Kia Seltos - Badass Avatar II - Exploration Drives with Bob Rupani

Reviews

Published December 27, 2025

Author: Bob Rupani

Kia Seltos – Badass Avatar II

The second generation Seltos has arrived, and on 2nd January 2026, it will be the first car to be officially launched in India in the New Year.

Kia, the Korean car manufacturer, which is part of the Hyundai Car Company, made its entry into India in 2019, by launching the Kia Seltos SUV, which almost immediately went on to win hearts and become a success in the highly competitive and difficult Indian car market.

The new second generation Kia Seltos is here – based on a new bigger platform and wearing a lot of eye-catching jewelry.

And I have no hesitation in saying that when the Kia Seltos hit our roads, I too was quite smitten by it, particularly its clean and elegant styling with some distinctive design elements like the tiger nose inspired grille. The Seltos also had good power plants and performance, and a nice interior filled with several features.

The all-new Seltos has substantially different looks and styling than its predecessor.

Normally, whenever a manufacturer introduces a new generation model, it is meant to be an upgrade and better than the outgoing one. And the same is true of the Kia Seltos. Well largely true. The new Seltos is based on a new K3 platform, also known as the 3^rd generation platform. This platform is said to have a multi-load path structure that helps improve safety as its design allows impact loads or external forces, to be better absorbed because they are distributed through multiple alternative routes within the vehicle’s body.

It has not only grown in size, but has also developed lots more bulges, brawn and muscle.

This platform also has a lower CG (center of gravity) and being more rigid, it aids better handling and also ride comfort. And being larger, it has allowed the new Seltos to also grow, and become 95 mm longer than its predecessor. The wheelbase is also 80 mm more and the new Seltos is 30mm wider and also offers an additional 14 litres of boot space. All this has resulted in the new Kia Seltos having a better stance and a more spacious interior with increased legroom, headroom and shoulder room, both in the front and back.

That grille is not just the new face of this new Seltos, but also its calling card – which according to Kia is “The bold look of Badass”.

Obviously, when so much change has happened on the platform and also the interior, which now has a different look and feel with several more features, the designers had to give the exterior a different identity too. Here let me admit that while I appreciate all the other changes, I am not so convinced about the new Kia Seltos’s looks and styling.

Kia further says, “With its fierce front and rear, it’s built to stand out”. And stand out it undoubtedly does. But does it tug at your heartstrings or result in a rush of adrenaline? And which do you prefer? That is for you to decide.

Kia’s brochures and website proclaim the new Seltos’s styling as “The bold look of Badass. Step into the all-new Seltos, where style meets attitude. With its aggressive, muscular build, striking shoulder lines, and fierce front and rear, it’s built to stand out”. Please note the word fierce. In the Oxford Learners Dictionary, the meaning of fierce is given as “angry and aggressive in a way that is frightening”!

The new Kia Seltos has a lot of adornments and trimmings, especially on the lower halves of both the front and rear bumpers.

While I may not be frightened in the literal sense, I am afraid that the universal appeal of the earlier Seltos’s looks may have been lost. And the current design is such, that in my view you will either like it, or hate it. To my surprise, several people I spoke with seem to like the looks, with few even suggesting that in time the styling would also grow on me, which I think is unlikely.

Just look at the surroundings of that fog light. There are 3 different layers or garnishes around it. And the ribbed black plastic cover, under which the foglight is peeping through, is sure to soon collect and accumulate dirt. As a matter of fact, almost all these embellishments are such, that in my view they will become dirt attractors and accumulators. And cleaning them will be no easy thing- and will require high pressure water jets.

But I am also beginning to realize that I maybe in a minority. Notwithstanding that, personally, I feel sad that the original aesthetic design of the Seltos has become so polarizing. I definetly find it to be way too aggressive, and busy and fussy and overdone. Gone is the simple elegance, which has been replaced by heaps of adornments, with many of them, looking like aftermarket additions and the kind of decorations that you can add on your car in places like Karol Bagh in Delhi, or at one of the accessory shops at Banjara Hills in Hyderabad.

Similiar gilding’s with multiple layers also adorn the rear bumper. Note the reverse lights located right at the bottom of the bumper. You are likely to need these lights most while reversing on a dark rainy night. But given their positioning, in all likelihood they will be covered in dirt or mud, and prove to be ineffective.

While I may not care much for the styling, what is also quite indisputable is that the new Seltos drives and rides really very well. When I took it for a drive, the first thing that struck me was – the able ride quality and how competently the new Seltos irons out imperfections in the road. Gone is the hard and discomforting edge to the ride, and in place you have a more compliant suspension that absorbs bumps and insulates you from road defects or undulations, in an appreciable manner. The NVH levels are also better, and no longer does the suspension make itself heard. Yes, now it’s the quiet and capable kind.

In my view, the design of this second generation Seltos is way too busy compared to the clean and smooth styling of the previous one. Note the reflection of the Seltos parked behind and it’s “Light Signature”.

The “Light Signature”, which is created by the distinctive patterns of a vehicle’s LED headlights, daytime running lights (DRLs), and taillights, has become an increasingly important element in modern car design, and I feel at times designers focus more on this, than the basic shape, lines and surfaces- all features once considered the hallmark of a good design.

And though the ride is softer and more comfortable, fortunately it’s not at the cost of the handling, or high speed stability. The new Kia Seltos, is agile and light on its feet and obediently changes direction, without any excessive or noticeable body roll. The high speed stability and grip is good too, and the steering also appears to be sharper and more communicative.

The brake calipers on the top end versions of the new Kia Seltos are bright fluorescent green and I wonder what they signify? For example you get yellow brake calipers on extremely light and heat-resistant carbon-ceramic brakes, usually found in supercars or really capable sportscars.

The engines and transmissions continue to be the same with the turbo petrol being the most responsive and energetic, while the 1.5 turbo diesel is the most fuel efficient, but somewhat laid back with its power and delivery. The new Kia Seltos provides fairly good fuel efficiency, with claimed ARAI figures ranging from 17.0 kmpl to 20.7 kmpl, depending on the engine and transmission.

The new Seltos comes with netted headrests or head restraints, and the fact that they are naturally ventilated, should be useful in our hot summers. As for how useful, I will only be able to tell after having driven the Seltos in summer.

And yes, like its predecessor, it has several transmission options including a manual, iVT, torque converter automatic, or 7-speed DCT, which can be paired with either of the 3 engines on offer – the naturally aspirated 1.5 litre petrol (113 bhp & 144 Nm), 1.5 litre turbo petrol (158 bhp & 253Nm), and 1.5 litre turbo diesel (114 bhp & 250 Nm).

The rear windscreen wiper and washer are smartly concealed inside the rear roof spoiler. This should not only protect the wiper from vandals, but I am sure it also plays a role in improving the rear airflow and contributes to the better coefficient of drag, or CD factor of the new Seltos.

The aerodynamics of the new Seltos are also better and it has a CD (coefficient of drag) of .31 compared to .34 of the previous one. Apparently this has been achieved by better under floor airflow management, and this also reflects in the ground clearance, which has increased from 190 to 200 mm thanks to fewer parts sticking out, or below the floor. I also have a feeling that the integrated rear spoiler with smart hidden wiper, has contributed to the cleaner airflow, especially at the rear.

One of the most useful features is the 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat with powered lumbar support, which allows the driver to find his ideal driving position, even on the move. As for that lumbar support, people like me with back issues, will surely appreciate it.

The powered seat also has a memory function that saves driver seat and ORVM (outside rear view mirror) settings for multiple users. There are two buttons for this on the driving side door pad next to the door handle, and the seat ventilation button is also placed here. But if you want you can also use the display in the center of the dashboard to save the seat and door mirror position. All those irritating valet drivers who insist on unnecessarily changing your seat position can now be nullified at the press of your preferred position button. Well done Kia.

While driving the new Kia Seltos in and around Bangalore recently, I also began to appreciate the 10 way power adjustment on the driver seat. The lumbar support is particularly useful in making you comfortable and I like the fact that the seat has a memory function to save your preferred position. This seat position memory is also synced with your settings of the ORVMs (outside rearview mirrors), so you don’t have to adjust them to match your driving position.

The chunky two tone steering wheel is nice to hold and the flat bottom also frees up some space above your thighs.

The drive and traction mode select buttons are smartly placed at the bottom, inside the center spoke of the steering wheel.

But the steering has too many other buttons and dials, some of which I am sure you will inadvertently press while maneuvering the steering, especially on twisty and bouncy stretches.

Those stupid valet drivers who insist on changing your seat position, even if they are driving for only 100 meters, always irritate me, because when they bring the car back, you have to again set the seat to your preferred position. But in the new Kia Seltos, you just press the memory button and get the seat (and mirrors) position that is saved by you. Thank you Kia for saving us from those inconsiderate valet chaps.

The boot space has grown from 443 litres to an impressive 447 litres.

When I opened the bonnet to check the under the hood space management and layout, I noticed that you don’t have to struggle to raise the bonnet, because it now comes with a gas strut that automatically raises it. While most people don’t bother opening bonnets anymore, old fashioned folk like me will appreciate this feature too.

The new Kia Seltos has flush door handles which automatically pop out when you approach it with the smart key. The doors can also be locked via touch sensors on the handle itself. And in case there is a problem with the remote access, there is a good old fashioned key slot concealed inside.

In conclusion, I must say that the new second generation Kia Seltos is definitely better than its predecessor and should ably carry forward its legacy and successfully compete with all its traditional and new rivals. As mentioned, the only thing that does not appeal to me are the looks and styling.

The DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) filler inlet has now become a standard feature in almost all new diesel vehicles.

But well, that is a matter of personal taste, and as anyone who knows me well enough will tell you, I am of the opinion that people’s sense of aesthetics and taste, is not quite what it used to be. Now it’s all about getting views and eyeballs, and grabbing attention. And the new Seltos in its Badass Avatar II, undoubtedly draws looks and gets noticed. Kia has clearly succeeded in its goal of making the new Seltos, “stand out”.