SUPER SELTOS FROM KIA
I’VE always been a fan of the Kia brand. While Kia Motors South Africa was only founded in 1997 (joining Associated Motor Holding, a division of Imperial in 1998), Kia Motor Corporation is actually Korea’s oldest manufacturer of motor vehicles and was founded way back in 1944. So the chaps have had years to hone their skills and experience – hence the indisputable quality and reliability of the product.
When the Seltos 1.5 CRD EX+ rolled up to my door, then, no surprise that I was thrilled to bits.
It’s a great looking SUV-styled vehicle; solid, very well built, no tinny clunks when you close a door, and with great specs, too. I particularly loved that the car is diesel-powered. I found the fourcylinder turbocharged 1500 engine (86kW/250Nm) more than adequate for my needs, terrific up Town Hill when trying to leave those damn trucks in my rear view mirror, the auto gearbox being an absolute pleasure (after my own 4x4’s manual gearbox proving harder and harder to operate and finally requiring a three-day stay in ICU and some expensive surgery!). The airconditioner is excellent, by the way.
Spacious interior, with super comfy seats, a full sized spare tyre, nice fat 17-inch wheels, all sorts of stuff like ABS, EBD, reverse camera, rear-park sensors, cruise control, adjustable front armrest, etc etc, all add to the appeal of this very nice family runaround.
On the donga-infested roads of Howick and surrounds, the suspension was ideal for me, neither too soft nor too hard, and the refined ride on the freeways was a pleasure.
In the competitive category in which it slots, the Kia Seltos has some worthy opposition (Renault Duster, Suzuki Vitara, Honda
HR-V, for example) but with its excellent packaging, its frugal fuel consumption, its first-class build quality and comfort levels, this would be my pick for those who love packing the family into the car for long road trips – and for miles of smiles!
And, of course, there’s the fiveyear unlimited kilometres warranty, and a service plan for five years/ 90 000km included in the base price (R449 332). So what more could a girl ask for ....