Should You Buy Kia Seltos HTK (O) in 2025? Check Out Its Pros and Cons

Pros and Cons of Kia Seltos: If you are planning to get a new car in the compact SUV segment, which has good road presence, offers a comfortable cabin space, and has a refined petrol engine, there are multiple options to choose from. Since the length of cars in the compact SUV segment is more than 4m, there is a good amount of space on offer and decent boot space for your weekend getaways.

In this segment, the Kia Seltos is a popular choice among buyers. It is offered in multiple variants, starting from HTE, which is the base variant, to the X Line variant, which is packed with a long list of features and comes with three engine options. Around ₹15 lakh, you can check out the HTK (O) variant, which packs in ample features, has a refined petrol engine with decent mileage.

Recently, we drove the Kia Seltos HTK (O) 1.5L NA petrol manual variant for 600 km on the city and highways and tested its boot space, features, fuel efficiency, and other parameters. Checking out its main pros and cons can help you to decide whether you should consider this or not:

Pros

Engine Reliability

The Kia Sonet HTK (O) variant comes with a 1.5L naturally aspirated petrol engine, which produces 115 bhp and 143 Nm of peak torque, mated with a six-speed manual or an IVT gearbox. We drove the manual variant, and the gearbox and the engine have balanced tuning. This is a popular engine in Hyundai and Kia cars, and it has a refined power delivery and since it is a four-cylinder unit, the noise and vibrations are well contained.

Mileage

Kia claims that the Seltos 1.5L NA petrol engine has a fuel efficiency of 17 km/L. Since we drove this engine with a six-speed manual, during our drive of 600 km drive, we got a mileage of 13.4 km/l, and the majority of our driving was in city traffic.

Features

The Kia Seltos HTK (O) variant has decent features on offer. The list includes a panoramic sunroof, wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, automatic headlamps, rear sunblinds, a digital instrument cluster, and others. The pairing of the iPhone was instant, and if you are a music lover, the sound output from the speakers is decent, but you’ll miss the Bose 8-speaker sound system, which is offered in the higher variants.

Comfort

The front and rear seats of the Seltos are pretty comfortable. Though we drove the HTK (O) variant, it is equipped with fabric seats, but the seat cushioning was on point. However, you can always opt for aftermarket fitment for leatherette seats to enhance the overall aesthetic.

Talking of the rear seat comfort, the Seltos has a good amount of knee room and leg room on offer. Since it misses out on a rear centre armrest, the comfort could have been improved, and although Kia has cut corners by not offering adjustable headrests in this variant, it still manages to offer similar comfort levels.

Also Read: Anant Ambani’s Latest Rolls-Royce Phantom Comes With Royal Indian Twist - What’s Special?

Cons

Features

Though Kia offers a panoramic sunroof, wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and other convenience features in the HTK (O) variant, it could have been offered with a lot more features at its price in its segment. It misses out on a wireless charger, automatic climate control, and it does not even get one touch up for the powered driver's side window. 

Though Kia offers a reverse parking camera in the Seltos HTK (O) variant, the camera quality deserves improvement, and at night, it was highly pixelated. Further, this variant is offered with halogen projector headlamps, and the throw could have been better. You might feel the need to upgrade the yellow halogens to LED units or upgrade to a higher variant.

Performance

Since we drove the Kia Seltos HTK (O) with the 1.5L naturally aspirated petrol engine, we felt the performance could have been better. 

Though the engine was super smooth and silent, and the gearbox and the clutch were light, the performance was average for the city conditions and when we felt the need for sudden power for a quick overtake, downshifts were required. Further, around speeds of 90-100 km/h, it was cruising around 1,900-2,000 RPM, thus dropping the fuel efficiency.

What is the price of the Kia Seltos HTK (O) variant?

The price of the Kia Seltos starts at ₹12.65 lakh (on-road, Noida) for the base HTE variant. However, the price of the HTK (O) variant is ₹14.70 lakh (on-road, Noida).

Should you buy it?

Now the main question is, should you buy the Kia Seltos HTK (O) variant? Our answer is Yes. If you want an SUV for your daily driving under ₹15 lakh that offers decent fuel efficiency, a comfortable cabin, and has some good features, then you can consider it. While the performance of the engine and fewer features can matter to some buyers, it can be a good option if you prioritise reliability, space and comfort of the vehicle.

Also Read: Upcoming EV SUVs to Launch in India