KIA Seltos

On the inside, Kia has made all the necessary modern inclusions, which makes the cabin appear very broad and youthful. The overall cabin is finished in a theme of black, which further makes the cabin look even sportier.

The driver’s cockpit has been given quite a simple but not staid appeal, with a three-spoke multi-functional steering wheel and a monochrome instrument console with a colored MID display. The center console, with a standout trapezoidal touchscreen infotainment system and sleek trapezoidal AC vents, placed just below it as well as a trapezoidal panel for the automatic climate control panel, looks elegant. For five passengers, the cabin of the Kia Seltos is quite spacious, with ample amount of room for shoulder, head, and knee.

The overall design of the Kia Seltos is a good mix of traditional design ethos as well as contemporary design cues, which makes it an overall handsome looking vehicle. The heightened stance and raised front profile do give it the traditional SUV flavor, which does work in its favor.

From the front, the Kia Seltos looks quite wide and aggressive, with the big ‘tiger-nose’ trapezoidal grille surrounded with chrome on all four sides. The T-shaped headlamps with a broad design for the full LED headlights, turn indicators and daytime running lamps does add to the overall aggression of the design even more. There is another T-shaped design element on the front bumper, which houses the ice-cube themed LED fog lamps.

Move towards the sides, and the well laid out contours and heightened stance does give the Kia Seltos handsome proportions. To aid in its muscularity, the wheel arches here are slightly squared, while the complete side molding at the bottom. The uprising theme for the C-pillar, with the floating roof design, makes it look quite youthful.

The Kia Seltos has quite a conventional-looking rear profile, which consists of sweptback tail lamps with LED inserts on either sides. These tail lamps are adjoined with a thick chrome bar in the middle, while there are scooped inserts for the rear reflectors. The rear bumper gets thick shaped cladding, which also gets sleek chrome-finished wraparound for the fake exhaust pipes and a thick scuff plate.

Armed with Macpherson struts with stabilizer at the front and coupled torsion beam axle at the rear, the Kia Seltos has been tuned to impart a positively sporty experience behind the wheel. The steering wheel feels sharp and precise, and the Seltos loves to be driven spiritedly. However, the ride quality is slightly on a stiffer side, and sharp bumps can be felt at times.

The only engine and gearbox combination available in the Philippines-spec Kia Seltos is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine coupled to a CVT gearbox. This powertrain, here in Seltos, pumps out a maximum power output of 149 PS and a peak torque output of 179 Nm.

The Kia Seltos gets a host of all the compulsory features when it comes to safety, including front, side, and curtain airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, electronic stability control, downhill brake control, hill start assist control, reverse parking sensors with camera and ISOFIX mounts for child seats.

For starters, as a premium compact SUV, the Kia Seltos ticks all the right boxes for those who want a practical SUV which doesn’t feel a compromise on any sort. The SUV has been styled quite impressively in and out, giving it a smart and urban appeal. Adding to it, the finely tuned mechanicals make the overall package of the Kia Seltos very much likeable.