Kia Seltos Diesel iMT First Drive Review

Even when it comes to the feel and quality of materials, do note that the HTK+ offers only a black single-tone interior with light-coloured fabric seats that are prone to get soiled soon. The leatherette seats, which the HTX+ receives, are far more premium and easier to maintain. Then, the top-spec trim also gets front ventilated seats, a fully-digital instrument cluster, a 10.25-inch infotainment screen instead of an eight-inch one, a GPS navigation system, eight speakers instead of six, a wireless charger, vanity mirrors with lights, and scuff plates. Thankfully, there is no cost-cutting on the safety front, and all variants get six airbags, TPMS, ABS, EBD with brake assist, and ESP. Moreover, the top-spec trims sport hill-hold assist, traction control, telematics, adjustable headrests, a 360 camera with front and rear sensors, auto headlamps, cornering lamps, rain-sensing wipers, and more.

How you may ask? Firstly, for drivers used to a manual gearbox, your left leg is relieved from the clutch pedal operation. The gears slot in well, there are no jerks while shifting gears, and the process is smooth. Besides, unlike fully automatic cars, the iMT here provides you full control of shifting gears or whichever gear you want the car to be in. This helps when you are making a quick overtake or taking a corner. Only when you are close to the rev limit or want to shift up aggressively, you’ll figure there's a slight delay before you tap out the throttle and change gear. Otherwise, with its smooth shifting, the car doesn't even coast as it would with a clutch pedal engaged. Also, if you're in the wrong gear, it beeps and the instrument cluster suggests the right gear to be in, without stalling the car. So in traffic snarls, just be in the second gear, while modulating the accelerator and brake pedal. It proves to be useful in bumper-to-bumper traffic and even for learners. That said, we still feel having hill-hold assist as standard across the variants could have made its case even stronger.

Besides, all of this ease is paired with good drivability and fuel efficiency. Sure, the SUV does take a fair bit of time to build speed, and a 0-100kmph sprint was achieved in 13.6 seconds. Still, the roll-on tests of 20-80kmph in third gear in 8.68 seconds and 40-100kmph in fourth gear in 10.24 seconds are good for a car weighing 1,310kg. This can also be attributed to the 250Nm of ample torque that helps in keeping the engine at low revs, yet keeps the car going. For instance, you could cruise in around the sixth gear at 60kmph and rev slightly above 1,200rpm. Similarly, you can do 80kmph at around 1,500rpm and 100kmph close to 2,000rpm. Our tested fuel-economy figures are also impressive with an average of 19.15kmpl (city- 17.59kmpl, highway- 20.71kmpl) lending it a practical driving range of 957km.

Likewise, its ride and handling are still nicely balanced with the iMT version offering light controls, therefore making it easy to drive. We would have loved to have more feel and feedback from the steering, which is light and does weigh up with speed. Still, it isn't cumbersome while parking and confidently steers you in and out of a corner. Its body roll gets evident but is well-contained as the SUV grips onto the road even upon hard braking. Then, the all-disc brakes with nicely tuned ABS do a fair job of stopping the car. Furthermore, the suspension doesn't feel busy on highways and doesn't smother bad roads. However, it complies with our road conditions, and the 16-inch wheels on this iMT version take sharp-edged potholes without any fuss. Be it the city or the highway, this Seltos iMT still makes so much sense.