The segment leader Creta outperforms the Seltos in this department which offers far compliant ride quality and comfort.
BHPian Col Mehta recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
Took a road trip (Delhi-Solan-Dehradun) with 4 adults and a fair amount of luggage. The drive included beautiful open roads, heavy city traffic, steep climbs, treacherous terrains with crator size potholes and stretches of under-construction roads. Throughout it all, the car performed great overall with the following traits:
1. Engine and gearbox performance: The car was primarily driven in the S and Sport modes. On open roads, it feels right at home. There is a strong grunt in the mid range and overtaking is a breeze. Post 3k RPM, the engine gets vocal, but doesn’t sound crude. On hilly terrains and inclines, the low end torque comes handy and the TC gearbox downshifts as expected, not super quick, but adequately. In city traffic conditions, the engine gearbox is ever so seamless with no lag or jerk. That’s one of the primary reasons why we chose this combo instead of turbo DCT. Overall, the performance is commendable, though not exceptional – a bit more power (though the torque is abundant) would have made the drive even more engaging.
Score:9/10
2. Ride quality and comfort: There is a lot being said about Seltos’s ride quality and passenger comfort. Let me be super candid about it – it’s not perfect as the suspension setup is stiff, particularly on bad roads in slow speeds where some vertical moments are felt (with 33-35psi). The segment leader Creta outperforms the Seltos in this department which offers far compliant ride quality and comfort. Having said that, the ride is very much acceptable at decent/high speed without much body roll.
Score: 7.5/10
3. Steering wheel response: The steering wheel has a decent weight which I initially didn’t like that much. But as I have spent more time with it, I think it has grown on me. While I usually prefer a lighter setup, there is something about this steering wheel that makes the driving enjoyable, particularly on open roads.
Score: 8.5/10
4. Miscellaneous:
- Found ISG to be super annoying. Didn’t use it all during the entire trip. Never using it in the future either.
- Headlights are bad, just as bad as the Creta.
- The backlit switches are such a boon. Found them super useful.
- The UV cut glasses make such a big difference. Wouldn’t want to go back to regular glass after experiencing it.
- Had kept the forward collision assistance on but experienced a heart-stopping emergency braking when an idiot on his bike suddenly cut in from the left. Turned it off immediately. Not sure if we would want to use it anytime soon.
- The head-up display is quite useful as it displays some crucial information such as speed limit, ADAS features, inbuilt map guidance etc. Wish it showed Gmaps guidance too.
A few minor observations (Compared to our 2nd gen Creta):
The paddle shifters have a cheap, plasticy feel to them, unlike those on the Creta. Similarly, the speed alert at 80/120kmph doesn’t sound as soothing as our Creta. It’s actually borderline coarse, almost as if the speaker has gone bad. The gear lever on the parking mode has some play which doesn’t feel very premium. Again, this isn’t there on our Creta. Thankfully, the centre console is made of good quality plastic which doesn’t creak. That’s our biggest complaint with the Creta. However, we still prefer our Creta’s centre console visually as it looks far more modern and futuristic. Image attached for reference:
Seltos’s console is great to look at too:
6. The car returned fuel efficiency of 15kmpl, which isn’t bad for the kind of conditions, as mentioned above.
7. Also completed the first service at ~1k kms at RC Kia, Solan.
Had nothing much to report except the engine sound at certain RPMs which I posted earlier. Kia folks assured that it’s normal, just as other dear members in the forum. Coincidentally, they had their TD car (a diesel MT) available and the SA was kind enough to offer us a quick test drive which also had the same sound. The service was a straight forward affair with a general checkup and DEF fluid top up of about 6 litres. No ECU update was available though. Good thing that the SA didn’t push for any extras like coating etc. Overall, a good experience.
A few random pictures to conclude that the Seltos Black Xline with the stealthy looks is one of the most attractive compact SUVs on the market.
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