Kia Seltos Facelift spotted for the first time

Kia has started testing the facelift of the Seltos mid-size SUV. The facelift was spotted for the first time in South Korea. Not much is revealed from the spy shots because Seltos was fully covered. We can expect Kia to unveil the Seltos’s Facelift sometime next year which will then follow to India also.

The major changes will be to the front and rear bumpers. Unfortunately, they are thickly covered in the pictures. The LED Daytime Running Lamps will also be redesigned. One thing that we know is that the variant that was spied was not the top-end variant because we can see the projector headlamp whereas the top-end variant uses a LED setup.

The SUV was finished in a grey colour with alloy wheels. There are LED turn indicators on the outside rearview mirrors. The rear will also be redesigned, we can see a glimpse of new inverted L-shaped LED tail lamps. Moreover, the recently unveiled Carens MPV also has a similar LED tail lamp design. It seems like that Kia will be following this type of design language for its upcoming vehicles.

Also read: Locked out of Kia Seltos: Service centre breaks glass to enter inside the car

There will be no major changes to the interior of the Seltos Facelift. Kia might add a few features such as a panoramic sunroof, digital instrument cluster, air purifier with virus protection and inbuilt perfume etc. There could be some new materials for the cabin and a slightly redesigned upholstery.

As of now, Seltos comes with a multi-information display, 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, smart key, wireless charger, voice commands, ventilated seats, electric adjustment for the driver seat, heads up display, keyless entry, push-button to start/stop and much more.

No mechanical changes

Kia will not be making any changes to the engine or the gearboxes. So, there will be three engine options and five transmissions. There is a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine, 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine and a 1.5-litre diesel engine. All the engines are offered with a 6-speed manual gearbox as standard.

The naturally aspirated petrol engine produces 115 PS of max power and 144 Nm of peak torque. It is also offered with a 6-speed intelligent Manual Transmission or a CVT automatic gearbox. The diesel engine is also mated to a 6-speed torque converted automatic gearbox. Finally, the turbo petrol engine is also offered with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and paddle shifters mounted behind the steering wheel.

Fuel efficiency

The diesel engine with the manual gearbox is the most fuel-efficient. Kia claims that it will deliver 21 kmpl whereas the automatic transmission will deliver 18 kmpl. The naturally aspirated petrol engine returns 16.5 kmpl whereas the automatic transmission delivers 16.8 kmpl. The turbo petrol delivers 16.1 kmpl with a manual gearbox whereas the DCT returns 16.5 kmpl. All the fuel efficiency figures are from ARAI.

Prices

Kia Seltos starts from Rs. 9.95 lakhs ex-showroom and goes up to Rs. 18.10 lakhs ex-showroom. With the facelift, the prices of Seltos are expected to increase.

Rivals

Kia Seltos competes against the Hyundai Creta, Maruti Suzuki S-Cross, Renault Duster, Skoda Kushaq, Volkswagen Taigun, MG Astor and Nissan Kicks.

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