Kia Seltos is CarBlogIndia’s Update of the Year 2023 Award Winner

CarBlogIndia has deemed the latest Kia Seltos the winner of the prestigious Update of the Year 2023 Award. CarBlogIndia organizes this reputed award ceremony each year. The aim is to recognize the products which stand out in their respective categories on account of offering a high value proposition to the target customer. One of the newer categories we have introduced this time around is the Update of the Year. The reason is quite straightforward – facelifts and updates have become more comprehensive in recent times as opposed to a handful of minor aesthetic changes previously. As a result, the top contenders for this award were the facelifted models in 2023 – Tata Safari, Tata Harrier, Tata Nexon and Kia Seltos.

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Kia Seltos Bags Update of the Year 2023 Award

After a thorough analysis by our expert jury, the Seltos was declared the winner of this prestigious trophy. We must admit that all the nominees were quite compelling but the Seltos had that extra oomph to bag the award. Some major reasons contributing in the favour of the Korean mid-size SUV include a thoroughly redesigned exterior, the addition of new features, a more premium cabin feel, the segment’s most powerful turbo petrol engine and a reinforced monocoque chassis for enhanced safety. The latter two areas were something that carmakers, in the past, would never offer in a facelift.

That was the tipping point for us to adjudge the new Kia Seltos facelift as the winner of the Update of the Year 2023 Award. Essentially, the SUV was updated inside and out, along with what powers it from under the hood. Therefore, the facelift Seltos becomes more enticing and compelling for the potential buyers who will definitely feel a significant difference in terms of styling, amenities, as well driving dynamics (with the new turbo petrol mill). Note that the Seltos was already a volume churner for Kia and a prominent product on the sales charts in the pre-facelift avatar too. But with these overpowering features, Kia has taken things to the next level.

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Specs, Trims and Prices

Kia Seltos offers a variety of powertrain and gearbox combinations to choose from. This ensures that the customers get access to any trim according to their requirements. The three engine options include – a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine, a 1.5-litre turbo diesel engine and the new 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine which produces  115 PS / 144 Nm, 115 PS / 250 Nm, and 160 PS / 253 Nm of peak power and torque, respectively. The buyers can choose between a 6-speed manual, an IVT (CVT automatic), a 6-speed iMT (Intelligent Manual Transmission), an Automatic Transmission or a 7-speed DCT automatic transmission.

The prices of the Kia Seltos range from Rs 10.90 lakh to Rs 20.35 lakh, ex-showroom. There are primarily three variant ranges with each powertrain – HT, GT, and X-Line. The breakdown is as follows:

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Author’s Note

I have always appreciated that Kia offers products which belong to the affordable luxury category in our market. Its cars are slightly more premium than the rivals but the prices are not exorbitant. That leaves enough space to entice new buyers just with a small premium. It has deployed that strategy masterfully which is why Kia has become one of the most successful foreign carmakers ever, in a challenging market like India.