New Kia Seltos launched in South Africa – At a lower price

The facelifted Kia Seltos has officially touched down on South African soil with a generous eight models in the portfolio.

Starting from R467,995, the crossover is sold in three LX, two EX, two EX Plus, and one GT-Line specifications.

Surprisingly, this makes the new entry-level Seltos exactly R5,000 cheaper than the outgoing one, which was sold in EX grade.

The revised Kia crossover benefits from a touched-up exterior design, an overhauled cabin, and three refined powertrain options.

Everything new

The main tweaks applied to the new Seltos comprise redesigned LED headlights that align more closely to the rest of the Kia family’s “Star Map” lightning signature, repositioned LED daytime running lights (DRL), a larger tiger nose grille, and a restyled bumper with new fog-lamp placement.

Around the sides, it received updated door mouldings and a new selection of alloy wheels ranging between 16 and 18 inches.

At the rear, updates take the form of a completely redesigned tailgate that incorporates new LED taillights connected horizontally below the rear window, once again allowing Kia’s “Star Map’” signature to be employed at the rear as well.

A new paint option has also been added to the palette namely Pewter Olive, which joins the existing colours such as Aurora Black Pearl, Glacier White Pearl, Gravity Grey metallic, Imperial Blue metallic, Intense Red, and Sparkling Silver metallic.

Notably, the Glacier White Pearl and Intense Red hues are the only ones available with a contrasting black roof.

Continuing inside the cabin, the front fascia has been entirely rethought and incorporates flatter surfaces, new aircon vents, revised aircon controls, and a slim touchscreen infotainment system.

Standard kit on the LX encompasses keyless entry, black cloth upholstery, a height-adjustable driver’s seat, a leather multifunction steering wheel, a 4.2-inch digital driver’s display, an 8-inch central screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, six speakers, cruise control, rear parking sensors, a reverse camera, six airbags, automatic headlights with LED DRLs, and 16-inch wheels.

The EX is bolstered by a storage box with an integrated armrest between the front seats, artificial leather upholstery, push-button start, dual-zone climate control, a wireless charger, a larger 10.25-inch media hub, front parking sensors, an electronic parking brake, hill-start assist, and 17-inch alloys.

The EX Plus mostly adds cosmetic touches to the lower-priced EX, including all-round LED lighting, sequential LED turn signals, a high-gloss black grille with satin chrome detailing, and distinctive 18-inch wheels. Inside, the driver’s display is also upgraded to 10.25 inches.

The GT-Line then sees a unique exterior design brought about by model-specific bumpers with colour-coded inserts, exclusive 18-inch alloys, and red brake callipers.

Furthermore, the pinnacle model gets a panoramic sunroof, two-tone leather seats, a heads-up display, paddle shifters, alloy pedals, and an assortment of advanced assistance features such as smart cruise control, blind-spot collision avoidance, lane-keep assist, lane-follow assist, and forward-collision avoidance assist.

Two powertrain options are available between the Seltos LX, EX, and EX Plus variants, whereas the GT-Line is elevated even further with an exclusive driveline.

The low and mid-tier versions have access to a 1.5-litre, naturally-aspirated petrol engine generating 84kW and 144Nm, as well as a 1.5-litre, turbo-diesel with 85kW and 250Nm.

The petrol sends the crossover to 100km/h in 12.3 seconds and up to a top seed of 170km/h, and it can be mated to a six-speed manual or continuously variable transmission (CVT).

Meanwhile, the torquey diesel sees the Kia reach 100km/h in 12 seconds flat and max out at 175km/h, and it is only sold in six-speed automatic guise.

Driving the GT-Line is a 1.5-litre, turbo-petrol block partnered with a seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic gearbox with the setup generating 118kW and 253Nm.

Accelerating to 100km/h is taken care of in 8.9 seconds and a maximum speed of 195km/h is on the cards.

From the EX upwards, drivers can also adjust the steering and throttle profiles with Comfort, Eco, Sport, and Smart settings.