[whencut86]

Originally Posted by aseem23

Not defending Seltos, they should have certainly talked about structural safety, but now since 6 airbags, safety features are standard, and with ADAS it will undoubtedly achieve a 4 (base variant) or even 5 (top variant) safety rating points.

How will a car which got rated with "Bodyshell integrity: UNSTABLE" in crash tests suddenly get 5 stars with just the addition of 6 airbags and ADAS? If the same body shell is carried forward to the new version it is still the same unstable bodyshell right?
This step motherly treatment is only for India, they export a better and safer version of the same car from the same factories in India to other markets.

[sunilarkt]

Originally Posted by aseem23

Not defending Seltos, they should have certainly talked about structural safety, but now since 6 airbags, safety features are standard, and with ADAS it will undoubtedly achieve a 4 (base variant) or even 5 (top variant) safety rating points.

Unfortunately crash worthiness and proper safety crumple zones can only get any car above 4 stars in NCAP Tests (Measure pointers).

Australia has stricter safety requirements and Seltos is doing fine there I think (5 star ANCAP). Do they have entirely different car built for them?

[shekjsk]

Brilliant packaging across variants by Kia. I think HTX+ is going to be the most VFM variant and should be in high demand. I wish it also had 360 deg camera.

[Iyencar]

Can we all please focus on this launch here as it’s derailing the discussion on feature and variant distribution. I don’t think it’s news to anyone on this forum that the shell scored a 3 star. I believe there is a separate thread on the same where everyone can vent. People who will still go for the Seltos include those who don’t have a choice in real world terms. It’s easy to say go for a Skoda or a VW but these brands have only themselves to blame for their lousy reputation when it comes to QC, serviceability and the crooked nature of most of their dealerships. Changing their names from 1.0 to 2.0 isn’t doing anything when they still launch a car with EPC failures, weak ACs and what not. On paper they’re still the superior cars but we are plonking hard earned cash in the real world and not on paper.

[Malyaj]

I think there is too much of repetitive gripe about the safety aspect of Seltos.

(Disclaimer: I am a Seltos owner myself)

Let me tell you about what went through my mind when I zeroed down on the Seltos after having driven many other contenders.

We needed a good family car. The Seltos is an allrounder, that does everything reasonably well. It is extremely well put together, has good space, the high speed stability is top class and brakes are very good too. The refinement is of a segment above. The AC is a chiller. All these things were important for us. We didn't care about auto AC, 10 inch touchscreen, ambient lights etc, even the small sunroof, but if these things come with the car, am I supposed to rip them out?

My wife and I share the car between us. When she is driving, she is almost always alone. We were clear that reliability is a very important criteria for us. We do a lot of road trips, often to remote areas and again it's just the two of us. We strictly did not want any product that would leave us stranded. Hence the VAG twins were out. Wife was also against MG as in her mind it was not a brand that she could trust to last very long in the Indian market. It is very difficult to argue against that kind of insecurity. A few years down the line you don't want to be in the "told ya" situation. So the Astor was out as well.

We could have stretched to lower variants of XUV 700, but it was quite a bit of stretch and the car was too impractical for daily use. We struggle with parking near our offices and it was not worth the daily hassle. Harrier was ruled out for the same reason.

Grand Vitara / Urban Cruiser Hycross were too claustrophobic and had poor space packaging inside, especially back seat, and I was certain that our parents would not like it there. Seating 3 adults was out of question. No. The panoramic sun roof did not made us fall head over heels in love with the car.

Every single vehicle had some compromise. You can easily pick a fantastic driver's car and let everyone else handle the compromise, or you can buy something for everyone.

Yes, safety is important. But I cannot live with the spectre of death and injury all the time. I drive very safely and expect others to do the same. Bad things can happen anywhere. My house can come crashing down. I don't buy the strongest house in the world. The flight I am taking can come crashing down. I don't always have the luxury of choosing the safest airline or personally checking the airworthiness of the aircraft.

I upgraded from a WagonR. It had zero safety features. ZERO. For me 6 airbags, ESP, ABS, good high speed stability and good brakes were an attractive draw. That is the draw for a lot of people and it is not stupidity or vanity.

This constant portrayal of Kia and Hyundai buyers as being some kind of idiots who value style over substance, as people who are bringing home some brainless trophy wife is getting quite irksome.

I get it, there is step motherly treatment. Kia cars abroad score 5 stars. Whining about step motherly treatment vis a vis foreign counterparts is an unnecessary emotional exercise that can be avoided. End of the day you have to compare with what choices are available in India. A decent house in Mumbai costs an arm and a leg. At a quarter of that maybe I can buy a villa in a small town. How many are buying villas in small towns? We are forced into a compromise of having to live in Mumbai in a tiny apartment. We all surely must be very stupid.

[Aviator_guy]

Originally Posted by Malyaj

I think there is too much of repetitive gripe about the safety aspect of Seltos.

Well said.

I'd rather buy a 3 star rated reliable car than to buy one which can leave me and my family stranded on the road without any warning or spends time in the garage/burns hole in my pocket more than I'm willing to accept.

I drove zero star rated dabba cars in 2000s and early 2010s, when there was not much awareness about crash safety but hell they never gave me any trouble.

Not trivializing the safety aspect but we have to make do with the choices in life and chose what works best for our situation and expectations. We have to accept that there is no perfect car in India and move on. To each his own.

[pandabear]

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

Looks like Hyundai-Kia is on its way to be the first manufacturer to provide 6 airbags / ESP as standard across models. First Carens, now Seltos. I understand the Tucson,Alcazar, Creta and Verna too have it as standard. Apart from of course, Ioniq 5, Kona, EV6.

It is misleading for Kia carens to say that they provide 6 airbags considering that they have left out the airbag coverage for the 3rd row passenger.

As i was seeing review videos in YouTube most of the Australian reviews for the Scorpio N catch these points but sadly we blindly lap up what the brochure/marketing team says.

Same goes for the lap type car seat belt. Boycotting these products that do this sort of cutting corners would improve product safety especially considering our improved highways and our appalling driving.

[07CR]

Any info on how good/bad the pano sunroof cover is? Is it like Hyryder, which lets in a lot of light, or like Hector, which is almost opaque.

[shobhit.shri]

Originally Posted by Malyaj

I get it, there is step motherly treatment. Kia cars abroad score 5 stars. Whining about step motherly treatment vis a vis foreign counterparts is an unnecessary emotional exercise that can be avoided. End of the day you have to compare with what choices are available in India. A decent house in Mumbai costs an arm and a leg. At a quarter of that maybe I can buy a villa in a small town. How many are buying villas in small towns? We are forced into a compromise of having to live in Mumbai in a tiny apartment. We all surely must be very stupid.

Very well said! I am in the market for a similar car and Jeep Compass is in my list. However, I feel that the car is just way overpriced, and now also has reliability issues. I might still buy it for that awesome driving dynamics but THAT would still be a compromise.

By the way, any comparison with Jeep Compass on driving and handling would be very helpful. This turbo petrol with 160 HP seems as powerful as Compass.

[rx100]

Originally Posted by 07CR

Any info on how good/bad the pano sunroof cover is? Is it like Hyryder, which lets in a lot of light, or like Hector, which is almost opaque.

I haven’t seen the Seltos sunroof cover yet, but from personal experience, both Creta and Alcazar have a thick cover with same fabric foam they used in interiors. I expect it to remain same for Seltos too.

Found this video showing covered sunroof.

https://youtu.be/OB6HeFuRgY4

[shekjsk]

Originally Posted by 07CR

Any info on how good/bad the pano sunroof cover is? Is it like Hyryder, which lets in a lot of light, or like Hector, which is almost opaque.

Seems more like that of Hector. The one in Creta and Alcazar is also of good quality and almost opaque.

[aseem23]

Originally Posted by whencut86

How will a car which got rated with "Bodyshell integrity: UNSTABLE" in crash tests suddenly get 5 stars with just the addition of 6 airbags and ADAS? If the same body shell is carried forward to the new version it is still the same unstable bodyshell right?
This step motherly treatment is only for India, they export a better and safer version of the same car from the same factories in India to other markets.

Well, if you check the safety rating of the previous version of Seltos, the entry-level HTE variant of the Seltos, which came with 2 airbags and ABS as standard received an overall 3-star rating for adult occupant protection. The body shell back then was also rated unstable, despite that it received 3-star

Moreover, if you check the ANCAP rating (5-Stars), they tested the variant which had six airbags, ABS, an autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, emergency lane keeping, and a tyre pressure monitoring system (TMPS), which the newly launched variant of Seltos is having.

[fhdowntheline]

Originally Posted by pandabear

Boycotting these products that do this sort of cutting corners would improve product safety especially considering our improved highways and our appalling driving.

That is calling for eliminating over 50% of the car market in the country. Good luck with that. I will just add one point- Safety standards are not set in stone. They are always evolving. Todays high star rated cars will not maintain their rating unless manufacturers continously upgrade their design. And then again, the ultimate responsibility lies with the driver of the car.
Now, coming to the all new Seltos, I think all the new features are great but the higher variants are pushing the price envelope in all probability. Do people want to buy a 23 lac Seltos over a 21lac Verna for the same powerplant (say 160 bhp DCT) when Verna provides a bit better boot space.

[Mr.RaghavDhir]

A decent house in Mumbai costs an arm and a leg. At a quarter of that maybe I can buy a villa in a small town. How many are buying villas in small towns? We are forced into a compromise of having to live in Mumbai in a tiny apartment. We all surely must be very stupid.[/quote]


Amazingly put !! On a lighter note I was just about to open chat GPT to write something like this, but I don't think it could have explained it better !!

Me being a recent Seltos owner had the exact same KPIs for a car to fulfil and when I dug deep only Creta and Seltos were the real options that I liked. Thanks for the above post. We make a hue and cry about safety of KIAs and Hyundais but the noise around after sales service of a lot of car brands remains so inconsistent (Selective activism).

Nevertheless all the arguments must be spoken out as that the beauty of this forum. Un-hyphenated !

[Ad1tya]

It looks like the GTX+ / X-Line are going to come with JK Tyres, while the lower end variants will get Goodyears on 17" Rims?

Pretty crappy of them to put on the cheapest 215/55/R18 tyres on the market on the higher trims.