KIA SELTOS

Kia's superstar SUV is now bigger, bolder and packed with more technology

- WORDS ABHAY VERMA PHOTOGRAPHY SAIDATTA NAIK, SHRENITH BHANDARY

There's no two ways about the fact that the Seltos has been Kia India's star performer for over half a decade now. The Korean car maker kickstarted its India innings with the Seltos in 2019, pitting it right against its own cousin and a formidable name in the midsize SUV space, the Hyundai Creta. The Seltos had no trouble carving its own niche though and was quick to appeal to buyers looking for a stylish, feature-rich SUV with a sporty demeanour. Kia followed up the launch of the Seltos with some very successful products like the Sonet, Carens and the Carnival too, but the Seltos is arguably its most successful offering in India. And six years later, Kia has launched the all-new, second generation Seltos that's aiming to recreate the success of the original.

The first thing you'll notice about the new Seltos is its front end, which looks far more aggressive than its predecessor. The vertical design of the DRLs and the grille itself, which spans almost across the entire width of the front end and integrates the headlamps, remind of the Telluride, Kia’s big SUV sold in the US. And that’s one key aspect about the new design - the new Seltos has been designed to look and feel larger and more imposing. It also sits on Kia’s new K3 platform and is 95mm longer now, making it the longest in its segment at 4,460mm, while wheelbase is up by 80mm in a bid to offer more cabin space.