Kia India is getting ready to launch facelifted Seltos Turbo – Same has been spied in production ready guise
Ever since Kia made a dramatic entry with the badass Seltos, there haven’t been any design changes to it. Even though it looked wild since its inception, there is always wiggle room for newness. This is essential to keep the product fresh and updated, in keeping with recent trends. This is exactly what Kia is doing now.
Kia is giving Seltos a midlife facelift. Even though this is not a generational upgrade, we should see subtle, yet major changes. These changes will be limited to front and rear fascia, as denoted by recent test mules. The sides and the wheels were not camouflaged, indicating there will just be minor changes in those areas.
2023 Kia Seltos Facelift – Turbo 160 PS
Kia recently increased prices of Seltos, and discontinued the 1.4 turbo petrol variant. It will soon be replaced by 1.5 turbo 160 PS option, which has now been spied. The recent test mule was spotted in India, and is cladded only at the front and rear. Apart from India, Kia has been selling Seltos in global markets like Europe and USA as well. Design-wise, Indian model and global model have been vastly similar. 2023 Kia Seltos facelift will be similar to globally debuted model.
Changes are mainly concentrated at the front and rear. At the front, the animalistic fang design LED DRL is now inverted. As in, the fangs now point upward, rather than downwards. The grille is now slightly enlarged and gets split elements that don’t join in the middle. Chrome surrounds on its tiger nose grille are now thinner, giving a more athletic look.
Faux skid plates have distinct design elements at either ends, mimicking that of a tiger’s ears, which is not present in outgoing model. Headlights are now sleeker and get silver elements, lending an upmarket look. Side profile is vastly similar, but a recent test mule spotted in India sports the same alloys as found on the outgoing X Line variant.
On the production-spec model, we might see a new set of wheels. At the rear, tail lights are now very sleek and get a wide LED light bar that is split in the middle by Kia branding. Also, fake chrome exhaust vents are done away with and in their place, is a housing with rear fog lights and reverse lights.
Specs & Features
The main highlight of the 2023 Kia Seltos facelift is a bump in features. In keeping with recent trends, Kia is offering a panoramic sunroof, something which its platform partner Creta offered. Since the talk of the town is currently ADAS, Kia is offering a radar-based ADAS suite which was confirmed in previous set of test mules spotted in Hyderabad.
It would be interesting to know whether Kia will only make ADAS limited to top-spec variants or offer it in a mid-spec variant as well. On the inside, we should expect a similar layout as the outgoing model, but there seem to be few refinements as seen with the debuted facelifted model. Most of these changes are likely to be offered in India-spec models as well.
As per engines, 2023 Kia Seltos facelift will retain its 1.5L diesel engine which is capable of making 113 bhp and 250 Nm of torque. Alongside that, Kia will offer a 1.5L NA petrol with 113 bhp and 144 Nm and a brand new 1.5L turbo petrol engine with 158 bhp of power and 253 Nm of torque. Gearbox options are likely to be a 6-speed MT, a 7-speed DCT and an IVT.
