Kia’s T-Cross rival gets stickered

Already confirmed to make its eagerly awaited debut later this month, Kia has divulged pricing and spec details of its rival for the Volkswagen T-Cross, Ford EcoSport and sister brand Hyundai’s Venue, the Seltos.

As mentioned earlier this month, the local market Seltos will be sourced from the Anantapur Plant in the Indian state of Andra Pradesh, and will arrive with a choice of three trim levels and two drivetrain options with power going to the front wheels only.

Kicking the range off, the EX boasts an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth, dual USB ports Voice Recognition, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, daytime running LEDs, electric mirrors, cruise control, electric windows all around, a six-speaker sound system, leather wrapped steering wheel and gear lever, a 3.5-inch TFT instrument cluster display, front fog lights, cloth upholstery and steering wheel audio controls.

Riding on 16-inch alloy wheels with a full-size steel spare underneath the boot board, safety comes in the form of six airbags, ABS with EBD and ESC, rear parking sensors plus a reverse camera and Hill Start Assist. Upping the ante, the EX+ eschews the 16-inch wheels for 17-inch alloys, and also comes with leather upholstery, a centre console storage area that doubles up as an armrest and folding electric mirrors.

For both models, motivation comes from the well-known 1.6-litre normally aspirated petrol engine outputting 90kW/151Nm with the EX offering the choice of a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission, while the EX+ comes equipped with the latter as standard. Top speed, regardless of the transmission, is 175 km/h with 0-100 km/h taking 11.2 seconds.

At the sharp-end, the GT-Line features a model specific bodykit and gloss black grille, as well as a third USB port, the Kia Drive Mode selector with three settings; Eco, Normal and Sport, LED headlights, red brake calipers, chrome door handles, GT-Line embroidered seatbacks, model specific 17-inch alloys with a full-size alloy spare, push-button start, alloy pedals and keyless entry.

Providing forward motion, the GT-Line is outfitted with a 1.4 T-GDI motor that delivers 103kW/242Nm, which propels it from 0-100 km/h in 9.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 189 km/h. A seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox is the sole option with a three mode traction mode selector; Sand, Snow and Mud also featuring.

Available in a choice of seven colours; Glacier White Pearl, Aurora Black Pearl, Gravity Grey, Steel Silver, Punchy Orange, Intense Red and Intelligency Blue, the Seltos comes standard with a five year/unlimited km and a five year/90 000 km service plan.

PRICING

Seltos 1.6 EX – R353 995

Seltos 1.6 EX AT – R371 995

Seltos 1.6 EX+ AT – R389 995

Seltos 1.4 T-GDI GT-Line DCT – R444 995

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