Why did I pick the Seltos? Know
When i bought my Seltos, i was just considering 1 competitor in the mind – Hyundai Creta. I was actually considering Creta SX model since the direct competition which is model S lacked value for the features it was providing hence i needed to consider a variant above, so Creta scored less on my budget bar and value preposition compared to Seltos. Another factor is, i was never fond of “futuristic” looks of old 2021 Creta (coming at that time), Hyundai also discontinued it for good now! Seltos to me looked more European, simplistic and timeless design. so was always inclined more towards Seltos honestly.
Finally for Seltos as well, i finalised HTK+ Petrol model. I had chosen this model as it had all the features i require at that time:
– Cruise Control
– Apple Carplay + Android Auto
– Push button start / Keyless entry
– Foldable Mirrors
– Rear Defogger / Wiper (most imp safety feature while driving in rains)
– DRL
(most of the creature comfort was anyway present in this model)
My original booking was made in Feb 2021 but due to Covid lockdown, no cars were delivered and Seltos anyways had a waiting period of almost 3-4 months, depending on the model. It was around March 2021 when finally i got a call from dealership that car is available but by that time, Kia was about to launch their cars which new logo, also there were news of Kia adding Sunroof in their HTK+ models, so i waited. It was May 2021 when Kia re-launched Seltos with their new brand logo and also introduced iMT in their HTK+ model and made that appealing by adding Sunroof, Automatic climate and new light seating upholstery and Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto. that just made HTK+ manual package which was already a value for money just made better sense. Only catch is, we were not knowing how iMT would perform in Seltos. i was aware iMT was anyways coming in Venue and Sonet and there were not much complaints about it other than being sluggish. I was okay with it since it was providing me added convenience. Since i reside in Delhi, at times i need to drive bumper to bumper so iMT is boon in such drive conditions. also majority of road trips, i was driving on highways where not much of the gear change is required, iMT + Cruise made the highway drives so much better. So finally i went ahead by buying Seltos iMT Petrol variant.
Aug 2021 – Took the delivery of my Seltos
From then till now i have driven my car for ~60k kms. and so far only one unexpected expense i have seen. Apparently the iMT clutch assembly had to be changed at 35k kms and it costed me 36k for the clutch replacement. Since i was getting jerky starts. Apart from that major expense happened recently where Front Discs and Pads were worn out and hence had to be changed at 60k. so close to 20k was spent for discs & pad change.
Other than that, car has been serving me well. I have uncountable long and really long trips on my car and it handled all the beating like a boss. Here are some notable long and super long trips i did:
2022 – Delhi – Spiti Valley – Delhi
2024 – Delhi – Kashmir – Leh – Delhi
2024/2024 – Delhi – Pune – Delhi
Other than above have done uncounted trips to Uttarakhand. I am really happy with the car and have taken conscious efforts to upgrade her time to time.
Check List of mods on my Kia Seltos
Here are the list of mods that have been done:
1. HTX / GT line head lamps with DRLs
2. Ice cube fog lamps
3. Rear LED tail lamps
4. GT line diamond cut alloys
5. Day / Night IRVM
6. Bose speakers (without any Amplifier or Woofer)
7. GOT Boost – Throttle response enhancer
While #1, 2, 3 & 4 are all adding to the cosmetics looks of the car, #5, 6 and 7 are pretty functional add-ons. Here are some more information on them:
– Day / Night IRVM – Since i commute at a very late hour to home, always found rear flashing lights / high beam from other cars to be a major issue. Post adding the Day/Night IRVM, it has aid my late night driving. And I highly recommend this as safety feature to be added to each car, no matter the segment.
– Bose speakers (without any Amplifier or Woofer) – Bose speakers are definitely the best mod I have ever done. The stock speakers were fairly loud however lacked quality audio. Bose speakers which are almost the direct fit, provide awesome audio experience, specially the base and clarity of audio. I have just fitted only the speakers without any woofer or amplifier. So with that as well I am completely satisfied.
– GOT Boost – Since my car came with Naturally Aspirated engine + it has iMT which is a lame gearbox, I have always felt lack of power specially when it’s taken to higher passes. I went to Ladakh and have seen major power loss there. But after I have fitted GOT boost, I am seeing significant difference in my throttle response. This device modifies the electronic ramp-up*signals between the accelerator pedal and the engine’s throttle, enabling quicker and easier access to your vehicle’s power. When you press the accelerator, GOT Boost intercepts the signal and adjusts it according to your chosen settings, then sends this modified signal to the vehicle’s system to adjust the throttle response. The device comes up with 12 modes and out of those there are 6 functional performance modes – AI, Race, Boost, Boost+, Drag, Rally. i just use AI mode in city, it provides me better throttle response in city without compromising on the mileage. While I use Boost+ for my highway runs. With any of the performance modes, there is a slight mileage difference however it doesn’t comes with much of the significant mileage difference but drastic throttle difference. Each modes set the throttle sensitivity and have been programmed for the purpose. Please refer their documentation for each of the modes.
So here are the 3 stages of my car:
1. Stock – straight from factory
2. After fitting all the above top model accessories
3. De-chromed and blacked out logos and alloys – looked killer after this makeover IMO
Check Final Review:
Drive: I have always loved the driving dynamics of Seltos. While driving on hills, there is hardly any body roll. I just find the gearbox to be lame which is pretty useful in bumper to bumper city traffic but one cannot really do much fun driving on it. There are tradeoffs for everything so can’t complain much.
Look and Feel: I have always loved the look and feel of the car. Love the way how the car is built. This car looks like it was built for this segment and have got the exterior and interior complementing each other. The interior fit and fittings have been amazing, no complaints there. Off course as one move towards the variants the look and feel gets better but I feel every model of Seltos provides value for price point it comes with. The HTK+ I have comes with the interiors appropriate to that price point.