Kia has lowered the barrier to entry for the Seltos by a whopping R88,000 in South Africa through the introduction of a new entry-level LS trim.
The Seltos LS sells from R379,995, significantly lower than the previous base model, the LX, which goes for R467,995.
The Korean automaker recently performed the same price reduction strategy on the even more affordable Sonet, cutting its starting price by R67,000 via the addition of a cheaper LS specification.
It reflects a growing trend amongst automakers who are trying to accommodate cash-strapped households in the current economic landscape.
Seltos LS specifications
The new Seltos LS forgoes some of the luxuries of its pricier siblings to attain the lower price point. Even so, it can’t exactly be classified as barebones.
The crossover comes standard with automatic headlights, 16-inch alloys, manual aircon, a multifunction steering wheel, a 4.2-inch multi-info driver’s display, and an 8-inch central touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Furthermore, it features rear parking sensors, a reverse camera, ABS with brake assist, and six airbags.
The Seltos LS is available with either a six-speed manual or a continuously variable transmission (CVT), both married to a 1.5-litre, naturally aspirated petrol motor.
The power unit churns out 84kW and 144Nm and returns a combined fuel usage of 6.7l/100km in the manual and a slightly lower 6.3l/100km in the CVT.
The 0-100km/h acceleration time for both variants is listed at 12.3 seconds and their top speed at 170km/h.
Price
- Kia Seltos 1.5 LS – R379,995 (new)
- Kia Seltos 1.5 LS CVT – R404,995 (new)
- Kia Seltos 1.5 LX – R467,995
- Kia Seltos 1.5 LX CVT – R492,995
- Kia Seltos 1.5 CRDi LX Auto – R521,995
- Kia Seltos 1.5 EX CVT – R532,995
- Kia Seltos 1.5 CRDi EX Auto – R561,995
- Kia Seltos 1.5 EX+ CVT – R570,995
- Kia Seltos 1.5 CRDi EX+ Auto – R599,995
- Kia Seltos 1.5 T-GDi GT-Line DCT – R626,995
Each purchase is accompanied by a 5-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and a 4-year/60,000km service plan.
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