Kia Seltos gets a new diesel variant with iMT gearbox, more new features added across variants

Kia has made some significant changes to the lineup of Seltos in India, which includes the addition of a couple of new variants, colour options and a few features. The most prominent addition which stands out from all the updates is the inclusion of a new diesel-iMT variant in the Seltos’ lineup. With this, the Kia Seltos diesel iMT becomes the first-ever vehicle in India to offer a combination of a diesel engine and an iMT gearbox.

All the additions and changes explained

The biggest update among all the changes and additions introduced in the lineup of Kia Seltos is a new variant, which offers the 1.5-litre diesel engine with a 6-speed iMT. Before this, the iMT gearbox was available only with the 1.5-litre petrol engine in the Seltos. Like the petrol-iMT Seltos, the diesel-iMT Seltos too is available in the mid-spec HTK+ variant and is priced at Rs 13.99 lakh. This particular variant of the Seltos gets an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple Carplay, projector headlamps with daytime running LEDs, fog lamps, 16-inch alloy wheels, multi-functional steering wheel, push start-stop button and manual AC with rear AC vents.

In addition to the HTK+ diesel-iMT variant, the Kia Seltos has also received a new diesel-automatic variant, HTX. Apart from the new HTX variant, the combination of a 1.5-litre diesel engine with a 6-speed torque converter is already available in HTK+, GTX+ and X-Line variants. Kia has also introduced two new colour options – Imperial Blue and Sparkling Silver – for the Seltos. Also, the design of the plastic wheel covers for the entry-level HTE and HTK variants has been updated. On the inside, the new Kia Seltos now comes with updated ‘Kia Connect’ logos and an inside rearview mirror with a Kia Connect switch.

While Kia India is yet to release an official statement, the dealer outlets have already started receiving the updated Seltos, which now come with rear disc brakes, vehicle stability management, electronic stability control, dual front airbags and side airbags as standard across the variants. The curtain airbags will be available from the HTX+ variant onwards, while HTX and above variants will now come with paddle shifters (for automatic variants) and traction and drive modes as standard.

Powertrain combinations

There are no changes to the powertrain lineup of the Kia Seltos, which continues to offer a choice of three different engines. First is the 1.5-litre four-cylinder naturally-aspirated petrol engine, which produces 115 PS of maximum power and 144 Nm of maximum torque, and is available with a 6-speed manual, 6-speed iMT and CVT gearbox options.

There is one more petrol engine option in the form of a 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, which produces 140 PS of power and 242 Nm of torque, and can be had either with a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed DCT. Lastly, there is a 1.5-litre four-cylinder diesel engine, which claims a maximum power output of 115 PS and a peak torque output of 250 Nm, and is available with a 6-speed manual, 6-speed automatic and 6-speed iMT gearbox options.

Competition

While the petrol variants of the Kia Seltos will compete with the likes of Hyundai Creta, MG Astor, Volkswagen Taigun, Skoda Kushaq and Nissan Kicks, the diesel variants will compete with the Hyundai Creta and the entry-level and mid-spec variants of Tata Harrier, Mahindra XUV700 and MG Hector.

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