Kia Seltos Long Term Review of HTK+ Petrol: Pros & Cons

This post is a long term Kia Seltos review of HTK+ Petrol (1.5) Manual variant after 5 months of usage. It includes the Pros and Cons of Kia Seltos found during these 5 months.

So, During the Festive season of 2019, I and my family were looking for a new car for us. Our requirements were simple:

1. Good rear space
2. Powerful engine (Earlier had Alto 2009 with CNG)
3. Equipped with the latest technologies (Touch screen music system, rear parking camera, and sensors)
4. Large boot space
5. Petrol engine (due to fear of BS-6 norms regarding diesel engines), though this would not matter much
6. Silent cabin
7. Non- Maruti car :)

After searching and filtering many cars, we considered and rejected the following options:

Sedan: 

a) Maruti Suzuki Ciaz: Because of Maruti!
b) Hyundai Verna: Rear lag space is lesser than Alto!
c) Honda City: Seemed expensive compared to other options

Also, the majority of our traveling would have been to rural areas where you will find large bumps and uneven roads. On those large speed breakers, the under-belly of sedans are prone to get scratched. So decided not to go for a sedan.

Hatchback:

As no hatchback had satisfactory space as per our requirement, we decided not to go for Hatchback.


SUV:

Lastly, we had plenty of options to choose from the wide array of Compact- SUV and Mid-size SUV. Some of the options which we considered:

Ford Ecosport:
Though it fulfilled almost all our requirements, it looked outdated at that time, and also the rear space is not so much accommodating.

Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza: 
The noisy and outdated engine immediately removed itself from the list. Also, Maruti!

WR-V:
Found it expensive compared to the competition and rear-seat space was something to compare with a hatchback.

Hyundai Venue:
Liked the car until I stepped in the rear seats, space is something which will make you feel claustrophobic and the all-black interiors are making it worse.

Renault Duster:
Heard a lot about its unrefined engine and reliability issues. Also, one of its service centers closed down near my house. So, the service network was also an issue.

Tata Nexon:
Did not like the design of the car. Also, read reviews about it's not-so-great to drive the petrol engine.

XUV 300:
It is a great car until you look at its rear. From the rear, it looks totally a different car compared to its front end. Also, rear space and boot space was nothing special.

After filtering down all the cars, I came across only one option: Hyundai Creta, the perfect SUV!
Went to the Hyundai showroom to check out the car in person (Though I had checked it's video reviews hundreds of times), because some things can only be noticed when you are looking it in-person.
Found the Creta to be fulfilling all our requirements. Happily came out of the showroom thinking the next day I would take along my parents for a test drive.

While exiting the showroom, my Brother-in-law showed me a Kia showroom opened recently and situated exactly opposite of the Hyundai showroom. I knew it was a new brand to enter in India and purchasing a new product from a new brand might have its own consequences (Related to service, performance, reliability, etc.). Though out of curiosity we visited the showroom.

Once we reached the showroom, I was very skeptical about not making any decision in a hurry by seeing fancy features. The sales executive showed us Seltos HTK+ as it was fulfilling all our requirements. Also, I did not want to spend more money to have a sunroof or ventilated seats. It all seemed good: The quality of materials, fit and finish, insulation in the cabin (Though I had a test-driven GT line model as Tech line models were not available for a test drive at that time), space at the rear, boot space, etc. Now I was in a dilemma whether to go for Creta or Seltos, As Creta was getting an update in early 2020 and Seltos was an all-new model, my mind was stuck at Seltos because of its value for money (HTK+ variant only!). While my heart was stuck at the issues of the new brand.

After so much of brainstorming and research, I decided to go for Seltos just because Creta was going to have an update in early 2020, everything else was similar between them. Also, the fact that Hyundai and Kia are subsidiary companies gained some faith in me to go for Seltos.

The next day, I along with my family visited the Kia showroom (Westcoast Kia, Ahmedabad) to show my parents my choice. One thing they said is that the car was looking so huge in the showroom (It might be because we had an Alto before, or cars do look huge when they are placed in the showroom?). We were promised to get a car delivered on Dhanteras(25 October 2019) if we book on that day(Which was around a month before the delivery date). Once my parents got convinced, we finally booked the car and the most irritating time started: waiting for the delivery of the car.

In-between the days, formalities of payment were done around 10 days before the delivery date so that the dealer can block our car.

And Finally on 25th October 2019, we got delivery of the CAR:
We decided to go for the Intense Red color as we wanted to try a color other than white and red color suited the most on this car according to us.
Some of the images and information of the Kia Seltos:

1. The front part of the car looks aggressive and does feel like an SUV. It has a bit different pattern of grille compared to upper variants (It is a pain to clean all those blocks of grille). Also the headlamp unit and fog light unit are different from upper trims.

Kia Seltos HTK+ Petrol Long Term Review Front View



2. This is the best angle to look at the car. It is well proportioned and does not look too plain or too fancy, it is subtle.

Kia Seltos HTK+ Petrol Long Term Review Side-front View


3. From the side, it looks longer compared to Creta due to its low height. The alloy wheels are just OK, they do their job. The black cladding is used to add visual bulk to the car. While the roof-rails are also added as a style element.

Kia Seltos HTK+ Petrol Long Term Review Side View


4. From the rear also, it is not so much busy, though the silver exhaust lines on the upper trim look balanced, this looks a bit empty on the bumper. The LED tail lamps offered on upper trims look great at night.

Kia Seltos HTK+ Petrol Long Term Review Back View



5. The boot is large enough to occupy the luggage of a family of 4 for a trip for a couple of days. The loading lip is not so significant so it becomes easy to load and unload.

Kia Seltos HTK+ Petrol Long Term Review Boot View



6. Front seats offer good support for each size of a person, the side bolsters to keep you in place while speeding through corners. There are no complaints regarding fabric seats.

Kia Seltos Front Seats ViewKia Seltos HTK+ Petrol Long Term Review Seats View



7. This is the minimum and maximum legroom available for rear passengers. In the minimum legroom position also, a person can sit, though not comfortable for long drives. Rear seats offer decent cushioning. The addition of adjustable headrests and armrest would be an advantage. Also, the lid on the USB charger (Not available in this model, thus covered with a plastic lid) looks cheap.

Kia Seltos HTK+ Petrol Long Term Review Rear Seat View



8. Rear sun blinds help to limit sunlight and offer a bit of privacy.

Kia Seltos HTK+ Petrol Long Term Review Sun Blinds View



9. This is how the speedometer is there on lower models, on higher variants, the digital screen extends till both dials.

Kia Seltos HTK+ Petrol Long Term Review Speedometer



10. Look at the center console as a whole, the gear knob looks almost the same as Alto from the top! the silver lining around the gearbox adds a premium touch.

Kia Seltos HTK+ Petrol Long Term Review Console


12. Manual Air conditioner for a car which cost in upwards of  13 lakhs!!
Two USB ports (out of which one is used for media) and 12 volts charging socket keep your gadgets charged up during the journey.

Kia Seltos HTK+ Petrol Long Term Review Center Console


Had driven this car for 5,000 Kms during the last 5 months and here are my observations:

Pros of Kia Seltos:

1. Looks (it is subjective though): it turns heads wherever you go.
2. Silent cabin: most of the time I can't figure out whether the engine is running or not, I have to check the RPM meter.
3. Suspension: it sticks to the road while triple-digit speeds, which adds a sense of safety.  
4. Steering: It handles quite well in city traffic and does not get dead at high speeds (like Maruti cars!).
5. Materials: All the materials used in the car looks solid and not going to age soon. Panel gaps are uniform and not too wide.
6. Sound system: The music system present in the model produces excellent sound quality, and does not distort at high volumes. The sound mood lamp looks great at night, but not visible during daylight.
7, Space: Space is adequate for all the passengers and the middle rear passenger is not having a large hump in middle. Space for keeping your stuff is also sufficient.
8. AC: The A/C in the car performs extremely well and cools down the car within minutes.

Cons of Kia Seltos:


1. Engine: Yes, as the 114 HP and 144 Nm looks underpowered on paper, the same is the case on the road. If you are driving with 5 people on board, then it takes it's time to get going. My recent trip to Kumbhalgarh showed that this engine is not at all suitable for mountain road as it struggled to move ahead at slow speeds even in the lowest gear. It did not give much confidence on hilly roads. If you are on the highway and having 2-3 passengers, then it drives like a beast, but if you are going full load and some luggage, it shows it's shortcomings.

2. Suspension: While it is great to see such suspensions included in a car that gains stability and safety with speed, it is not suitable for Indian roads as rear passengers feel excessive jerk making long drives uncomfortable.

3. Paint Quality: Within a couple of days after delivery, I started getting scratches and the paint started coming off as I was able to see the base layer which is colored in white. Since it was a new car, I immediately got it covered with ceramic coating (Though the ceramic coating added noticeable shine, the scratches are still prone to occur). Overall, the paint quality could have been better.

4. Lights: The projector headlights do not provide adequate illumination at night and you are forced to drive at lower speeds. You have to play around with headlight leveler to get to better conditions on the highway. 

5. Gearbox: The gearbox is smooth in 90% of the cases, but sometimes it does resists to shift, you have to move the gear stick to neutral and then you will be able to change the gear. This happens most of the time while moving from 1-2 and 3-4 gear.

6. Some of the plastics: Overall the plastic quality is good, but there are some bits where I expect the quality to be better. For example, 
a) The blacked-out plastic layer on A-pillar is a bit loose and flimsy.
b) The silver plastic part at bottom of the steering wheel came off within a month.

Kia Seltos HTK+ Petrol Long Term Review Sterring Wheel


Weird Observations of Kia Seltos:


1. While closing the rear door or boot, I hear a rattle from below the car, it is not because of the parcel shelf. The service station people could not hear it!
2. The front windshield fogs up if you are driving in winters or rain even when the AC is on.
3. The infotainment system sometimes does not show anything for a couple of seconds when the car is directly turned on and just lights up.
4. Mood lamp setting changes take place only when you start the car next time.
5. There were a couple of cases while driving at high speed, that when I apply brakes hard, the brakes won't be applied immediately but after a second.
6. Once I filled petrol worth ₹  300 and the distance to empty meter reading did not show any changes. It was at 130 Km before and after the addition of fuel. After driving around 50-60 Kms, It started decreasing. After that, it is working perfectly fine.
7. The boot door has to be closed with higher force compared to other cars, I don't know it is a bug or a feature.

Service and Maintenance cost of Kia Seltos:

The first 3 services done at the interval of 1,6, and 12 months are free of charge (Though consumables are chargeable).

The first 2 services include washing and looking for any problem, thus there was no cost associated with the first 2 services.

This month (October-2020), I completed the 1-year service of Kia Seltos at Kia Authorised service center. There are no charges for washing and service, but the consumables are chargeable in this service. In the 1-year service, they will change the engine oil and air filter that will cost you around ₹2500.

Here, they will suggest you add an extended warranty if you haven't purchased it at the time of purchase, engine & wire coating(To save the wires from mouse and squirrels), AC disinfectant, and wheel alignment. The estimate of all of these will come close to 8000 (Excluding the extended warranty), note that these are suggested and not mandatory to purchase.

Last question: Kitna Deti Hai? (What is the mileage of Kia Seltos HTK+ Petrol Manual)

In city bumper-to-bumper traffic: 12 Kmpl
In city Moderate to light traffic condition: 14-15 Kmpl
In Highway with speeds in upwards of 100 Kmph: 16 Kmpl
In Highway with speeds between 70-90 Kmph: 17-19 Kmpl

All the mileage figures are recorded when the Air Conditioner was switched on all the time.

Edit: What is the highest mileage I have got with the Kia Seltos HTK+ Petrol? It is 20.5 KMPL!!!

Kia Seltos Highest Mileage


Conclusion:


As stated, the Kia Seltos HTK+ petrol manual has fulfilled all my needs and that is why I find this car to be perfect for my needs. Like every new product, it has some issues which can be fixed with an update or a face-lift. The car has proven value for money in many aspects and will prove as a benchmark for other Mid-size SUVs in the market. If you are looking for a car for the usage of 2-3 people and occasional highway trips, then this car would be perfect for you in its price range.

So this was my Kia Seltos Review and experience. Thank you for reading, please provide feedback/comments in the comment section.

Comments

  1. I think Nexon 2020 would be a better car today just because the engine on Seltos is a bit underwhelming for its size.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It depends upon what you really want from a Car, If engine is your only requirement then there are no better options than Ecospot Diesel and Nexon Diesel, but when you consider your requirements, it varies from person to person.

      Delete
  2. Good review and very open explanation. I am also going to take delivery of HTK+ soon and I will definitely give/ share my view after I use the car for sometime.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sure, and Congratulations for your new ride!

      Delete
  3. HI Mihir, Nice review.
    I am planning to buy new car but confused between Creta 2020 SX & Seltos HTX.

    Can you please advise.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Both the Creta and Seltos are more or less similar in terms of engine and chassis (And looks is subjective). There are some extra features on Creta compared to Seltos for this model. Creta has great ride quality for city driving conditions(bumps and potholes), while Seltos has a great driving experience for driver. The stiff suspension on Seltos might not feel good to rear passengers.I would also suggest you to checkout your nearest service center for both the brand for maintenance.

      Delete
  4. As a fellow owner, I can say your review is spot on. One more niggle is that I get a screeching sound when I turn the steering wheel and apply the brakes at the same time (at low speeds, on downward slopes).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think that sound would be tires getting locked, I have felt the same at low speeds while applying the brakes they are getting locked.

      Delete
  5. Hi
    I am planning to buy a car for mainly
    - To spend with family in Hometown for Twice in a month (Distance - 500 to 700 km)
    - 2 or 3 Long Holiday trips in a year (Up & Down - 3000 to 6000 km, On average per day 500 to 800 km)
    Members 2 to 4
    Please suggest car from
    Ford ecosport Sport(Disel Manual )
    Kia seltos HTk +(Disel Manual )
    For Below Requirements

    1- Best steering response and control
    2- Controll on vechical During Lane change and overtaking on highways (+100 km )
    3- control on steep turnings During Ghat driving
    4- Suitable for long journeys ( Height - 6.2, as back and neck pains)
    5 - Overall Driving and Ride - Build quality


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Chaitanya,

      Given your requirements, I will answer them individually. But as you have long distances to cover, then Seltos would not be a great option on Bad roads due to its stiff suspensions for rear seat passengers.

      1. Ecosport is well known for its driving dynamics, though it be its steering response or breaking. I have driven both the cars and found the steering response on the Ecosport to be bit better than the Seltos.

      2. Both the cars are stable on highway during triple digit speeds, however I did not get a chance to test the Ecosport at such speeds, I did tried doing 130 Kmph on the Seltos with 4 members on board. There is no problem at high speeds, but the wind noise is evident at this speeds.

      3. I think the Seltos has better break bite compared to the Ecosport, Also, the all 4 wheel disk brake on the Seltos makes it better for handling.

      4. This would be a problem for you since Ecosport does not have enough headroom for you. On rough patches and bumpy roads, your head might touch the roof. Seltos on the other hand has better headroom for your height.

      5. If you have 2 members then there will not be much difference for both the options, but if you have members who are going to occupy the rear seats, then space is better in the Seltos compared to Ecosport. Overall both the car has great build and ride quality, but the Ecosport has better build quality since it is backed by Ford.

      In the end, I would suggest you to have a test drive both the cars before making any decision to be confident about your fulfillment of requirements.

      Delete
    2. Hi Mihir ,

      It would be really helpful if you help me to make a decision.
      Kia Seltos Petrol htk+ 13lakh on road for me.
      EcoSport Diesel Titanium 11lakh on road in my city.
      I have driven EcoSport hell lot of times so it has been a benchmark for me for comparison.
      I tried Creta Nexon Sonet but rejected because of subjective reasons.
      My requirement is traveling to hometown quarterly 1500 km round trip.
      And holiday trips twice a year,including hilly terrains like ladakh/Spiti/Tawang etc.
      City running would be minimal .
      Kindly suggest what I should opt for?

      Delete
    3. Hello,

      As per your requirements of long drives and hilly roads, a Diesel would be the best option for you.
      One because it will return you a great mileage (And Ecosport has a great fuel economy in diesel)
      Second is you need the power and torque to have a comfortable and confident ride on the mountain roads. I am not saying that the Seltos petrol cannot cope up with the hilly roads, but the torque figure of 144nm is not comparable with the 215nm of the Ecosport’s (In this case again the power of Seltos is higher than the Ecosport).

      To sum it up, if you want to save on fuel and have 2-3 people on-board during your hilly road travel then go for the Ecosport, else if you can spend extra on a car+fuel to get a great highway driving experience, then go for Seltos.

      Delete
  6. Hiii,
    I am planning to buy suv in budget of 12 lac... I am confused between creta or seltos petrol... Specially for mileage...
    Can you help me to buy good car for me?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think I have replied you in the mail, Happy driving!

      Delete
    2. Mihir sir can u send me that reply too..Much appreciated you taking the time

      GOD BLESS!!

      Delete
  7. Hi Mihir,

    I have a budget of 14L.
    I am looking at Nexon petrol (AT). With the addition of few thousands I will get the Seltos HTK+ petrol manal.

    Confused with this both.

    I would cover only ~5000KM per year.
    Please suggest.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Sai,

      If you have a requirement of Automatic, then there is no comparison between Nexon XZA (O) Petrol Automatic and Kia Seltos HTK+.

      Assuming that you you are comfortable in getting a Manual, In that case also, Nexon Petrol overpowers Seltos in terms of features.

      Between both the cars, If you want better rear seat space and better cabin insulation then you should consider Seltos. And if your main use includes up to 2 people but occasional family trips then I think Nexon will be much better option for you considering this price point.

      Note that there are some niggles with the latest generation of Nexon which needs to be resolved in order to make it a perfect product. I would suggest you to take test rides of both the vehicles to get a better perspective.

      Hope I was able to answer your question.

      Delete
    2. Thanks Mihir. Now i got some clarity which one to choose. We are 4 adults excluding kids. Seltos will be more comfortable to us when we go out.
      I am not a kind of high speed driving. Hope seltos 1.5 NA PETROL should serve me better.

      Thanks again.

      Delete
    3. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    4. Sure it will return you a better fuel economy and driving experience if you drive with patience.

      You are welcome!

      Delete
  8. I am buying the same colour .. Can u please share car pics.. after 1 year how's this colour looks like and also what's the response of ceramic coating .. in what price u got that coating ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello, due to platform constraints I won't be able to share images in comment section.

      Talking about the quality of color, it is almost similar to original.

      The feedback of ceramic coating is not to great, you have ro take proper care of the coating by washing it with microfiber cloth to avoid any surface scratches.

      Also, I got water spots on the glass as well as body paint which ideally should not be there if the ceramic coating would have lasted longer. It might be due to my cleaning habits but the coatings is no longer there within a year!

      Cost of ceramic coating ranges from 10k till a few lakhs for expensive treatments. I got it for around 14k for basic protection coating.

      Delete
    2. Thanks Mihir !
      I got one more question as you didn't talked about tyres quality as many of seltos owner have issue with Goodyear tyres
      How much kms you have driven your car and what's the response of the tyres ? Have u got any cut ?
      And also tell me about service cost. How many services have been completed till now and what was the cost you have to pay ?

      Delete
    3. I have't notices any problem with the tyres, they are performing as they should.
      There are no cuts after driving it close to 5500 Kms.
      By the way, the tyres available in this variant is different from what you get on higher variants. These are Kumho Solus tyres.
      The problem might be there on higher variant tyres due to their thin walls and and low profile.
      I have completed 2 services and the next is scheduled in this october, till now I haven't paid anything for the service since first 3 are free services

      Hope I was able to answer all your queries.

      Delete
  9. Hi
    I m planning to Buy kia seltos petrol manual. Confused between htk+ and htx. I also have a budget issue I don't want to spend more than 13 lakh. Is it a good decision to go for htk+ or should I spend 2 lakh more and get htx. Although I like black interior which htk+ offers. It gives a sporty or younger feel to it. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello,
      The difference between HTK+ and HTX includes several things like upgraded lightings(Front and rear LEDs), sunroof, leather interior, rear disk brakes (In petrol, diesel has it in all variants), few cosmetic changes in bumpers, etc.

      In my opinion, if you need these features then you can justify the excess amount of 2 lakhs, else if your requirements are not to have luxury features, HTK+ satisfies most of the basic and some of the convenience features.

      Delete
  10. Hi bro,

    I am struck up between HTK 1.5 PETROL AND HTE 1.5 DIESEL..Both are of same price. I drove diesel car and it has good pick up in city and highway....i mostly use the car in city(max 400 kms per month) and im bothered about hard clutch in diesel. I heard petrol will have light clutch..is that true ? i did not get a chance to drive petrol at all. I dont know its driveablity in city with only driver. is it good enough too pick the pace or any lag will be present ??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Pavan,

      If your use is only 400 Kms a month, then it is a better choice to get a petrol car as the overall expenditure will remain the same for both Petrol and Diesel.

      Talking about the lag and pickup, being a naturally aspirated petrol engine means there won't be any lag while accelerating and the acceleration will be great if you are even driving 3 people on board.

      Earlier cars used to have a heavy clutch for Diesel, but now most of the new cars have the same clutch hardness for both petrol & diesel and the same is the case with the Seltos. The clutch is almost as light as the Petrol in the Diesel.

      Delete
  11. Mihir - Great review buddy. The only thing that hurts me in this vehicle is it's fuel efficiency & I am not sure how you got a mileage of 11-12Km in bumper to bumber traffic coz I am getting 7-8Km/ltr, to the max. My first & only long trip was within the 1st week of purchase back in June 2021 & it gave me 10kms/ltr in that trip was which was around 90kms from my place. What's you take on this?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A lot of factors affect the mileage of the vehicle. I usually drive with light foot maintaining RPM under 2000, this has given me great mileage. I am editing the blog and adding new mileage figures, you will be astonished to see such figures!

      Delete
  12. I am planning to buy htk plus IMT.. is it good and have heard not so good reviews about seltos security.. what is ur views

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hello Mihir,

    Can you please give some idea about KIA Seltos HTK Plus accessories? What is the quality of material of accessories provided by KIA company?

    Which accessory do I need to buy from KIA & aftermarket?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Nirav,

      There are plenty of options available for accessories at the dealership. I do not like adding accessories so chose to add only the floor mat and sill plate. But the experience I discussed with other owners suggests that the quality of accessories is good from the showroom compared to aftermarket, especially the chrome accessories if you are interested.

      There are a lot of options listed for accessories on the website, but not all of them are available at dealerships. You can add basic things like Seat Covers, Chrome add-ons, Floor Mats, perfumes, chargers, etc. as per your liking.

      Delete

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