Image Comparison: New Kia Seltos Vs Old

The facelifted Kia Seltos gets several visual upgrades, new features, and a more powerful turbo-petrol engine

Update (21/07/2023): Kia has launched the facelifted Seltos in India with prices starting at Rs 10.89 lakh (ex-showroom).

Nearly four years after its market debut, the Kia Seltos has been given its first proper facelift. Bookings for the 2023 Seltos will open on July 14 and we’re expecting the prices to be announced in the coming weeks. 

The new Seltos gets a host of changes over the outgoing version in terms of styling, features, and powertrains. Here’s a detailed comparison between the old and new Seltos: 

EXTERIOR

FRONT PROFILE

Up front, the facelifted Seltos gets a new ‘Tiger Grille’, which is wider and sports a honeycomb pattern. The LED DRLs are sleeker and longer as they get incorporated into the grille. The headlamps are also revised for a more stylish look. 

The front bumper has been redone and now looks busier as well as chunkier. The fog lamp housing is also new, which sports four ice-cubed LED elements instead of three on the pre-facelift model. Lastly, a skid plate has also been added for a more rugged look. 

SIDE PROFILE

The side profile seems to have been left unchanged. The only difference is that these 18-inch alloy wheels are now offered with the GT Line variants too, while earlier, they were limited to the X-Line. 

Also Read: Take A Closer Look At The Facelifted Kia Seltos In These 15 Images

REAR PROFILE

At the back, the most noticeable difference is the new connected LED tail lamp, which gives it a more modern appeal. The bumpers have also been redesigned with a beefier look. The new dual-exhaust tips surely add to the sportier appeal of the most powerful powertrain option compared to the pre-facelift. 

INTERIOR

You’re welcomed inside the new Seltos with a different interior theme and a new dashboard. The facelifted model gets a new black and brown theme for its TECH line variants, instead of the black and beige. The GT line continues with its black and grey shade. 

The top section of the dashboard is highlighted by the seamless housing for the integrated dual screens above the now slimmer AC vents. The centre console gets a new climate control panel, which has a dual-zone AC feature. 

The dual 10.25-inch displays, housing the touchscreen infotainment system and digital driver’s display, truly elevate the premium feel of the facelifted Seltos. Even the pre-facelift got an integrated panel with a similar-sized screen, but the instrument cluster was analogue. 

The facelifted Seltos now gets a panoramic sunroof, which was missing earlier when compared to its rivals. This feature addition would make the cabin roomier than the pre-facelift. 

Also Read: April-June 2023 Recap: All The Major Auto Events That Happened This Past Quarter

SAFETY

In terms of safety, the facelifted model continues with six airbags, TPMS, a 360-degree camera, and hill hold control. The main addition is the radar-based ADAS (advanced driver assistance system), for which, a radar is installed on the front bumper. It gets active safety features like autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, and high beam assist. Controls for the ADAS functions in the variants that offer them can be found on the right side of the steering-mounted controls.

POWERTRAINS

While the 1.5-litre petrol and diesel engines have been retained, there’s a new 1.5-litre turbo-petrol unit propelling the facelifted Seltos to the top of the segment. The new turbocharged unit develops 160PS and 253Nm, which is more powerful than the old Seltos’s 1.4-litre unit by 20PS and 11Nm. 

The turbo-petrol and diesel get a 6-speed iMT (manual without a clutch pedal), while the petrol is the only option to get a proper 6-speed manual transmission. All three of them can be opted with different automatic transmissions, as offered on the original Seltos - CVT for the petrol, DCT for the turbo-petrol and torque converter for the diesel. 

We’re expecting the prices of the Kia Seltos facelift to commence from around Rs 11 lakh (ex-showroom). 

Read More on : Seltos Facelift 2023 diesel