We did try most other SUVs, including the Elevate, Kushaq, Taigun and Creta, before settling on the new Seltos.
BHPian krishnan76 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Generally, I am an avid reader of TBHP threads but rarely post. But to deviate, I thought it was time to post as we got home the GTX+ 1.5 Turbo Petrol a couple of weeks back after extensive test drives of all competitors in the segment.
Here's why we fixed Seltos (Pewter Olive) as our second car to complement the existing BMW X3.
Need: A second car for the more common city/highway use as wifey wanted a more daily-use kind of four-wheeler. The go-to car kind, you know.
Test drives:
- Grand Vitara/Hyryder: Nice Hybrid cars. Good for city drives but we felt they were a bit underpowered for highway use. The interiors too were not really up to our expectations. Omitted.
- Hyundai Creta: Never considered as a facelift was around the corner.
- Honda Elevate: Asked for a Test drive from Dakshin Honda, Mysore Road, for a top-end CVT but they never offered a test drive even. So, omitted.
- Kushaq/Taigun: The 1.5 ltr engine offers brilliant acceleration and driveability. But we felt the AC was a bit underwhelming and as a previous owner of Vento (TDI), we have not forgotten our troubles. Omitted.
- Kia Seltos: The PPS Kia in Mysore Road was very welcoming and gave us extensive test drives on a couple of occasions. The SE was very informative and offered some yearend deals to sweeten the whole experience. The features (ADAS and other regular ones) were quite useful and the engine too was very lively. Fixed this as our second car minutes after the first test drive as Home Minister and the kids were super happy.
DRIVING - 450 kms so far
- It is a breeze to drive in the city as the car is quite responsive to all the demands and the 360 camera and blind spot monitoring offer such a blessing.
- We went out for a drive to Mysore last weekend and got a chance to flex our muscles. This is a fast and fun car to drive on open roads, hitting silly speeds even before you know it. The DCT/engine combo works well and offers a butter-smooth experience.
- The SUV is loaded to the teeth with features. Nothing feels like missing.
- Fuel efficiency: We got around 9-10 km/l in the city and around 13-14 in the Expressway. Quite decent. Using normal petrol, except on one occasion we filled the E20 version from an HP outlet. We did not feel any great difference.
- Outstanding interior quality, and contrary to many others felt, we are fine with the dark interior theme.
- The only sore point we felt was the need to wire for Android Auto.
Pictures and more details as we go ahead with ownership in the coming months.
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