Kia Seltos Long Term Review, January 2024 Report

The Seltos has been a success story in the Indian market from day one. My colleagues tell me that one reason for that is the meticulous research performed by the Kia team – whether it comes to what kind of a product to launch, or what features and powertrain options it should offer – the Kia team really did its homework, and the results speak for themselves. At a time where some brands were struggling and wondering whether the Indian market is worth exploring, Kia in the past few years has shown that if you put in enough of an effort to study the market, and make the necessary investments, India can be a very lucrative market, not only when it comes to the number of vehicles you can sell, but also the kind of margins you can command. With waiting lists going into months, and even me getting regular calls from my friends and family asking if I can get a Seltos allocated to them early, it is easy to see that the Indian public loves the product.
 
What is it take makes the Seltos so attractive? Well, for one, it is a good-looking product that in its new avatar is even more sleeker. Secondly, it offers a variety of powertrain options – which also means that it fits in the budget of a much larger audience – you want something that’s sporty and fast, sure, get the 1.5 turbo petrol. You want that’s something reasonable and fits in your budget, the 1.5 naturally aspirated petrol is there for that. And do you want something that has really low running costs to keep the fuel expenses low, sure, there’s the 1.5 diesel for that. In effect, it ticks off a lot of boxes for a lot of people.
 
What really changes the game, however, is how loaded the Seltos comes – the standard equipment count is simply superb and that is what really changes the game for most customers. In fact, even with the pre-facelift Seltos, I remember a friend of mine who lives in the UK, sat in my test car at that time and remarked that even much more expensive cars abroad don’t get the kind of equipment levels that the Seltos had. And, in the latest version, the count has only gone up. In a nutshell, it’s a product that has been tailormade for the Indian market, and its unique demands, and the success of the product reflects the efforts put in by the company. Success doesn’t come easy in the Indian automotive market, but Kia’s efforts show that if you put in the right efforts, it can be made to work. Now, I’m just looking forward to enjoy the next few months driving the new Seltos!

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