The new Kia Seltos compact SUV has been revealed, showing off a tough, angular design theme and packing a big 10.2-inch infotainment system with advanced connectivity features.
As well as pushing the popular Korean brand's design philosophy forward, with its chunky, masculine design featuring angular LED lights front and rear, the new model will be launched in Australia later in 2019 with a line-up starting from around $25,000.
Competing against vehicles like the Mazda CX-3, Mitsubishi ASX and Hyundai Kona, the new Kia Seltos will trump them all with a seven-year warranty and large 10.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system.
Two engine types will be offered in Australia, a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine (110kW) driving the front wheels through an automatic continuously variable transmission (CVT) or a 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol powerplant (130kW) driving all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
Like all Kia vehicles sold in Australia, the Seltos will get a suspension tune developed and tested Down Under. Or as Kia puts it: "The ride and handling characteristics of the car have been optimised to provide the experience Australian drivers have come to expect," and will "stand up to anything Australian conditions can throw at it."
The interior of the car has already been shown and is being touted as incorporating "futuristic materials", says Kia.
The major feature in the Kia Seltos' cabin is a large 10.2-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. We have also learned Seltos will offer a massive (optional) eight-inch head-up display (HUD). This will display navigation instructions, vehicle speed and so forth.
An eight-speaker BOSE stereo system is also offered in the Kia Seltos, as is the UVO CONNECT system. The latter will "bring driving into the digital era, connecting drivers to the world around and providing useful information – via the in-car touchscreen, and compatible smartphones," says Kia.
In other words, you can pop a SIM card into the car, like a new BMW or Audi, to access data for live traffic conditions, weather forecasts and presumably much more in future. It can also track the car, which is useful if it gets stolen, and contact emergency services automatically if the car crashes.
Kia will offer the UVO CONNECT system free for the first three years.
Safety features include six airbags, stability control, anti-lock brakes plus front and rear parking sensors. The press release makes no mention of autonomous emergency braking but it will almost certainly be standard on Aussie models.
The Kia Seltos will be built at the brand's Andhra Pradesh plant in India and the Gwangju factory in Korea. Australian vehicles will be sourced from the latter, Kia Australia says.