2023 Kia Seltos Facelift Review

Checked out the new Seltos today. The design of the driver footwell area is still uncomfortable for me. I moved the seat forward and my left shin kept hitting the rock hard lower dash plastic and the only way to prevent it is to lower the seat height basically rendering that particular driving position unusable. While the power windows, door lock/unlock and window lock switches are now backlit(what's supposed to be standard is now a feature worthy of making it to the brochure weird), the mirror control switches have been left out and I wonder how are these decisions made. Also, the sunroof controls are now backlit which weren't earlier.
The driver's seat I noticed didn't go down low enough for me. Feels high even at the lowest height setting.

Thanks for the wonderful review. Quick Question - are the tail gates powered or Manual?

The tailgate is still manual. The Indian Seltos mainly misses out on the powered tailgate and rotary dial gear shifter of the Korean spec Seltos as regards features. Engine and transmission, dimensions, body-shell and platform are anyway different.

Amazing reviewIt's a well rounded package with awesome interiors and good features I need to clarify these:
1. Is the suspension is unusually stiff? Like it used to be in the previous seltos? There will be a constant movement while driving on good roads at a fair pace as my sister has experienced in her 2021 seltos GT
2.Is the vehicle dynamically sorted as the VAG twins? (Like the highspeed stability and cornering grip)

Great and detailed review, as always. This facelift car ticks all boxes for a compact CSUV (and hopefully for safety too). ADAS features are here to stay, and like any new technology, will take time to adopt. Kia have a winner on their hands.

Detailed (as usual) and excellent review. Thank you!

Also, well done KIA! Get a non-matte colour for the X-line and you are winning the segment till Hyundai throws the gauntlet at you with the new Creta. (But that’s a fair while away).

I firmly the new Seltos will decimate competition from European and Japanese counterparts. They could take a leaf out of Kia’s playbook and learn how to provide a real bang for the customer’s buck.

Once you press the accelerator, after putting in D or R from P, the EPB will release automatically.

So what tyres would one recommend for the X-Line/GTX+?

1) Stick to the same size and plonk on the Continental Ultra Contact
OR
2) Upsize to 225/55/R18 and get a set of Michelin Primacy 3 ST

Unbelievable that a mass market car packs so much punch for ~20L!

I was looking at buying Jeep Compass, and now I am not sure whether I should pay twice the money for it. Compass has great independent suspension and handling, but it seems too expensive now. Especially since the power is also the same.

Going to check the Seltos in a next few weeks and decide between the two!

Some of the YT reviews coming out have called out stiff ride quality - especially on 18 inch tyres. Though reported a little better than earlier, it's still not super comfortable. A bummer really.

However, what a facelift it is! It will kill the competition. The pseudo VW/Skoda twins or the ordinary Japs look so tame in front in this car. I think it will rule this segment until the 2024 Creta shows up. There are hints of a reinforced structure, which if true, makes this car the best your 20 big ones can get you at the moment.

Well done, Kia!!

- New engine
- More features
- Updated styling

Now this is how a facelift should be (as supposed to Honda’s meagre City facelift). Does this make Elevate DOA (assuming Honda does a Honda with its pricing)? I guess we’ll know soon. Even a big Honda fan like me is inclined to seriously consider Kia now. Kudos Kia for staying on top of the pulse of Indian market!

Fantastic cover guys ! And Kudos to Kia for this facelift. Heck, some manufacturers don’t even add so many features in a Life cycle Change model.

Also factor in the niggles that are associated with such a premium product. It’s a shame that Jeep is plagued with so many issues ; even worse is how they handle it !

For a small state like Goa, we have already had 3 dealership changes and the newest one doesn’t even have a full-fledged service set-up. An acquaintance had to tow the car to Belgaum to get it fixed as the car couldn’t start.

Current-gen Compass ia simply not worth the price given the overall experience it offers. The day isn’t far when they wind up their operations in India like Ford.

Aside, Seltos makes a solid package for what it offers; it always was, but this facelift makes it absolutely hard to beat !

Took this one for a spin for almost 300 kms during the media drive.
It's a fantastic quality product.

If today I had to spend close to 20 lakh rupees on a car, I would have surely considered the Kia Seltos 1.5L Diesel AT in it's top spec trim.

Oh man!! This new facelift is making me reconsider my position on Kia as a brand itself.

In 2019, when Kia launched the Seltos, it was the banger. So much so that I almost thought of buying it despite having no need for a car. Come the GNCAP rating and the detailed TBHP analysis on how the Indian version is deliberately made less safe structurally, I had developed a very bad impression about the brand. It left a very sour taste in me.

When I bought the XUV300, I had considered the Sonet but only briefly chucking it away because I thought I should not put my money on a brand that deliberately avoids a safer car for India (and other similar markets).

But this facelift, boy. I’m starting to question whether my principles are big enough to let go of such a superb package

I really hope they crash test this and give a solid competition to the German brothers. If this package even comes with a 4star GNCAP, I think it’ll make me itch for an upgrade!

Seltos has my likes for:

- Those sweet looking rear tail lamp setup. Of all the changes the Seltos received, rear stands as my favorite. GT has dual exhaust pipes which is SWEET!

- Although I haven't driven a hyundai turbo petrol line up, it surely looks like a bonker of an engine. I would like to see a drag race between the Hyundai's 1.5 vs VAGs 1.5 TSI to put all doubts to rest and bring the score brightly on the notice board

Considering Seltos face-lift has arrived, Creta face-lift shouldn't be too far off. I really hope overall structural strength improves in both Hyundai-Kia so that these cars are safer like the bigger boys like Tata, VAG & Mahindra!