in this department.

Steering feel and feedback

• Steering feedback is better in the Compass, it feels more precise and direct.
• Seltos steering is dead at the centre and has some play. Seltos steering starts to give feedback after rotating it 10 to 15 degrees left or right but after that, it is nicely predictable.
• Seltos steering is smaller in diameter and thin while compass steering feels thick to feel and also it is bigger in size.

Mileage

All mileage figures are with full-time AC on.

• Compass gives 12-13 kmpl in the city and 18 km on highways at 100 to 120 kmph and can give 20 kmpl if driven sedately at 90 kmph.
• Seltos gives 12-13 kmpl in the city and 16 kmpl on the highway at 100 to 120 kmph, and can give 18 if driven at 90 kmph.

Note: Jeep MID shows accurate mileage same as calculated by the tank-to-tank method while seltos MID shows 2 to 3 kmpl high mileage.

• After 120 kmph the mileage of Seltos drastically decreases while Compass mileage drops by 1 or 2 kmpl.
• The full tank range in Compass is 800 to 900 km while Seltos has 600 to 700 km.

NVH

I will talk about 2 things here - Engine noise and outside noise.

In Compass the cabin in drop dead silent, with no to minimum road and traffic noise filters inside the cabin. Engine noise comes inside the cabin due to it being a diesel unit but after 1800 rpm when the turbo kicks in you will hear a very sweet turbo whistle which is a treat for the ears.

Seltos due to its petrol engine feels silent but can't filter out the road noise as much as Compass but it is pretty decent, better than my Ciaz. Engines sounds good after 4000 rpm, below that it is very silent.

Braking

Braking Is equally good in both cars, surprising that Seltos have drums at the rear but still it brakes so well.

Infotainment and sound quality

Both cars have the same screen size i.e. 7 inches and the resolution is equally good.

Seltos comes with Arkamys sound system while Jeep Compass comes with alpine sound system.

Good in Compass - In music quality Compass beats Seltos for sure, it has more bass and it sounds fuller.

Compass infotainment UI is better and has more information to give you.

Good in Seltos- The Seltos infotainment system is faster while the Compass is a little bit slow to respond after your touch.

Seltos has wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay which is missing in the Compass.

Build quality and safety

• There is nothing to say here because everyone knows that Compass is built like a tank. It is comparable to my Mercedes in this department.
• Everything in the Compass feels solid whether it is the door or the bonnet which is twice as heavy in comparison to Seltos and gives a confidence-inspiring solid thud when you close the doors.
• Out on the highways you will feel very safe in the Compass just like everyone feels so safe in the arms of their mother.
• One thing to notice here is that Jeep has focused on safety in case of a side collision or if the car is T boned. So to improve this see the gap between the side mouldings and seats in the picture. So in case of collision due to more gap, the passenger will be safe.

Continue reading vattyboy's comparison for BHPian comments, insights and more information.

In essence, there are 3 engine options, 2 types of MT options, and 3 types of automatic gearboxes on offer.

BHPian Omkar recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

The Kia Seltos facelift has surely managed to pick up where it left off in this highly contested segment. It's doing good numbers which was expected from it and Kia's strategy of something for everyone is surely a contributor to it. In fact, Kia claims to have received 31,716 bookings for the Seltos facelift in just a month since bookings began on July 14, 2023. Just look at the engine and gearbox combinations on offer and you will know why.

There are 3 engine options - a 113 BHP, 1.5-litre naturally aspirated (NA) petrol, a 158 BHP, 1.5-litre turbo-petrol and a 114 BHP, 1.5-litre turbo-diesel. You get a 6-speed manual transmission with the 1.5 NA petrol engine with an option of a CVT automatic. The 1.5 turbo-petrol can be had with a 6-speed iMT or a 7-speed DCT automatic.

Lastly, the 1.5 diesel engine gets a 6-speed iMT as standard and the top-end variants can be opted with a 6-speed torque converter automatic. In essence, there are 3 engine options, 2 types of MT options, and 3 types of automatic gearboxes on offer.

So if were to buy a Kia Seltos, which engine and gearbox combination would you pick & why?

The 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine is the go-to choice for city dwellers. It's refined, smooth, and has enough punch to get around the city. It's offered with a 6-speed manual transmission and a CVT automatic. Note that the CVT automatic misses out on features like the 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, wireless charger, ventilated seats, 8-way powered seats and most importantly ADAS functions (GTX+ & X-Line).

Next up you have the 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine that replaces the older 1.4-litre turbocharged engine. This engine is more powerful than before and has the highest numbers in the segment. You can have this engine with a fast 7-speed DCT automatic transmission or a 6-speed iMT. Read our detailed drive report here.

Lastly, for the mile munchers, Kia also has the 1.5-litre diesel engine on offer. This engine may not be the most powerful in the segment, but it has enough grunt to keep you engaged over those long distances. It is again offered with a 6-speed iMT and you get a 6-speed torque converter automatic transmission. You can read our drive report here.

Here's what GTO had to say about the matter:

Let me put one thing straight = You will NEVER regret going for the most powerful engine on offer. It will reward you with a million smiles & innumerable memories… priceless in my opinion! YOLO and all that. After 5 - 10 years of owning the car, that extra 1 - 4 lakhs you spent on the better engine won't matter. But you will always give yourself a pat on the back for buying the superior, faster motor. If you are reading this on Team-BHP, odds are, you love driving and this point is all the more relevant. I paid premium money for the 1st-gen City Vtec (used one at the same price as a new 2nd-gen City), 530d M-Sport (5-lakhs in the used market) & Thar Turbo-Petrol (in terms of its abysmal 6 kmpl city FE). But I have derived a lot of pleasure & joy from these fast engines.

Conversely, I know a lot of people who regretted buying the City 1.3L instead of the 1.5L, the Creta / Seltos 1.5L NA instead of the 1.4L Turbo, the Octavia 1.4L instead of the 1.8L, the S-Cross 1.3L instead of the 1.6L. But I have yet to meet a single person who regretted buying the more powerful engine.

That's why my first choice with the Seltos Facelift will be the ~160 BHP turbo-petrol with the DCT. Only if my monthly running was very high (it isn't) would I choose the Diesel AT instead as that engine + gearbox are well-tuned too.

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

A six-speed TC with a super-refined diesel engine will definitely keep you happy for a longer time. Only if the petrol engine had a TC transmission it would have been my first choice.

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

Assuming that I'm going to buy a Seltos, I'd rather go for the fastest and most loaded petrol car they have. What's the point of buying a blingy car if you don't purchase all of the bling?

Even if I had high running, I'll never touch a BS6 diesel car. Not worth the DPF heartburns.

Here's what BHPian yedukrishnan199 had to say about the matter:

In my opinion, there are only two options worth checking out, the 1.5 L Turbo Petrol 7DCT or the 1.5 L Diesel 6AT, both are great in their own right, the 1.5 L Turbo Petrol 7DCT offer great power and performance for those who care for getting the most powerful and fast engine out there, and don't mind the same even at the cost of fuel efficiency.

But for others who are not living in NCR, and want a reliable, tried and tested smooth 6-speed AT that gets the job done, with great fuel efficiency at the same price as the Turbo DCT, The 1.5 L Diesel 6AT is a great option to go for.

I have more than enough experience in this case, as two of my relatives, one in his early 40s and the other in his 60s both considering the new Seltos, the choice of engine and gearbox combo was different in both cases, as their priorities were different, the first one went with Turbo Petrol 7DCT because YOLO and the elder one went for the Diesel 6AT as his priorities were different, moreover, he felt, with the sad state of roads in Kerala, where is he going to use all that 160 horses! I agree with them and feel both are right!

With the prices being exactly the same, the Diesel would make much more sense for price-conscious, mileage-conscious buyers who don't need a fast car! but need a reliable mile muncher. So my vote goes for the Diesel AT!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Kia has released a statement mentioning that the lawsuit is "without merit".

According to media reports, Chicago has sued South Korean car brands Hyundai and Kia in response to the steep rise in vehicle thefts across the city.

Reports state that the Circuit Court of Cook County has filed a lawsuit against Kia Corporation, Kia America, Hyundai Motor Group & Hyundai Motor America, after they failed to equip their cars manufactured in the USA, between 2011 and 2022 with immobilisers. The city of Chicago wants the court to levy fines, make the car brands pay for the damages and issue an injunction to prevent them from advertising that their cars come fitted with key safety features.

The city of Chicago is said to have witnessed 21,425 car thefts last year, 41% of which were Hyundai & Kia models. This is despite them accounting for just 7% of the total cars on local roads. This year, the number of thefts is already up by 100% from what they were this time last year & models from the two South Korean car brands account for 50% of the cars stolen.

Mayor Brandon Johnson said, "The failure of Kia and Hyundai to install basic anti-theft prevention technology in these models is sheer negligence, and as a result, a citywide and nationwide crime spree around automobile theft has been unfolding right before our eyes."

The city also stated that with Hyundai & Kia cars being "entry-level models", the thefts are mostly impacting the low-income residents of Chicago. Further, concern also arises that the stolen cars can be used to commit other crimes like armed robbery or reckless driving.

Kia has released a statement mentioning that the lawsuit is "without merit". The carmaker stated they have introduced software updates to rectify the issue and also offered free steering wheel locks to over 19,000 owners.

Source: CarScoops