It pulls strong in every gear. No lag. No drama. Yet somehow, it sips fuel like a compact car under 2000 RPM. Itâs fun to drive and fuel efficient too.
BHPian @ppy.tbhp recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
My Kia Seltos 1.5L Turbo IMT: 20 KMPL & Loving It!
This car is wild. Itâs got a turbo 1.5L GDI. Itâs got the numbers. And yes â it just gives me 20 KMPL on highway drives. No kidding. A turbo-petrol compact SUV is doing that on Indian roads.
Engine + IMT = Magic – My Seltos has the 1.5L T-GDI engine with IMT â Intelligent Manual Transmission. No clutch pedal. Just gear smooth gear shifts. You get power when you want it, and surprise: fuel economy when you donât.
Tuned for balance – Kia nailed the tuning. The throttle is responsive. Turbo kicks in quick. Itâs not aggressive â itâs smart. Feels like someone really thought about how to balance fun and fuel on Indian roads. And that IMT? Total game changer. I control the gears. The car handles the clutch. Perfect mix of manual feel and daily ease in Indian roads and driving conditions.
Real Driving. Real Results! (Bhopal –> Nagpur, NH69)
Hereâs how I got 20 KMPL:
- Light-footed acceleration with gear upshifts at around 1700â1800 RPM, maintaining a constant RPM under 2000 at all times in top gear.
- Steady 85-90 KMPH. Cruise control at 85 KMPH on the highway.
- Cold Tires pressure at 35 PSI.
- All windows closed, A/C ON in recirculation mode at all times with temperature set to 22°C with fan speed at second position. The ambient temperature was hovering between 30°C to 34°C.
- Four of us strapped in, the boot overflowing with trolley bags and gear â fully loaded to the limit. Music blasting through the speakers, phones charging in every port, headlamps on high beam, fog lamps ON â every electrical system buzzing. It was a full-on night drive, and the Seltos took it all in stride without breaking a sweat. Simple stuff. No hypermiling.
- I was driving my Seltos on E10 petrol from BPCL the whole way â couldnât find E20 anywhere, even though the Seltos is BS6 Phase 2 ready and actually needs E20 petrol.
- Third free service was done at 20,000 km â changed the engine oil, oil filter, engine air filter, cabin A/C filter, and the IMT actuator fluid. Iâve been sticking to Kiaâs 10,000 km or 12-month engine oil change interval at the service center. The car had clocked 21,889 KM when I hit that 20 KMPL mark.
Why Iâm Impressed:
It pulls strong in every gear. No lag. No drama. Yet somehow, it sips fuel like a compact car under 2000 RPM. Itâs fun to drive and fuel efficient too.
Final Thoughts:
This isnât just another turbo compact SUV, itâs tuned right, drives great, and itâs seriously fuel efficient. I bought it for the power, I stayed for the mileage. Seltos 1.5L turbo petrol IMT â worth every liter. On cooler days when the A/C isnât working overtime and the engineâs gulping in that cold crisp air, Iâm sure this engine and transmission setup will easily cross 20 KMPL â no drama, just smooth sailing. In the long run, this stuff matters. Itâs the kind of thing that makes you love your car even more. The 1.5L T-GDI IMT Seltos is seriously winning the game here.
Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
