[neel911]

Originally Posted by bijims

Checked out all the variants and colors of the Seltos today and in my opinion, the Pewter Olive looks great in the showrooms, but not so much in broad daylight, the other colors look good as always, they were the same in the earlier model as well. I personally didn't like the Intense Red too much mainly because of the connecting taillamps and the color both being similar, Blue, Black, and the Dual tone White look great especially on the new model as compared to the older one.

I am in same boat . After checking few shades at dealer and online videos, this is what I liked in order:
1) X-Line (I so wish It was easier to maintain matte paint)
2) Black (Difficult to maintain but the car stands out)
3) White-Dual Tone (you cannot go wrong here)
4) Blue - It is a nice shade and looks more towards black based on time of day

I agree with Pewter Olive and recommend everyone to see car in bright daylight/ sunlight before taking a call as it looks different than what you see inside showroom. I personally did not like it that much so gave it a pass.

For now, keeping Black GTX+ 1.5L Turbo Petrol. Once pricing and test drive is available (along with media reviews) will change if needed

[kumarprabhatn]

Originally Posted by volkman10

From the media drive presentation:

I see no mention of body shell here as well

Would be interesting to see how many will touch this topic during review.

It's surprising that this aspect is ignored by Kia after it's pointed out in Seltos and recent versions of Carens. Their sister brand flexed regarding GNCAP during Exter launch.

[SeniorC]

Test drives in Delhi are scheduled from 25th July onwards as per a dealer here.

[shamanth]

Originally Posted by SeniorC

Test drives in Delhi are scheduled from 25th July onwards as per a dealer here.

In Bangalore, they had already given test drives, stopped now till RTO registration as they had small accident. They will resume test drive after RTO registration.

[Bhodrolok]

Originally Posted by kumarprabhatn

I see no mention of body shell here as well

Would be interesting to see how many will touch this topic during review.

Kia needs to be questioned on this, especially with Bharat NCAP launching in few months? Why take buyers for a ride if the vehicle has made no structural improvements. In the Exter discussions, Hyundai has at least referred to improvements in bodyshell which will be proven in B-NCAP.

[bijims]

Originally Posted by Bhodrolok

Kia needs to be questioned on this, especially with Bharat NCAP launching in few months? Why take buyers for a ride if the vehicle has made no structural improvements. In the Exter discussions, Hyundai has at least referred to improvements in bodyshell which will be proven in B-NCAP.

The Bharat NCAP is voluntary, it would most likely be the same situation as the GNCAP with only a few manufacturers who would voluntarily test their cars for the rating. Kia, Maruti and Hyundai would most likely not even bother to test their cars.

[Bhodrolok]

Originally Posted by bijims

Kia, Maruti and Hyundai would most likely not even bother to test their cars.

The Hyundai marketing manager Tarun Garg does mention their cars getting tested in B -NCAP once its rolled out.

Here's the whole interview where he also talks about lack of turbo petrols in entry segment, plans for EV & N cars.

https://youtu.be/wqarEtIhQXc

[bijims]

Originally Posted by Bhodrolok

The Hyundai marketing manager Tarun Garg does mention their cars getting tested in B -NCAP once its rolled out.

Here's the whole interview where he also talks about lack of turbo petrols in entry segment, plans for EV & N cars.

https://Youtu.be/wqarEtIhQXc

We will see how many cars they test once the Bharat NCAP rolls out, as the Creta, Venue, i20, etc will surely still score poorly in the current generation in the tests unless they are not on the same level as the GNCAP.

Anyways despite all this even with the launch of the new Seltos which is the sibling of the Creta, Kia didn't even care to talk one bit about the crash worthiness or any improvements in body shell, so considering the same, I sincerely hope their actions speak louder than words.

[kumarprabhatn]

Originally Posted by Bhodrolok

The Hyundai marketing manager Tarun Garg does mention their cars getting tested in B -NCAP once its rolled out.

As per this, the Creta facelift may have changes in body shell as the safety is a "focus area" for them now. Kia may defer this to next line up similar to how they did with panoramic sunroof

Originally Posted by bijims

Anyways despite all this even with the launch of the new Seltos which is the sibling of the Creta, Kia didn't even care to talk one bit about the crash worthiness or any improvements in body shell, so considering the same, I sincerely hope their actions speak louder than words.

There are 2 possibilities for this.

• Kia doesnt want to spook previous Seltos owners by disclosing the body shell changes, making it dramatically different from previous version and there by acknowledging previous version was unsafe
• Kia doesnt care about body shell changes at this point and its impact on safety

[84.monsoon]

Originally Posted by kumarprabhatn

I see no mention of body shell here as well

Would be interesting to see how many will touch this topic during review.

It's surprising that this aspect is ignored by Kia after it's pointed out in Seltos and recent versions of Carens. Their sister brand flexed regarding GNCAP during Exter launch.

It is not easy to make any major structural changes during a facelift. My guess is that using more high-strength or ultra-high strength steel is going to create differences in weight, torsional stiffness, braking distances etc. as well as load bearing capability of the unibody. This may mean the car would need to be extensively tested and homologated all over again. Best they can do is add airbags, TCS, ESP etc. which are not major modifications.

This is probably why Kia is very mum about this aspect on the Seltos (Any my guess is Hyundai will do something similar when the Creta facelift is launched). By window dressing structural safety using added airbags, ADAS etc. they can distract the customer from the actual issue. Side airbags are not going to help much in the event of a head-on collision, if the frame is rated unstable. Similarly, ADAS is an active safety system and is good to have, but most important is structurally strong cars which have fundamentally higher passive safety level in the first place. Especially because in Indian traffic conditions, features such as ADAS may have to be turned off on many occasions due to the chaotic nature of our road and driving practices.

[shamanth]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

Especially because in Indian traffic conditions, features such as ADAS may have to be turned off on many occasions due to the chaotic nature of our road and driving practices.

I have driven ADAS based cars in Italy, and their driving is very much similar to Indians, like ZigZag , bumper to bumper driving, minus Indians drive in wrong way. As long as you are alert and sensible, know when to cancel Adaptive Cruise control your are good, its a very good safety feature in our highways and expressways.

[kumarprabhatn]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

It is not easy to make any major structural changes during a facelift. My guess is that using more high-strength or ultra-high strength steel is going to create differences in weight, torsional stiffness, braking distances etc. as well as load bearing capability of the unibody. This may mean the car would need to be extensively tested and homologated all over again. Best they can do is add airbags, TCS, ESP etc. which are not major modifications.
.

The facelifted Seltos is available in Australia at ~$48k =~Rs. 26.5L onroad. This scored GNCAP 5 star. Considering the sales with economics of scale here, they could have provided the same platform here, I believe.

[Bhodrolok]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

By window dressing structural safety using added airbags, ADAS etc. they can distract the customer from the actual issue. Side airbags are not going to help much in the event of a head-on collision, if the frame is rated unstable. Similarly, ADAS is an active safety system and is good to have, but most important is structurally strong cars which have fundamentally higher passive safety level in the first place.

Exactly! That is my dilemma... can this group solve it? What is a safer vehicle - a GNCAP rated 5 star one but no ADAS or this which is not so structurally sound but has active driver assist features?

The ideal scenario would be a combination of both where we would not need to make a compromise, but I don't think anything exists others than the XUV700 or the luxury brands

[AKSwamy]

Originally Posted by Bhodrolok

Exactly! That is my dilemma.
====
but I don't think anything exists others than the XUV700 or the luxury brands

Upcoming Honda Elevate might have this option if you can manage with lesser features and design!

[ashvek3141]

I don’t know if this has been discussed in the earlier posts, if so than apologies for reiterating. I see that noone is talking about the 18” wheels that are shod with 215/55 spec rubber against the 215/60’s for the 17 inchers of the lower variants. That only means that the GT & X Line’s will ride noticeably stiffer than the lower variant cars. Given the fact that the suspension is already on the stiffer side, I don’t understand what made Kia do this brilliant thing especially for those high paying customers.

Even though it may sound like a minimal change, it does make a world of difference to the ride. Having experienced this 1st hand with my Creta, I completely understand what 5mm drop in sidewall can do!