Is the Kia Seltos Turbo-petrol 1.5 automatic's real-world performance good?

- New Turbo-petrol is way more powerful than the older 1.4

- 2023 Kia Seltos Turbo packs in a strong performance

There are several cars in the world of turbocharging, and the new Kia Seltos is the latest addition to the list. It gets newly added features and the carmaker has also reintroduced the turbo-petrol engine. Although this facelift has arrived four years after its launch, this one is its mid-life refresh. We put this new turbo-petrol to the test under our V-Box cycle regime.

Engine and gearbox specifications of the Kia Seltos Turbo-petrol 1.5 automatic

The new turbo-petrol engine in the Seltos facelift is a 1.5-litre unit that replaces the older 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine. The latter was discontinued in March 2023 as it didn’t meet BS6 Phase 2 emission norms. The current mill churns out 158bhp and 253Nm of torque, which is 20bhp and 11Nm more than the previous turbo-petrol engine. It comes mated to a six-speed iMT or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, which we have tested here.

How quickly does the Kia Seltos Turbo-petrol 1.5 automatic accelerate?

0-60kmph

0-100kmph

Our V-box acceleration test gauges how swiftly a car can sprint from a standing start and how quickly it can pull away from traffic. The new Seltos Turbo-petrol with more power is faster with a 0-60kmph acceleration time of 4.61 seconds and 0-100kmph in 9.25 seconds. For reference, the older 1.4 version finished the 0-100kmph sprint in 9.8 seconds. It clearly shows the get-going capability of the new SUV has improved.

How is the drivability of the Kia Seltos Turbo-petrol 1.5 automatic?

20-80kmph in kick-down

40-100kmph in kick-down

These roll-on times recorded by our V-Box illustrate how efficiently a car can maintain its momentum and overtake other vehicles. The Seltos Turbo-petrol completed the 0-20kmph sprint in kick-down in 5.67 seconds while recording the 40-100kmph run in kick-down in 6.53 seconds. It portrays the SUV's immense pulling power despite being heavy at 1,460kg. After all, the torque is available from 1,500rpm as claimed and it's good how the gearbox shifts to a lower gear quickly if needed. Thus, overtaking a long vehicle will not be a nervous affair even for a relatively inexperienced driver.