[bizi05]

Hello everyone, I have been a silent observer in this forum for many years but never posted any message in this forum. In fact, I had not even enrolled in this forum. But now I got the chance to post my 1st message in this forum after signing up. This is because after 14 years now I am in the market to buy a Car or Pseudo SUV. At this moment I am still using my 2010 Santro XING, which never disappointed me. In fact, it has spoiled me with its Performance and fuel efficiency. I am getting 21 kmpl on the Highway(While driving with 100 KM/H +AC ON) and around 11-12 kmpl in Bangalore traffic. So far I have only driven this car about 70000 Kilometers. But with its age, it started giving minor issues like rattling noise, etc...Hence decided to upgrade to a Petrol CSUV, which can offer all advanced features as well as more cabin space. My hunt for a new car has been continuing since last year.

Last Month I booked Kia Seltos 1.5T Petrol GTX +. But I am not 100% convinced with the Seltos 1.5T Petrol DCT due to below reasons:

Cons:
1. Safety rating is still a question mark.
2. Initial pick-up is sluggish, despite the fact that it is one of the fastest CSUV. I tried to accelerate hard in Sports mode but the initial response was slow. But after certain delay it picks up the momentum. I found the 1.5 Naturally Aspirated MT(HTX variant) to be more responsive than DCT in lower gears. To confirm this I tried this exercise with multiple dealers in Bangalore. I am not sure if anyone else has noticed this.
3. Black interior in GTX+ variant.

Due to the DCT lag issue during the initial gears, I was inclined towards the 1.5 NA Manual variant. But as the HTX+ misses out many features, I ended up with 1.5T DCT Variant.

I feel Kia should have provided a 1.5T Manual variant or it should have provided all the GT line features like 360 camera, ventilated seats with 1.5 NA Petrol.

I have also taken testdrive of Hyundai Creta, Grand Vitara, Tata Harrier, MG Hector, Skoda Kushaq, XUV700. And,
here is my personal opinion on these cars.

Creta:
1. Interior looks outdated and facelift creta may launch soon.
2. Similar Safety rating (3 Star)
3. Headlight throw is poor.


Grand Vitara Strong Hybrid:
Cons:
1. More body roll
2. AC is on weaker side. Checked in 2 different TD vehicle
3. Did not like the interior.
4. Doors felt very light weight. Similar to Baleno.

Pros :
1. Very good pick-up.

Harrier:

Cons:
1. Comes only with Diesel engine, which made my Wife and Kid uncomfortable during 10 minutes of testdrive as they have diesel sickness.
2. Tata's after-sales service issues.
3. Stiff suspension and heavy steering made me little uncomfortable in city driving condition
4. Too big/bulky to manoeuvre in Bangalore city condition

Pros:
1. Diesel manual is a beast. AC is super strong

Hector:

Cons:
Last year I booked it but later cancelled it due to below reasons:
1. Poor Mileage
2. Road noise was more. May be due to Goodyear tyre.
3. No Physical buttons for AC.
4. Long waiting period and frequent price hike.

Pros:
1. Spacious and class-leading features.

I booked on 5-Feb-2022 and waited till Aug 2022 but didn't get the Car. During these 7 months, MG increased the price of Hector by 80K

Kushaq 1.5T:

Cons:
1. Felt like a hatchback. Space inside Kushaq is idle for 4 people. Space at the back seat is not idle for 2 adults + 5 year Kid
2. Less features.

Pros:
1. Power and build quality

XUV700 2.0T:

Cons:
1. Long waiting period.
2. Missing features like ventilated seats.
3. Poor city mileage. 5-6 kmpl in Bangalore city traffic
4. Too big to manoeuvre in Bangalore city traffic
5. AX7L on-road price is around 30L, which is out of my budget

Pros:
1. Good power. Better driving dynamics

So now I am once again in confused state.

Regards,
Sujit

[ujwalp01]

Got mine delivered yesterday, GTX+ 7DCT

[ssoni.1411]

Originally Posted by bizi05

Last Month I booked Kia Seltos 1.5T Petrol GTX +. But I am not 100% convinced with the Seltos 1.5T Petrol DCT due to below reasons:

So now I am once again in confused state.

Welcome to Team-BHP Sujit.
There is a slight Turbo lag agreed, but I don't think it is a deal breaker of any sort. Regarding your comparison with MT, MT will always be more sorted since it has the entire control in your hands.

I would suggest you to go with the Seltos Facelift. If the Black interiors are not to your taste, go for the X-Line it has beautiful sage green interiors. HTX+ misses out on a lot of features and it is not a VFM product.
If Diesel isn't your requirement then, Harrier isn't for you. Hector and XUV700 have fuel guzzler petrol engines, but if you have the budget you can go for the XUV700 AX7, AX5 is woefully under-equipped. I, personally don't like the Grand Vitara interiors since they don't even feel like they belong to a 20L car.

So either go for the Seltos Facelift, or if you want you can even go with the Creta SX(O), agreed a facelift is around the corner but the car is still selling strong.
An out of box choice could be the Alcazar. You will get all the features of the Seltos(360 cam, sunroof, etc.), plus an extra row at a similar price and it is not too big to maneuver as well and has a nice Turbo Petrol and Diesel engine.

[jazzy]

My experiences have been similar:

1) Booked XUV 700 on the launch date and waited for months.

- Great machine overall
- Too big to maneuver in the city traffic, but not totally unmanageable
- Too many initial niggles.

I for one, believe that when a manufacturer sells something like a car, it's the manufacturer's reponsibility to test properly. "Initial batch may have lots of minor issues" is a very lame excuse. So I decided to wait for a couple of years before all "niggles" are sorted but by then, the goalpost had been moved. I cancelled my booking.

2) Checked out MG Astor, wife commented "it doesn't feel like a big upgrade from i10, in terms of space" and had to back out.

3) Test drove Hyryder. I really liked the looks of it and everything was great on paper. But:

- very flimsy sunroof cover (I can live with it)
- high noise level when it switches from EV mode to ICE mode (tough to ignore)
- less-than-ideal headspace in the front row, even lower in the back row. Wife pointed out her 6 footer relatives will have their heads touching the roof and that would be super embarassing. Rejected.

4) I liked Kushaq too, with powerful engine, 5 star safety rating and nice ride quality. But feels like a hatchback, one of which I had been driving for over 10 years.

Now that I bought GTX+ Turbo petrol, very satisfied with it, the only concern being safety rating. I'll wait for it to be crash tested, till then, will assume the rating to be somewhere between 3 and 4.

The amusing thing is whenever I disclose to any of my friends or family that I bought this Kia, they remark we are thinking of buying X because of better safety rating. So I ask - does your kid wear seat belt when seated? and the answer is - no they like to roam around in the car OR they like to stand and poke their head out of the sunroof. And I ask - what car seat did you get for your infant? and the answer is - we thought the infant would be more comfortable in the mother's lap. So much for safety.

[bizi05]

Originally Posted by ujwalp01

Got mine delivered yesterday, GTX+ 7DCT

Attachment 2499092

Congratulations for your new car. It looks nice. Is this Pewter Olive color?

[ujwalp01]

Originally Posted by bizi05

Congratulations for your new car. It looks nice. Is this Pewter Olive color?

Thanks and yes, it is.

[jazzy]

Originally Posted by bizi05

2. Initial pick-up is sluggish, despite the fact that it is one of the fastest CSUV. I tried to accelerate hard in Sports mode but the initial response was slow. But after certain delay it picks up the momentum. I found the 1.5 Naturally Aspirated MT(HTX variant) to be more responsive than DCT in lower gears. To confirm this I tried this exercise with multiple dealers in Bangalore. I am not sure if anyone else has noticed this.
3. Black interior in GTX+ variant.

Did you try the paddle shifters? They kind-of negate the whole advantage of automatic gear shifts but will give you the feel of manual gear controls.

Black interior definitely doesn't look premium, I am getting used to it day-by-day.

[bizi05]

Originally Posted by jazzy

Did you try the paddle shifters? They kind-of negate the whole advantage of automatic gear shifts but will give you the feel of manual gear controls.

Black interior definitely doesn't look premium, I am getting used to it day-by-day.

Yes, I did try Paddle shifters in Sports mode. But the response was linear. There was no instant push from the Engine+DCT transmission system combo.

In fact I was surprised when I found the Non-turbo 1.5 Petrol MT performance in lower gears is better compared to the Turbo model.

Regarding the Interior, I have also made up my mind to live with Black color. X-Line interior is way better but not considering X-line because of the Mat finish exterior color. Which will be difficult to maintain and moreover it looks dull to me.

If there was an option to select a Glossy finish color in X-Line variant, I would have gone ahead with X-line variant without any second thought.

[Sufficient_shop]

Originally Posted by ujwalp01

Got mine delivered yesterday, GTX+ 7DCT

Attachment 2499092

Congratulations Ujwal. Happy and safe riding!

[Highh5]

Originally Posted by 07CR

Any particular reason to not go with GT Line Seltos? I mean the price difference between the HTX+ iMT and GT Line is around 1.3L in OTR terms. GT Line gets the full suite of ADAS, EPB with Auto hold, Rain sensing wipers, 360 degree camera, blind view monitor etc.

You are actually right, but one of the major reasons is he is not a big fan of ADAS and already stretching his budget to get HTX+.

Harrier and all cars equipped with Jeep's 2.0 Litre Diesel engine also have questionable safety. I guess the oil filter is placed in such manner that in an impact, it can gravely injure the driver. Maybe that's the reason Harrier and Safari still aren't sent for testing by Tata.

Related discussion-

I saw this coming. Not going to deny what you are saying but until proven I will take it as an assumption. As I said above we all know what Harrier is capable of and it implies how well it can handle impact in comparison to Kia Seltos (Read better sheet metal thickness, that sound of Thud when you close the doors). Again, this can be subjective but this is my opinion. We can agree to disagree on this. Thank you!

[aseem23]

Originally Posted by Highh5

I saw this coming. Not going to deny what you are saying but until proven I will take it as an assumption. As I said above we all know what Harrier is capable of and it implies how well it can handle impact in comparison to Kia Seltos (Read better sheet metal thickness, that sound of Thud when you close the doors). Again, this can be subjective but this is my opinion. We can agree to disagree on this. Thank you!

Hey, but is it fair to compare Harrier vs. Seltos? The base variant of Harrier is around 18l OTR, and Seltos is around 12l OTR. No doubt, the Harrier is a more sturdy, powerful, safe, and capable vehicle, but I think it is a segment higher than the Seltos. With an additional 6l, I am sure any OEM would be able to use better equipment, metal, sheet, etc. for enhancing safety.

[ashvek3141]

I think Kia should really get rid of that awful black headliner in the GT Line. I see lot a comments and the flak it has received and rightly so. It makes the already small cabin look even more claustrophobic. By small I mean, the headroom is a bit limited due to the sunroof, plus the all-black upholstery on the dash and seats.

We have seen that Kia has been receptive to customer feedback , let me be clear - with regards to the asthetics and have made necessary changes / improvements in the past. Case in point, the 1st-gen was launched with a white seat upholstery for the GTX+ variants which was later changed to black. Similarly, I think Kia should take the comments on the headliner and revert to a lighter shade. I wouldn’t mind if they even change the seat upholstery to a lighter shade. I think times have changed and since people have accepted it (like in the XUV700) they will surely do with the Seltos. The sage green interiors in the GTX would be great too, rather than just limiting it to the X-line wherein customers have to compromise on the exterior colour! Read : Matte exterior colour is not easy to maintain.

[Mr Anderson]

Originally Posted by ashvek3141

I think Kia should really get rid of that awful black headliner in the GT Line. I see lot a comments and the flak it has received and rightly so. It makes the already small cabin look even more claustrophobic. By small I mean, the headroom is a bit limited due to the sunroof, plus the all-black upholstery on the dash and seats.

We have seen that Kia has been receptive to customer feedback , let me be clear - with regards to the asthetics and have made necessary changes / improvements in the past. Case in point, the 1st-gen was launched with a white seat upholstery for the GTX+ variants which was later changed to black. Similarly, I think Kia should take the comments on the headliner and revert to a lighter shade. I wouldn’t mind if they even change the seat upholstery to a lighter shade. I think times have changed and since people have accepted it (like in the XUV700) they will surely do with the Seltos. The sage green interiors in the GTX would be great too, rather than just limiting it to the X-line wherein customers have to compromise on the exterior colour! Read : Matte exterior colour is not easy to maintain.

Exactly.

I weighed the the pros and cons of both X-line and GT-line and finally went in for the X-line

The interiors without a doubt feel much more premium in X-line, and after giving it quite a thought, I was ready to maintain the matte graphite colour because I actually loved this colour ever since I first saw it in the pre-facelift seltos.

My entire family was kind of meh about the matte graphite colour when I booked the car. They hadn't seen such a colour before and weren't showing interest when I tried to show them videos on YouTube where reviewers were reviewing an Xline. My wife and dad were unanimously voting for a glossy black.

But once I took them actually to see that colour in the showroom, they also loved it and changed their minds altogether..

[07CR]

Originally Posted by Highh5

I saw this coming. Not going to deny what you are saying but until proven I will take it as an assumption. As I said above we all know what Harrier is capable of and it implies how well it can handle impact in comparison to Kia Seltos (Read better sheet metal thickness, that sound of Thud when you close the doors). Again, this can be subjective but this is my opinion. We can agree to disagree on this. Thank you!

I think bhpian has provided enough evidence for me to think it's true. There's even talk on other media channels about it ( on top of it, I had heard about it on motorbeam). So Tata to should probably know about it and therefore have gotten the Harrier/Safari tested if they indeed thought it is safe. A bit fishy even the smallest Tiago and all other cars get tested but the flagships in Tata don't get tested?

Regarding sheet metal build. I would advise you to not judge a car's build quality just by sheet metal. On top of my head there have been examples like an early generation Indian Polo and Duster(with great sheet metal build) scoring 0 stars in GNcap but a Honda City, Jazz and Amaze with very light sheet metal scoring 4 stars in Global ncap.

I think we digressed a lot here. Apologies to forum members for the same.

[jazzy]

Experienced emergency braking for the first time yesterday.

Despite some of my friends telling me to disable the feature when driving in the city as it can lead to someone rear-ending my vehicle, I have kept all ADAS features on, intentionally but also as I am still trying to understand all the features and possible scenarios when and how to use those.

So, I had parked briefly on the side of a road, I started the car and tried to come out on the driving lane and in a flash, the car stopped and an alarm went off. It happened so fast that it took me a couple of seconds to realise what had happened. Just then a biker zoomed past me, on the driver side and I got the perspective. As is the general driving style in country, I was trying to take my car out "slowly", I had checked in my right side rear-view mirror and I thought the biker was too far behind and would have enough time to slow down. However, the ADAS system thought otherwise. If I remember correctly, I might have forgotten to put on my right indicator, a practice I, regrettably, sometimes forget since it's been years now driving in India. It was kind-of a force of habit when I had started driving here.

In the end, I feel it's good to have this feature even within city limits. I can either put on indicator, in which case, emergency braking won't happen (this is as per my SA, not tested by me) OR ADAS assumes control and applies brakes.