Kia India, the South Korean automaker has updated the Kia Seltos mid-size SUV once again, this time upgrading the safety of the vehicle. The 2022 Kia Seltos now gets six airbags on all variants, making it the only mid-size SUV to get 6 airbags as standard. This is the second Kia vehicle after Carens to get 6 airbags as standard across all variants. Like Seltos, Carens is also the only vehicle in its class to get the safety upgrade. However, adding 6 airbags as standard means a hike in the prices for the SUV as the 2022 Kia Seltos is now priced at least Rs 30,000 over the previous variant.
Prices for the Kia Seltos now range between Rs 10.49 lakh-18.65 lakh (ex-showroom, India). Here’s a detailed look at the updated price list.
Kia Seltos: safety upgrade
Before this, Kia offered six airbags only on the higher-spec HTX+, GTX(O), GTX+ and X-Line trims of the Seltos, but now it’s been made available on the HTE, HTK, HTK+ and HTX trims too.
Until not so long ago, the Seltos was only available with two airbags on its base trims, but this April, that was updated to four airbags as standard on the Seltos with the MY2022 update. And now with six airbags, the Seltos will comply with the government’s mandatory six-airbag rule that’s set to come into effect from October 1, 2022.
The Seltos, when tested by GNCAP in November 2020, came away with a 3-star safety rating. However, the base HTE trim that was tested only came equipped with two airbags. With six airbags now as standard, the Seltos could potentially improve its score if it is tested again.
There are no other changes to the Seltos’s equipment list. As far as safety features are concerned, the SUV comes equipped with Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Vehicle Stability Management (VSM), Brake Assist (BA), Hill Assist Control (HAC), Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) and All-Wheel Disc brakes as standard.
Mechanically, too, the Seltos continues with its 140hp, 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine, 115hp, 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine, and a 115hp, 1.5-litre turbo-diesel engine.
Kia Seltos facelift arriving in 2023
Earlier last month, Kia unveiled a mid-life facelift for the Seltos for markets overseas, and the same is expected to make it to India by January 2023. The Seltos facelift gets revised exterior and interior design as well as updates to the equipment list. You can read more about it here.
Kia Seltos: new rivals
The Kia Seltos currently rivals the likes of Hyundai Creta, Skoda Kushaq, Volkswagen Taigun, Nissan Kicks and MG Astor. This segment is additionally going to see two new entrants in the coming months – the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder and Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara.