Kia continues Seltos drip-feed with cabin reveal
BY JUSTIN HILLIARD | 4th Jul 2019
KIA’S drawn-out teaser campaign for its first small SUV in Australia, the Seltos, has seemingly come to end with the domestic-market release of official images of its cabin and confirmation of its advanced driver-assist systems.
While Kia Motors Australia is looking to “provide outstanding value for money” when it launches Seltos in October, pointing towards a low-$20,000 starting price, its cabin presents itself as being much more luxurious.
At the very least, higher-specification variants will be available with plenty of leather-accented upholstery with faux stitching, with it covering the lower dashboard. Two-tone themes are also on offer for those buyers that prefer to lighten up their cabins.
High-end features usually found in vehicles that cost considerably more money are numerous, including a heated steering wheel, heated and cooled front seats, and even heated outboard rear seats.
In fact, rear passengers are in for multiple treats thanks to the availability of a reclining bench and central air vents for the second row, which are a rarity in the small-SUV segment. However, they will have to share the single USB port.
Speaking of which, wireless smartphone charging is another piece of equipment that falls within Seltos’ premium push alongside an eight-speaker Bose sound system that aims to please even the most discerning audiophiles.
Seltos also picks up a 7.0-inch multi-function display that sits prominently between a traditional tachometer and speedometer. As such, it appears a digital instrument cluster cannot be specified yet.
It also includes a floating 10.25-inch central touchscreen powered by Kia’s new UVO 3.0 infotainment system, and an 8.0-inch colour head-up display that is projected onto a retractable piece of glass or plastic.
Numerous active safety features are bundled in with Seltos, such as autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and driver attention alert.
Its version of adaptive cruise control not only has stop and go functionality but also uses satellite-navigation data to autonomously slow the vehicle when approaching a bend.
For reference, Seltos measures in at 4315mm long, 1800mm wide and 1620mm tall, and has a 2610mm wheelbase. As such, it is one of the larger models on offer in the small-SUV segment.
As reported, the Australian-market model will be available with two four-cylinder petrol engines: a 110kW naturally aspirated 2.0-litre and a 130kW turbocharged 1.6-litre.
The former will be mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and front-wheel drive, while the latter will be teamed with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.
