Kia has been in the news consistently ever since they decided to set up shop in India. The Korean car maker put up a great show at the Auto Expo 2018 by displaying their entire model range. But undoubtedly, the show stopper was the SP Concept SUV, that would go on to become Kia’s first product for India. So say hello to the Kia Seltos, the production version of the SP concept. There has been so much hype and interest in recent times that the Seltos has bagged over 23,000 bookings in just three weeks. The Seltos will be built at Kia’s plant in Ananthpur in Andhra Pradesh and the market launch is slated for August 22nd 2019, when the prices will be revealed. We were in a rain soaked Goa to drive the Kia Seltos and to find out if its really lives up to its ‘Badass’ tagline.

Kia Seltos Exterior

The Kia Seltos is based on an all new platform that will also form the base for the next gen Hyundai Creta due in 2020. Dimension wise, the Seltos measures 4315mm in length, 1800 mm in width and a height of 1620mm. While the Seltos is longer and wider than the Creta, it is 45 mm less in height. It has a longer wheelbase at 2610mm though, 20mm more than its Hyundai counterpart. Coming to the styling, quite a few elements from the original SP concept have made it to the Seltos. The front has a very bold stance with the ‘Tiger Nose’ grille very distinct and the chrome surround around it gets a knurled finish. The large LED headlamps looks fantastic and an LED DRL strip runs from the headlights to the centre of the grille. This wont let you mistake the Seltos for anything else on the road at night. The turn indicators have some unique design elements and are located below the headlamps. They look brilliant when turned on. The front bumper is beautifully sculpted and features a faux skid plate. The LED ice cube design fog lamps are a stand out. The squared wheel arches with black cladding gives it the SUV stance. The Seltos will be available in two trims; Tech Line and GT Line. While the Tech Line is more luxury focused, the GT Line is on the sporty side of things. The GT Line also gets red highlights on the exterior along with the GT Line logo on the front grille. Riding on Goodyear Assurance rubber in 215/60R17 spec, the Tech Line gets metallic grey finished 17-inch alloy wheels, while the GT Line gets funky looking Crystal cut alloys in the same size and red brake calipers as well. The lower variants will share 16-inch steel wheels and 16 inch alloys respectively. The rear haunch enhances the SUV look and there are a pair of reflectors on either side. A chrome strip runs between the tail lamps on the tail gate and it doesn’t look overdone. The all LED headlamps have a signature design and look fabulous. The rear bumper also features a skid plate and silver accents. A roof spoiler and shark fin antenna completes the rear. Between the two trim levels, there will be up to 16 variants of the Seltos on offer.

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