Fresh approach with new Kia Seltos

What’s new?

The new Seltos boasts an updated exterior design, a significantly upgraded interior and a pair of upgraded powertrains. The introduction also sees the Seltos range being revised and repositioned in the competitive crossover segment of the market.

Exterior:

From the outside, there is an evolutionary change in the design. At 4 365 mm long, 1 800 mm wide and 1 620 mm high, the Seltos looks much bigger than its closest competitors thanks to its long hood and the strong character line on the front bumper. The sharp lines pressed into the bodywork make it easily one of the largest and most practical compact SUVs available in South Africa.

At the front, the Seltos benefits from a number of aesthetic upgrades such as redesigned headlights with a larger new iteration of Kia’s trademark ‘tiger nose’ grille, repositioned LED daytime running lights and a new front bumper with a new layout for the foglamps.

Changes to the side of the vehicle are limited to updated mouldings at the bottom of the doorline, with the biggest exterior update reserved for the rear. Here the Seltos receives a completely redesigned tailgate that incorporates redesigned taillights connected horizontally below the rear window.

Interior:

The most notable change to the Seltos interior is in the front of the cockpit, where a redesigned centre fascia and a sculpted, integrated curved display with a slim touchscreen pad and detailed air vents take pride of place.

The high-tech 10.25 inch touchscreen (model-specific) acts as the nerve centre for driver and passenger connectivity, functionality and usability needs, designed for highly intuitive and soft-to-touch ease-of-use. The new Seltos retains a number of physical buttons for a number of functions.

All models come with rear park distance control sensors and a reverse camera as standard, with dynamic guidelines integrated into the vehicle’s touchscreen infotainment system. Mid- and high-spec models also gain front parking sensors and Hill-start Assist Control (HAC).

Engines:

The new Kia Seltos range retains the 1.5 litre CRDi engine and introduces two new petrol-powered powertrain options along with a new transmission.

The new Seltos CRDI is powered by Kia’s 1 493 cc UII common-rail direct injection engine with 85 kW and 250 Nm.

The 1.6 litre naturally aspirated engine, which has done duty in the Seltos since launch in 2019, is replaced with a second-generation version of Kia’s Gamma 1.5 litre normally aspirated engine. The 1 497 cc engine develops 84 kW and 144 Nm. The new engine is paired with a 6-speed manual transmission or a new CVT.

For customers who prefer a sportier drive, there will the 1.4 litre turbocharged GDi engine in the GT-Line model being upgraded to a new Kappa 1.5 litre T-GDi unit. The 1 482 cc turbocharged engine develops 118 kW and 253 Nm with a 7-speed dual clutch transmission (DCT).

Prices:

1.5 LX Manual (R467 995), 1.5 LX CVT (R492 995), 1.5 CRDi LX Auto (R521 995), 1.5 EX CVT (R532 995), 1.5 CRDi EX Auto (R561 995), 1.5 EX Plus CVT (R570 995), 1.5 CRDi EX Plus Auto (R599 995) and the 1.5 T-GDi GT-Line DCT (R626 995).