Evolution of Kia Seltos in India: What changes in the facelift 2023?

The Kia Seltos is the Korean manufacturer’s first product for India, having been developed for the Indian market. It was launched in 2019 to take on mid-size SUVs like the Hyundai Creta, Nissan Kicks and Renault Captur. The Seltos has had a few feature updates, variant revisions and one facelift as recently as 2023 to keep it fresh.

It’s a great time to look for deals on a second hand Kia Seltos as prices of the old model always fall marginally when the new model is released. Of course, it pays to know what you’re buying into, so here’s a rundown of all the changes of the Kia Seltos over the years. 

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Launch of Kia Seltos in 2019

Interestingly, the 2019 launch of the Kia Seltos also happened to be its world premiere. Though it was engineered and designed in India for the domestic market, the Seltos is also exported around the world. Kia, under the Hyundai Group, used the same platform as the second-gen Creta with its own design inside and out. Modern, sophisticated and oh-so eye-catching, the Seltos was just what the market wanted - a good looking SUV, premium feel, features and performance.

The Kia Seltos was launched with six engine-gearbox options - two petrol and one diesel with a spread of transmissions. There was a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine with 115hp and 144Nm torque, a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine with 140hp and 242Nm torque and a 1.5-litre diesel with 115hp and 250Nm torque. The 1.5 petrol was available with a 6-speed manual transmission and a CVT automatic called IVT. The 1.4 turbo petrol was available with a 6-speed manual gearbox and a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. The 1.5 diesel was available with a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed torque convertor automatic. The rationale was to offer something for everyone no matter the budget. Some of these models can represent very good value if you’re looking for a used Kia Seltos. 

Keeping with the mass-appeal approach, the Seltos was offered in 16 variants across two trim lines - Tech (HT) Line and GT Line with prices starting from ₹9.69 lakh, ex-showroom. With so many variants on offer, make sure the features you want are present in the second hand Seltos you select. The Seltos even became the bestselling SUV in India at one point. It helped Kia Motors hit the 75,000 sales milestone in a mere seven months, with the premium Kia Carnival pitching in much smaller numbers. The Seltos hit a near-7.5 percent UV market share in six months, highlighting how popular it was that people were readily trusting a new entrant to the market. 

Kia Seltos Updates: Key Changes Over Time

These are the major changes made to the Kia Seltos since its launch in 2019, covering the Seltos facelift in 2023:

2019 - Launch, 16 variants available  

2020 - Variant rejig, added features, dual-tone exterior paint, minor changes to rear bumper

2021 - X-Line launch, iMT transmission added, variant rejig, paddle shifters on select models, new Kia logo

2022 - 6 airbags standard, new paint options, diesel-iMT introduced

2023 - Facelift with updated styling, additions - ADAS, panoramic sunroof, dual-zone climate control, 1.5-litre turbo petrol, 18-inch alloy wheels, new exterior colour

2024 - Variant rejig, new exterior colour added

First-gen Kia Seltos (2019-present)

At the time the Kia Seltos was launched, it’s main rival was its sibling the first-gen Hyundai Creta. Built on the second-gen Creta’s new platform, the Seltos effectively had a head start before the new Creta hit the market in 2020. It was also a time when the ageing Nissan Kicks and Renault Captur were around, apart from larger SUVs like the MG Hector and Tata Harrier, which competed in the same price bracket. With India transitioning to stricter emission norms, all manufacturers seemed to have hit pause on new launches and the Seltos capitalised on this sluggish period.  

The Seltos was perceived to be more upmarket and premium than most others at the time, with features like heads-up display, 360-degree camera and others seen only on luxury cars until that point. In 2020, the Seltos equipped with 2-airbags received a 3-star GNCAP safety rating which raised questions over the build quality of the India-spec Seltos versus export models. This did have a negative impact on sales with some buyers opting for SUVs with high safety ratings instead. 

Kia’s strategy of a wide variant mix also seems to have helped buyers find exactly what they were looking for on a budget that suited them. Any gaps in the variant lineup were addressed with annual updates, with Kia adding/deleting features to specific variants, apart from adding/deleting variants along the way. The 2022 Kia Seltos is notable for adding 6 airbags across the variant lineup. 

Kia Seltos facelift launched in 2023

With the launch of the feature-packed second-gen Creta heating up competition, Kia facelifted the Seltos in 2023 and added the features some find desirable in top variants, namely paddle shifters, a panoramic sunroof and Level 2 ADAS. Additionally, the Sentos received plenty of cosmetic changes to the exterior styling with a more aggressive and modern look. The interior however remained largely the same. 

A few of the Seltos variants worth looking into across the years include the HTK+ and HTX variants, which offer most of the modern convenience features without adding too much to the price tag.

2023 Kia Seltos Key Engine Specifications

Comparing Old vs. New Kia Seltos

The 2020 Kia Seltos can be differentiated from the launch Seltos thanks to a minor change to the rear bumper which gave it the look of having twin exhaust cutouts. The next differentiating factor to tell model years apart was the new look Kia logo that came as part of Kia’s global rebranding in 2021. 

In 2023, the Seltos facelift brought the most apparent changes in the form of sleeker styling, a modern connected LED tail lamp, the option of up to 18-inch alloy wheels and more. Inside, you get slimmer AC vents and five additional interior and upholstery colours/designs, as highlights. Here’s a brief rundown of the changes between the first-gen Kia Seltos and the Kia Seltos facelift: 

Conclusion

Considering how cutting-edge the Kia Seltos was at launch, one really can’t go wrong in picking one up in the used car market. There’s a strong reason the Seltos was the bestselling SUV in India at one point, after all. The facelifted Seltos just makes its case even stronger, even in the face of new rivals.