Kia recently unveiled their first vehicle in the Indian market – Seltos SUV. The company also recently released a statement regarding the booking dates of the Seltos SUV amid rumours of the bookings of the SUV starting in a short while. The company stated that the bookings of the SUV will only commence in July, some time before the actual launch of the SUV in the market. However, now there are reports on the Internet stating that the South Korean maker Kia will launch their Seltos SUV in the market on 22 August. Kia Seltos will share its platform with the next generation Hyundai Creta, but will be placed above the latter in the segment. Kia has already begun the task of setting dealerships in India and the test drives of the Seltos SUV are expected to start soon.
As had already been spied multiple times, the Kia Seltos will come loaded with a bevy of features that will give its rivals a tough time in the market. Among the most unique feature is the presence of a high-end Bose tuned speaker setup that is also paired with the ambient mood lighting of the cabin. There is also a large 10.25 inch infotainment system present in the cabin that comes with support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, something that is becoming a trend in the segment at this point. Another unique feature of the Seltos will be presence of a Head-Up Dsiplay unit that will display vital information for the driver.
Other features will include remote operation of the features of car by the virtue of the UVO system that will allow the car to be connected to the Internet at all times, something similar to the Bluelink technology seen on the Hyundai Venue. Talking of the safety features, the Kia Seltos will come with 6-airbags, ABS+EBD, VSC, ESC, TC, Hill Climb Assist, Brake Assist, and a 360 degree parking camera.
Coming to the mechanical aspects of the SUV, the Kia Seltos will come with three engine options in the Indian market. All the three engines on the SUV will comply with the latest BS-VI emission norms of the country that will come into force from April 2020. Kia will bring out a high performance 1.4L T-GDI turbo-petrol engine with the SUV as well and this engine will come paired to a 7 speed dual clutch transmission. This is the performance oriented version of the SUV. The other engine options will be a 1.5L petrol and diesel engines that will be given the name ‘Smartstream’. These engines will come with a a 6-speed manual as standard, and the 1.5 petrol will come with a CVT automatic whereas the 1.5 diesel will come with a 6-speed torque converter automatic as optional. Kia Seltos will also come with 3 drive modes (Normal, Eco and Sport) and even terrain modes (Wet, Mud and Sand), these can be chosen based on the terrain of drive.