Other cars that were on my list included Mahindra XUV700, VW Taigun, Toyota Hyryder, Honda Elevate and Hyundai Alcazar.

BHPian vattyboy recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Likes

• A gem of an Engine- Refined and Quiet.
• Features- Loaded to the brim.
• Gearbox- Very accurate and reliable Torque Convertor.
• Performance- 116 ps with 250 nm offers good drivability and fun.
• Mileage- This car loves to give a mileage of 15 in the city and 20+ on the highway.
• Brakes- Brilliant braking performance with all 4 disc brakes.
• Handling- No sign of nervousness at triple-digit speeds and slight curves.
• AC- It is a chiller.
• Good Noise Insulation inside the cabin.
• Gorgeous Panoramic Sunroof.
• Good Ergonomics for every passenger.

Dislikes

• Price- 24 lakhs on-road is quite high.
• No aerotwin wipers on a car worth 2.4 million bucks.
• Power windows switches are not backlit.
• There are no soft-touch materials in the car.
• Rear Number plate bulbs are yellow.
• Automatic wipers are not present.
• No seat lumbar support.
• High-beam throw headlights are not good.
• Noisy Centre Console.

Need for a New Car

• My Mercedes CLA and Jeep Compass maintenance are on the higher side, especially JEEP. Jeep Compass is proving to be unreliable and it asks for more maintenance than Mercedes. Jeep parts are also very costly somewhat comparable to the Big 3 Germans.
• Second reason is there are no ASS of Mercedes and Jeep in Udaipur.
• My reliable Kia Seltos is registered in Surat, Gujarat, so I can't drive it in Udaipur, I purchased it for driving in Surat whenever I go there for work. For almost 5 months a year, I have to live in Surat.

So this time I want a car which is-

• Reliable.
• Low Maintenance even after the warranty expires.
• Good availability of Service centres across India.
• Feature Rich.
• Decently powerful Engine.

Test Drives

Mahindra Xuv 700 Diesel AT

This was the 1st car on my list. I made up my mind that I would buy this SUV only without even checking any other car. I and my family went to the nearby showroom and took a test drive of the top variant i.e. AX7 L Diesel AT.

Everything was good in this car- a lot of space, engine power, refinement and pricing. The showroom experience was also good. I and my family were happy after the test drive and left the showroom asking the SA - if we could book the car tomorrow and if he would provide discounts. I came home very excited even if the SA didn't provide any discount I would have booked the car as the delivery date was promised within the next 10 days.

However, my excitement came to a halt when I opened Team BHP and went through the forum of Xuv700. I saw many bhpians share their story of niggles they are facing in their xuv 700 like-

A glitch in the infotainment screen, sometimes the rear camera does not work, Hill Hold Assist not working properly, a sound coming from the airbag module, and a recent thread in which a bhpian shared that his Xuv 700 was not unlocking in the midnight at his friend's house, car going into limp mode while going to the office due to some sensor issues etc.

After reading all this I was very disappointed. But with a heavy heart, I decided to rule this car out because this time I didn't want a car with niggles and unwanted ASS visits.

Volkswagen Taigun GT 1.5 Tsi EVO

This car is fast on the open road but at the city speeds, I experienced some turbo lag. The suspension is the best out there I have experienced in a car below 30 lakhs( except Innova). If you are hard on the throttle then mileage reduces to 8 kmpl. Acceleration is very good till 140 and high speeds are not felt inside the cabin.

Ruled this car out as it looks very small like a sub 4m car and due to the maintenance horror stories of VW and Skoda. Already there are 2 white elephants in my garage so I can't take the risk of adding another one this time.

Toyota Hyryder Hybrid

Rejected it due to noisy 1.5 L 3 cylinder petrol engine. Till 40 kmph the car is in EV mode which feels great to be in but after that, the engine comes to life. I pressed the throttle more and the engine felt stressed and noisy which reduced the overall driving experience. I also felt the doors and bonnet were very light. The mileage it was giving was mind-blowing i.e. 24 in the city but on the highway mileage of this car decreased to 22 kmpl as the engine kept on doing its duties to maintain the highway speeds.

Honda Elevate

I went to the Honda Showroom considering Top notch Honda's reliability. Took the test drive of Top Variant ZX Cvt with ADAS.

Honestly saying I don't like ADAS and I can't live with it, I don't like the artificial feel of a computer doing things for me.

Talking more about the car there is no wow factor in it, I did not like the quality of its interiors. Felt the suspension was too stiff even stiffer than my Jeep Compass maybe the tires were overinflated. On hard throttle the engine was noisy. Due to its low torque of 145 nm, there is a need for a medium to hard throttle for good pickup and due to this, the engine revs at higher rpms and becomes noisy which causes discomfort to the ears and mind, it feels the engine stressed.

I didn't take the Test drive of Tata Harrier as I owned a Tata Tiago and Tata Indigo in the past, these 2 cars gave me a lot of trouble. My friend owns the New Safari XZA+ Dark edition and he is also unhappy with the car due to frequent niggles so I was afraid of spending 25 lakhs on it.

I didn't take a drive of Mg Hector because I don't like its looks and its soft suspension which reduces high-speed stability.

Now only Koreans were left on the list. Since I have Seltos 1.5 MPi Htk plus. I decided to have a look at the Hyundai stable and Alcazar gained my attention.

Hyundai Alcazar

I called the nearby Hyundai Dealer and asked them for a home test drive of the Alcazar Diesel AT. Within half an hour the SA was at my home with White Alcazar.

Loved its alloy wheel design. Sat inside the car and loved its interiors with a piano black finish in the whole centre console and around the Infotainment screen. I liked the nvh of the car and engine and took a 15 km long test drive in the city and on the highway.

2 things I didn't like in the Alcazar were:

• Power- Due to its sheer size the 1.5 Diesel is slow at picking up speeds.
• 2nd Row leg space- To add the 3rd row in the car, the leg space of the 2nd row is compromised.
• Looks- In my eyes, it looks neither here nor there.

Bid goodbye to the SA during lunchtime and told him that I needed some time to think. Now I was disappointed that no car was meeting my requirements. Due to that Day being a Sunday, I decided to take a nap.

Booking and Delivery Experience

After waking up from a power nap, suddenly a thought came to my mind of the Hyundai Creta in the evening and I was like Why Not?

• It will be quicker than Alcazar due to less kerb weight.
• There is no compromise in the 2nd-row leg space.
• Creta Top Variant Sx(0) has similarities with Alcazar Interiors like a piano black finish in the centre console which looks very premium.

Coincidentally at the same time, Hyundai SA called me asking me about the Alcazar. I picked up the call and told him that I wanted to have a look at the Creta too and as expected he told me about 6 months waiting on Creta.

I asked him if he could arrange the Top Model i.e. SX(0) Diesel AT if I bought the car at their price quotation without any negotiation i.e. their Insurance rate, accessories, warranty, the shield of trust etc.

He told me he would ask his senior and call me back. Within 5 minutes he called me back and told me he would arrange a car for me and deliver it in the next 5 days because the customer to whom this car was allowed was having a problem in the loan process.

I was on Cloud 9 after hearing this, I told him to give me in writing that he would deliver the car to me in the next 5 days to which he agreed but asked me to give him a booking amount of 25k first after which he can give me it in writing.

Immediately I transferred the booking amount to 25k to the dealer account and SA did what he promised. SA told me that he would receive the car in the next 2 days and provided me with the VIN.

As promised the car arrived at the dealer in the next 2 days. I requested PDI for which they obliged. I went to the showroom and SA took me to their stockyard in Nios CNG (an impressive car with lots of space and a refined engine).

I did PDI as per the team BHP PDI checklist and the car passed with flying colours. I was happy after seeing my car for the first time. After PDI we went back to the showroom and I transferred the amount to the Dealer's bank accounts by RTGS.

• Ex-showroom price - 19,03,000 /-
• Insurance - 93,500 /-
• Shield of Trust 2yrs- 11,000 /-
• Extended Warranty 5 yr/ 1.40 Lac km- 34,000 /-
• Accessories - 15,000/-
• RTO- 2,48,000/-
• VIP Number- 50,000 /-
• TCS- 19,000 /-
• Ceramic Coating- 30,000 /-
• Total Cost - 24,03,500 /-

After paying the full amount, I told the SA to deliver the car on 1 January 2024.

Delivery Day

Reached the showroom according to my muhurat time i.e 6.30 pm. The car was parked in the delivery area in a neat setup with a blue cover.

I like the professionalism of the Monarch Hyundai, Surat. They did everything which was asked by me, all the accessories were fitted in the car and the vacuum cleaner etc were neatly placed inside the boot. Generally, dealers forget 1 or 2 items on the delivery of the car but things didn't happen by Monarch Hyundai Surat.

First, we completed our muhurat of Taking the delivery of the car and then did a 30-minute photo session. The dealer played a Nice Song in the background for the delivery. They didn't have a big duplicate key which the dealers generally have so they handed over a bag of Hyundai which carried all the documents like invoices, RTO papers etc. They also provided a pooja thali and a pack of chocolates.

After taking the delivery of the car, we went to a nearby Mahadev Temple for the mandatory pooja of the car.

Process of Buying a Car from a Different State and Registering it in Your Home State

I bought the car from Surat, Gujarat and I will register my car in Udaipur, Rajasthan because no dealer in Udaipur could arrange the car in 5 days. So I can tell the process involved.

Ask the car dealer to give you a CRTM ( Certificate of Temporary Registration) slip. This costs about Rs 300/-. In issuing CRTM, the dealer asks you these things before the car delivery-

• In which RTO( City, State) do you want to register your car?
• Your Address of the City of Registration.
• Aadhar Card.

All the above information will be uploaded to the Vahan portal before the delivery of the car and then they will give you the CRTM slip after which you are good to go. CRTM slip costs Rs 300/- but many dealers charge differently for this. My dealer took Rs 4500/- for CRTM.

Now, from the date of delivery, you will have 1 month to reach your home city and submit all the RTO documents and road tax. The dealer will give you a file of all the documents which are to be submitted in the RTO, you will have to hand over that file to your RTO agent simply.

Don't worry about insurance as the Dealer will provide you with the insurance on the vehicle's VIN and Chassis number so there will be no issues with the claims in case of any mishappening while going to your home city.

Drivability of Creta 1.5 CRDi AT

Press the brake pedal along with the push button start and the 1.5 CRDi engine comes to life, it is so silent, and refined and feels like a petrol car.

The car feels very easy to drive in the city thanks to its light steering, good turning diameter and good visibility from the windows in all directions.

Release the brake pedal and the car starts crawling at 8 kmph. I noticed that the initial pickup is very strong due to the Torque Converter.

The engine and gearbox are match-made in heaven. There is no lag in the engine and the icing on the cake is the Perfect tuning of the AT gearbox which always keeps the engine in its turbo band.

• With a light foot, the gearbox shifts at 2000 rpm, and in no case, does it shift below 2000 rpm.
• If it senses that you want more acceleration and pickup it can stretch and delay the shifting till 4000 rpm.
• The gearbox in no scenario keeps the engine spinning below 1500 rpm. The moment engines go below 1500 rpm, the gearbox downshifts.
• In case you accelerate hard till 3000 rpm and you don't want to accelerate further and maintain that speed then lift off the throttle and the gearbox will upshift in 1.5- 2 seconds.

Mileage

Out on the highways, I tried testing mileage at various speeds. At 110- 120 kmph it gives 19.5 kmpl. Then I set the cruise control at 90 kmph and it returned 23.5 kmpl mileage. At 80 kmph cruise control, it gives 25 plus kmpl mileage and this is the max mileage Creta D AT can give.

• In the city depending on the traffic I am getting between 15 to 17 kmpl with very light input from the accelerator.
• With pedal-to-metal driving, the mileage can drop to 12- 13 kmpl.

Ergonomics and seating comfort

The first things I notice after sitting in the car are comfort, wide seats and all the ergonomics in place like the door handrest, gear lever, Infotainment system, power window switches etc.

I am 6ft, I Adjusted the front seats according to my height and there is a good amount of legroom left at the rear

The window glass is very thin.

Engine and Performance

Hyundai's 1.5L CRDi VGT engine makes 113.5 bhp /116 ps power and 250 nm torque from a low 1500 rpm. It feels adequately fast and is faster than 90% of cars on the road.

I can say confidently that it offers a good amount of performance after driving Big 2.0 L and 2.2L Turbo diesel Engines in my Compass and Mercedes daily. Yes, the 2.0L multijet and 2.2 L CDI of Mercedes have an edge but that extra performance comes into use only 10 out of 100 times on the highway when you are in a mood to smoke other cars.

It cruises 100-120 kmph very easily and effortlessly, even 140 feels smooth without any strain on the engine plus the mileage I get at these speeds deserves a standing ovation.

At 100 kmph engine spins at 2050 rpm. So the engine in its turbo zone just presses the throttle and zooms past the vehicle in front.

One thing I noticed was that slight engine noise creep inside the cabin only after 3000 rpm and that too doesn't feel like A noise from a diesel engine.

The engine is city-friendly due to 250 nm torque from low 1500 rpm the car accelerates quickly for overtaking or reducing the gap inside the city.

Out on the highway, I had fun keeping the engine between 2k- 3k rpm for performance and I was ahead of almost 95% of cars on highways. And I kept the engine below 2000 rpm to get better fuel efficiency.

Notice the AGM Battery

Continue reading vattyboy's ownership review for BHPian comments, insights and more information.

With the introduction of the 6-speed manual, the Seltos now comes in 24 different variants.

Kia has introduced five new diesel manual variants of the Seltos. It comes in the Tech Line trim with prices starting at Rs 11,99,900 (ex-showroom).

The Kia Seltos facelift was launched in July last year. At launch, the SUV was offered with a 1.5-litre diesel engine paired with a 6-speed iMT and a 6-speed automatic. With the introduction of the 6-speed manual, the Seltos now comes in 24 different variants.

The Seltos is available with a 1.5-litre diesel engine that produces 114 BHP @ 4,000 rpm and 250 Nm @ 1,500-2,750 rpm. Customers also get a choice of 1.5-litre petrol paired with either a 6-speed manual or IVT and a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine mated to either a 6-speed iMT or a 7-speed DCT.

Inside, the updated Seltos gets dual 10.25-inch screens, dual-zone automatic climate control, a dual-pane panoramic sunroof and 17-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels. Higher variants also get 32 safety features, including Level 2 ADAS.

Kia Seltos Diesel 6MT ex-showroom prices:

• HTE - Rs 11,99,900
• HTK – Rs 13,59,900
• HTK+ - Rs 14,99,900
• HTX – Rs 16,67,900
• HTX+ - Rs 18,27,900

Parts started to rust and discolour within the first 9 months of purchase.

Sameer recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi,

I own a Kia Seltos GTX 7DCT & would like Team-BHP to know about the poor quality of the chrome.

Parts started to rust and discolour within the first 9 months of purchase. I contacted the Kia dealership in Delhi, but there was no proper response or solution for the same. Subsequently, I also approached Kia India but again there was no proper response. So, I approached the consumer court and after 2 years of filing the case, the consumer court gave its order in my favour and fined Kia India. Rs 70,000/- for deficiency of service.

I am attaching the order of the consumer court.

Thanks

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I also have a Kia Sonet iMT Turbo Petrol, which has been niggle free in it's 2.5 year existence with us.

BHPian 07CR recently shared this with other enthusiasts,

I would soon be replacing my Ecosport Diesel S TDCI (BS4) with a Seltos GT Line model.

I like to keep my cars for long (Ecosport unfortunately being an exception due to Ford's exit). I wish to keep the next car for around 10-12 years.

With that away, I have narrowed down to Kia Seltos GT Line. However, I am a little confused with respect to the fuel choice.

Some information about my usage-

• My annual running is about 9000 kms.
• Most of it is in city conditions with long highway trips thrown in once a month. The car would spend it's major time in short city trips of around 10 kms.

I also have a Kia Sonet iMT Turbo Petrol, which has been niggle free in it's 2.5 year existence with us.

I am worried about the long term maintenance of Seltos's DCT, if I go in for the Turbo petrol DCT combo. Will the DCT be reliable with me, if I pay attention to basics? (not overheating it, putting it in neutral whenever possible, relatively sparse traffic in my region)

On the other hand, with my relatively low highway running, I am worried that I will encounter many DPF related issues.

With Only these factors in mind, seeking your guidance, as to which engine transmission combo should I go for? Turbo Petrol DCT or Diesel AT? In other cars, while the Hybrid combo of Hyryder is a great option, but I feel the overall package is more Maruti than a Toyota, hence won't consider it.

Here's what BHPian avira_tk had to say on the matter:

Why bother with the dct, an automatic is meant for convenience, not timing red lights and watching the temperature gauge like you're baking. 10 kms is a good distance, the engine will warm up in that time for a diesel. The added bonus is that the diesel will be cheaper to run with good performance, the turbo petrol will perform only with premium fuel, those headline HP figures are misleading, just slick marketing.

Here's what BHPian Hayek had to say on the matter:

Petrol any day. The BS6 diesel makes no sense unless you are a regular highway driver. Plus you live in the #8 city in India - so you do face the risk that at some stage, diesels will be banned in Pune too.

DCTs are not as reliable as torque converters - but they are not failing at a 100% rate the way the infamous DQ200 did back in the day. And Kia will likely support you if you have a problem. Take the extended warranty though.

Also I believe the face lifted Seltos has autohold - so you don’t need to keep shifting to neutral etc.

Here's what BHPian Axe77 had to say on the matter:

Echo most of what Hayek said and for the same reasons too.

I am also simply off diesels now (specially BS6 diesels with all their DEF hassles etc). I would any day recommend the petrol and like Hayek said, go for the max extended warranty.

I’m in fact fast tracking my own garage off diesels too and expect to make a shift to one petrol car asap and within 3 - 4 years, a second car which will be either a strong hybrid / EV. If I was buying a car today, a diesel would simply not be on the list at all, specially for people living in Tier 1 cities like Mumbai and Pune. Policy is just far too unpredictable.

A couple of years ago there was also too much uncertainty on ethanol blending but today most cars are coming with E20 compliant fuel so you should be sorted on most fronts with petrol and max warranty now. Your running is not that high for fuel cost to be a concern and 10 - 12 years holding period for the car is a long enough time horizon to bet on petrol instead of diesel.

Here's what BHPian androdev had to say on the matter:

It’s a no brainer to rule out diesel in your case - short city commute, maintenance complexity, regulatory risks.

A good hybrid would have been great but hard to find something as appealing as Kia. If you prioritise trouble free long term ownership, this certainly deserves another look. I feel hybrid and EV should be given due consideration if someone is purchasing a city car.

DCT from a dependable brand like Kia should not be an issue - it’s not as notorious as DSG and Kia is not like a VW when it comes to customer support.

Here's what BHPian Shreyans_Jain had to say on the matter:

1. There is no case for diesel. You don’t have the running to make it worth the DPF risks, short running and potential regulatory issues

2. While the iVT automatic would have rid you of the DCT reliability concerns, I don’t think it is an option you are open to. NA-iVT is arguably more suited to short urban commutes than turbo-DCT. Cheaper on the pocket, initially as well as in the long term

3. The ideal car for your kind of usage is a hybrid, especially for peaceful long term ownership. Unfortunately, it is a monopoly situation with poor availability.

Still, as it is a compromise one way or the other, my take is that you explore your options more, including electric. If your heart is still set on the Kia, get the turbo DCT X Line and have all the fun in the world with it.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Kia Connect showed the car had taken several trips, which included a brief halt at a local liquor store.

An incident involving dealership employees taking a customer's car for a joyride has surfaced in the media. As per the report, a Kia Seltos that had come in for repairs at M/s Sun Global - an authorized dealership in Bhopal, was taken out for an entire night by an employee.

The antics of the staff at the service station came to light when the owner received a notification via Kia Connect. The live tracking feature showed the car had taken several trips, which included a brief halt at a local liquor store. 

The data showed that the Seltos was driven at speeds exceeding 100 km/h. It also revealed that the car was left idling for 28 minutes over a 1 km distance, which suggests that the dealership employees may have parked it with the AC running.

The owner reached out to Kia Care with the evidence, who regretted the inconvenience and promised necessary action. Following an enquiry, the service advisor was found to be the culprit and was promptly discharged from his duties by the dealership.

Source: Rushlane

Fortunately, no injuries have been reported due to the issue.

According to a media report, Kia has recalled the 2023 Seltos in the US market due to a welding error, causing the diffuser disk to break; resulting in the airbags inflating without prior warning or deployment command.

As per the NHTSA report, 4 part numbers for the side curtain airbag modules seem to have the issue. A total of 2,300 vehicles require inspection, of which, 1% may have the airbag modules replaced with brand-new units. Of the total vehicles affected, 1,367 units are of the Seltos crossover.

Kia North America will inform its dealers about the issue no later than January 29, 2024. Also, owners of the affected vehicles will receive a post before the end of next month. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported due to the issue.

In the US market, the Kia Seltos is offered at a starting price of $24,390. The US-spec crossover comes with two engine and transmission options.

Source: AutoEvolution

The engine operates incredibly smoothly, delivering power precisely when needed.

BHPian tauk2mi recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I wanted to share my experience of purchasing the Kia Seltos facelift GTX+ after having owned the same variant for the past four years.

I was an early buyer of the Kia Seltos GTX+ DCT in sparkling silver when it launched back in 2019. The car was acquired through my company's car lease program, but due to the pandemic, I didn't get to drive it much. Over four years, I managed just 40,000 kilometres. As the car lease program concluded, I deliberated and eventually sold it for a great price. I used the proceeds to repay a housing loan, slashing the interest outflow by nearly 70 lakhs and reducing the tenure by 7 years! The monthly EMI I was used to didn't dictate my next financial move, so I opted for the new facelift version of the Seltos GTX+, unable to find a comparable alternative within my budget.

I made a personal booking in early September to avoid a long wait. The process, however, took longer than expected due to the asset retirement and ownership transfer, taking almost a month. Eventually, I submitted the purchase application at the office, which took an additional 2-3 weeks due to various stakeholders. Finally, the payment was made to the dealer, and the car was ready for pickup. I changed the colour choice thrice during the waiting period—from pewter olive to steel silver and finally to imperial blue. Red wasn't an option, as our apartment already boasts three vehicles in that colour.

The day of collection arrived after completing registrations and formalities. I preferred a simple and neat ceremony, instructing no garlands, poojas, or ribbons, and requested the removal of plastics. I added a 7D mat and a 3D boot mat as accessories but steered clear of additional chrome since, in my opinion, it detracts from the car's appearance. Surprisingly, this is the first time in 20 years of driving that I didn't take a test drive or see the vehicle in person beforehand.

Here's a summary of my car history over the past four years: Maruti 1000 (used), silver Esteem, beige Honda City, automatic Honda City, Seltos 2019 (sparkling silver), and now Seltos 2023 (imperial blue) - all top end variants!

The only disappointment I encountered with this car was the pre-installed Apollo tires; everything else, from the overall booking to the delivery experience, was flawless.

Having driven both variants, here's my breakdown of what I find different and better:

• The engine operates incredibly smoothly, delivering power precisely when needed. Noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) levels are exceptionally well-managed. Kia's insulation against outside noise is impressive—I could hardly tell the engine was running even at higher RPMs.
• The Bose speaker system outshines the previous version by far. Even my daughter, who's the primary DJ in the car, agrees. I'm confident it'll suffice, especially if I follow the advice of some fellow car enthusiasts to dampen the doors.
• Activating Kia Connect was effortless; it began working from day one. I only had to contact Kia Care to remove the previous vehicle, which they did proactively before the new car arrived.
• I noticed that the lumbar support in the previous model was slightly better, but I didn't experience any discomfort with the new seats.
• The interior feels incredibly spacious despite the black colour scheme, which doesn't detract from its appearance or make it seem smaller.
• The panoramic sunroof adds to the roomy, airy feel inside. Rear passengers now get to enjoy the weather outside, particularly during rainy days.
• The car utilizes space efficiently, with covered cupholders and various slots for storing a mobile phone or wallet.
• The dashboard resembles a cockpit with all essential controls, beautifully designed. The themed approach for different driving modes—normal, sport, eco, or dynamic—is neat.
• The Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) are a boon; adaptive cruise control and lane assist are both cool and very helpful. These features aren't for aggressive drivers, as the systems encourage disciplined driving. Of course, you can always disable them if they're not your preference.
• If you're not accustomed to indicating before changing lanes, you might find it irritating as the car attempts to guide you back into the lane when this setting is enabled.
• The 360-degree camera and sensors activate automatically in city traffic. It's a fantastic feature that helps avoid scratches and maintain a safe distance. I used to activate this manually in the previous car, but now it's automatic.
• The air conditioning is adequate and comfortable. Dual-zone settings cater to both driver and passenger preferences for different climate settings.
• The car's height can pose challenges for the car cleaning personnel; it's tall, limiting their reach to certain spots.
• On the very first day, I switched out the Apollo tires for Yokohama 225/55 R18. I managed to get 28k for the Apollo tires. Despite options like Continental and Bridgestone, I opted for Yokohama.
• Depending on the lighting and surroundings, the car in imperial blue displays various hues—shifting between black, dark blue, and occasionally even hints of purple!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Kia has also reduced the prices of two diesel variants of the Seltos.

Kia has revised the prices of the Seltos. Select variants of the SUV get a minor price cut of Rs 2,000.

Prices of the 1.5L Petrol MT HTX, 1.5L Turbo Petrol iMT HTX+, 1.5L Turbo Petrol DCT GTX+(S) and the 1.5L Turbo Petrol DCT GTX+ have been reduced by Rs 2,000.

Kia has also reduced the prices of two diesel variants. These include the 1.5L Diesel iMT HTX+ and the 1.5L Diesel AT GTX+(S). Prices of the remaining variants remain unchanged.

The Kia Seltos is available with three engine options. These include a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine, a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol and a 1.5-litre diesel. Transmission options include a 6-speed manual and automatic as well as a CVT, while the turbo-petrol unit comes with an iMT or a 7-speed DCT.

Source: Carwale

For DPF regeneration, the service centre followed the same procedure that is meant for Hyundai Creta.

BHPian dipdawiz recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

3 years and little more than 21500 Km later thought of updating this thread. Done 3rd year service from Advaith Kia Bansankari. Service experience is decent, used their pickup and drop facility as it is 15km from my home. I avoided JSP Kia which is just 4km from my home based on the experience of two of my friends.

Yokohama Earth 1 performing better than before. Suspension is softer. The mileage in Bangalore is between 10~12kmpl. On the highway runs, it's 17-18kmpl. Kia Connect subscription got over, did not reactive it this time considering the functionality - actually the lack of it. Took Kia's RSA though, for 3 years at 3499.

Got DPF regenerate warning at 21400km. Luckily it was in the service center, so they initiated it. Asked about it, looks like even though it is not in the 2020 Seltos' manual, the same procedure as Creta works on Seltos. Giving the procedure here from the Creta manual

Sorry for the long image

For me out of 21K Km, 80% drive is on the highway, but looks like a couple of months in the city clogs up DPF really fast.

After 3 years, the unfortunate happened while on a trip in Kerala. The hotel I was in, has parking in tall grassland. So the parking sensor was beeping all around. It was raining and evening time, while backing up there was a protruding tree branch; I backed on it and that put a dent in the tail gate and broke the tail light. Gone my last 8 years 50% NCB.

Moral of the story, if you are distracted, try to calm down a bit while in a tight situation.

So again, it went to Advaith Kia, Bansankari. As it was there for body shop work, asked them the price for dual tone conversion, it was some 17k odd they told me. Tried to negotiate, they said they would see if they could reduce, later they did it for 14k. 90% happy with the quality of workmanship. Though it is good on a casual look, you can bring out some issues here and there both for repair and painting, but the paint quality feels good. There is nothing better than factory fitting. Do not get me wrong, it is as good as you get for the service quality we get here in India for any other thing.

PS - Do not know what regular dual-tone Seltos is written on the RC card. Basic color is white so did not bother to change the RC card yet.

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I've driven over 20,000 km in the past year and a little sedate driving these days means the fuel efficiency has been good.

BHPian ashis89 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

4 years and 70000 kms up!

This year has been very busy with official work and personal work (even this post came a week late). That meant a few holiday trips but a lot of trips for personal work in between whatever break we could afford. So I ended up driving a little more than 20k kms in the past 12 months.

A little sedate driving these days means the FE has been good.

Costs have also increased this year. A clutch overhaul, new front discs (and pads) and an unfortunate untimely tyre replacement. The steering worm shaft and the driver side power window assembly were replaced FOC under extended warranty.

The slight increase in service cost is due to me opting for a 3 prepaid services plan. The average service cost remains around 7k unless I opt for any extras like AC cleaning.

I renewed the insurance again with Tata AIG with the same riders and paid 20.7k.

Nothing to complain, business as usual. Happy man, happy machine

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