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An XUV 700 owner buys a 2023 Seltos: 14 points of comparision

13th October 2023, 12:04 by Ananth Iyer

I understand that they are from different segments but this is the car I have in my garage and so I will inevitably be comparing the two.

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Took delivery of our Kia Seltos (GTX+ Diesel in White) on Friday, 6th October 2023. Have driven it for close to 350kms now and thought of penning my observations of the same in a brief format. Do note that I would be comparing it against my current ride, the XUV700 (AX7L AWD) which cost 1.5L more (introductory prices) than the current Seltos (Introductory Price) in my home state - I understand that they are from different segments but this is the car I have in my garage and so I will inevitably be comparing the two. Also, please note that these are my opinions and observations, your experience and opinion of the car might be different:

Likes

No sound from front suspension unlike XUV700 - the suspension on the Seltos is a bit firm compared to the XUV700 but in my opinion, it handles potholes with aplomb and also feels more planted than my Creta.
No issue with either of the two displays - No lag, no blank displays, no issues whatsoever. Really appreciate the fact that things work the way they're supposed to whereas in my XUV700, there are some times when I've had to navigate in reverse with no camera feed due to blank display issue which affects us to this day (have already mentioned the same in XUV700 thread).
Excellent NVH levels - better than my 2018 Creta but I feel that it's on par with the XUV700 if not just slightly better.
Smooth 360 degree camera feed and also front parking sensors (which were given a miss on the XUV700 by Mahindra).
Ventilated Seats inbuilt from factory unlike in XUV700 where I've had to add it as an accessory.
Auto-dimming IRVM - Missed this feature after upgrading from Creta since XUV700 despite its price has only manual IRVM. However, glad to have it back on the Seltos. No need to flip the IRVM up and down during nighttime
Illuminated power window switches for front and back - was missing on my Creta 2018. Also, on the topic of power windows - all four doors get auto up-down feature which is a nice feature to have.
Three point seatbelt for middle row passenger, as well as an adjustable headrest - something that is missing in XUV700.
Paddle Shifters - Used it extensively on the 250km highway drive from the city to hometown and it was responsive and a joy to use.
Auto-Headlamps and Wipers add to the convenience
ADAS is a boon to use and has helped me a lot in the XUV700 and I'm sure it'll do the same on the Seltos.
Kia Connect is much faster and easier to use compared to Adrenox. Also, the app doesn't endlessly keep on connecting to a server when sending a command. It works instantly.
The Voice Assistant is so much better on the Seltos than Alexa on XUV700. Quick to execute commands and haven't had any command fail as of yet.

Dislikes

Car's acceleration is on the slower side and it picks up speed linearly unlike the Creta (2018, 1.6L Diesel). Nothing wrong with the car but the car takes quite a long time to pick up speed.
On a related note, 100kmph is reached at 2000rpm on 6th gear. I wish the car had a longer 6th gear.
No light for the passenger side vanity mirror or the glovebox unlike in XUV700.
Indicator stalks and wiper stalks do not get illumination which was problematic as I was driving a new car in the night time and had no idea where the Headlight "ON" position was and kept turning on the parking lamp instead.
Headlights on the facelifted Seltos are average at best and I started to miss the excellent lights of the XUV700.
360 camera stitching especially on the left and right is not good unlike in XUV700. Also, no guidelines for the front camera and only guideline for top down view is possible.
ADAS is intrusive at times and gets annoying unlike in XUV700. E.g. While trying to change lanes on the highway to avoid potholes, the steering brought me back to the previous lane and I had to go through several potholes. I turned off the Lane Keep Assist after that. Being used to ADAS on my XUV700, I thought the steering would vibrate and then let me turn since there were no cars behind me. So, I lightly turned the steering wheel (being used to the light steering of the XUV) but the car just brought me back to the previous lane.
Also, the warnings that it keeps giving are ridiculous at times. When I headed out from the city, I had just exited the society's gate when the car gave me a warning to "take a break" - why would I want to take a break when I just started the car in the morning. Also, driving above 80, say around 85kmph or 90kmph, the car keeps giving me a warning to "reduce speed". Does anyone know any way to disable these warnings?
Furthermore, multitude of options to control the ADAS suite make it confusing unlike XUV700 where everything is simple and well laid out.
No Wireless AA/AC for top model while its available for lower trims. XUV700 has patchy AA/AC but atleast its there
All Black Interiors are a letdown compared to the more beautiful interior on the HTX trim. While black would be easier to maintain, the all black interiors give the car a claustrophobic feeling (in my humble opinion - your opinion might vary)
Sunglass Holder makes a rattling sound when driving over roads (both good and bad) - No such issue in my XUV700 or Creta.
Sound system is average and sounds similar to my 2018 Creta minus the subwoofer.
The front of the car has a USB Type-C as well as a USB Type-A port. However, AA and AC only works through the USB-A port; the type C port is for charging only. I have an iPhone 14 Pro Max and a Galaxy Z Fold 3 - one of them came with a Type-C to lightning connector and the other a Type-C to C connector. So, I was forced to search a computer store for Type-A to Type-C connector just so I could use Android Auto. I wish Kia had made the Type-C connector be the port for AA/AC instead of the Type-A port.

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