Chirpy Kia Seltos a ride where the smart money will go to

Modern cars can do amazing things for its occupants. Like massaging their backs, warming their bums, scold them for taking their eyes off the road and even open the windows for them on voice command.

Now Kia has taken it one step further. Ever heard of car that can make you smarter? We kid you not.

The new Kia Seltos, which we had on test recently in top spec GT-Line guise, does exactly that. A choice of five different soundtracks listed in the media options menu under “Sounds of Nature” isn’t just there for the show.

Kia Seltos gets clever

Kia says listening to these soundtracks hold serious benefits for the grey matter. The soundtracks were recorded in nature all around the world and include Night in the County; Cricket Conversations; Birds Singing with Sea; Rainy Days and Calm Sea Waves.

“We found that people were more creative when they had listened to the songs,” says Katherine Lewis, Creative Scientist and Futurist.

“You could see increased alpha and theta power, a coherence of brainwaves seen and increased connectivity, particularly connecting the occipital and frontal parts of the brain, where our emotional control centre is situated. And the areas connected to increased creativity and flow states.”

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Coming from someone with such a fancy occupation, it must be true. Even though we didn’t really understand some of those words to be honest.

Many other party tricks

Fortunately for the new Kia Seltos, it has plenty of other party tricks if this one didn’t exactly bowl you over. And in our opinion, this medium SUV needs all the help it can get to create its own identity. The Seltos finds itself in a curious little space between its smaller Sonet and larger Sportage siblings.

While the Sportage had a lion’s share in putting the brand on the map and can easily be regarded as the SUV family’s godfather, the more affordable Sonet quickly became its best-selling SUV after being introduced shortly after the Seltos. This kind of made the latter fall slightly through the cracks. Call it middle child syndrome.

But Kia has done a great job in giving the Seltos some love in a first midcycle update, which includes gentle styling tweaks, more specifications and a brand-new engine.

If you prefer the hum from underneath a bonnet to that of crickets chirping over the sound system, then the newly introduced 1.6-litre T-GDI turbo petrol engine should get your attention. This four-pot mill, reserved for the GT Line, sends 118kW of power and 253Nm of torque to the front wheels via seven-speed dual clutch transmission. That is an uptake of 15kW and 11Nm over the 1.4-litre blown four-pot mill it replaces.

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Plenty of urge

The powerplant has more than enough urge most people would ever need. It does a decent job of getting off the line in a respectable claimed 0 to 100km/h time of 8.9 seconds, with the gearbox delivering smooth changes.

A drive mode selector offers the choice of four modes; Eco, Comfort, Smart and Sport.

The ride is plush and steering easy. It is just one of those cars that operates so pleasantly that it makes you feel comfortable from the start.

Our fuel consumption over the 488km we travelled in a week worked out to 9.7L/100km. Because all our driving took place in city traffic, the number is reasonable.

Exterior tweaks on the new Seltos include new LED headlights, LED daytime running lights on the flanks of the new front bumper and a restyled Tiger Nose grille. The rear bumper has been revised along with the tailgate, which now features L-shaped LED clusters which are connected by a light bar.

Kia Seltos GT-Line has all the goodies

Being a GT-Line, out tester also had bespoke 18-inch alloy wheels, GT-Line bumper and door sills and chrome tipped exhaust outlets.

Inside, a panoramic sunroof, alloy pedals, head-up display, two-tone leather seats with GT-Line embroidered seatbacks and paddle shifters join an already generous specification list. These include twin 10.25-inch screens, interior mood lighting and wireless smartphone charger.

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In addition to the standard set of safety equipment, the Kia Seltos GT-Line also feature adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning alert, blind spot monitoring, lane follow assist and lane keep assist.

Rear leg and headroom are enough for average-sized adults, with the boot offering a very generous 433 litres of space.

And speaking of space, the black and white leather seats and light led into the cabin by the panoramic sunroof creates the impression that the cabin is far bigger than it actually is.

Conclusion

At R626 995 the Kia Seltos GT-Line is a very worthy flagbearer for the range. The powertrain, attractive styling and list of specifications make it a complete package.

It’s a logical choice for the … smart … money. Get it?