According to a fresh media report, Kia India will soon make the 6 airbags standard across all the variants of Seltos mid-size SUV. It is expected to start arriving at Kia dealerships in August 2022. With this, the prices of the SUV will also receive a significant price jump. It is currently priced between Rs 10.19 – 18.45 lakh (ex-showroom).
At present, the Kia Seltos gets safety features like dual front & side airbags (total 4 airbags), tyre pressure monitoring system, rear parking sensors, ABS with EBD, brake assist, electronic stability control, hill assist control, vehicle stability management, and all-wheel disc brakes as standard across the variant lineup, whereas the curtain airbags are exclusive for the higher-spec variants only.
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Will the increase in safety features impact its crash test rating?
When crash tested by Global NCAP in November 2021, the Kia Seltos received a 3-star rating for Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) and 2-star for Child Occupant Protection (COP). Bodyshell integrity and footwell area were also rated unstable. And recently, we have seen that the Kia Caren, which is built on the same platform as the Kia Seltos and comes with standard 6 airbags, also acquired a 3-star safety rating in the crash test. So we don’t have much hope. However, it will definitely help the Seltos to pass the side impact test.
Also Read: Here Are The New Crash Test Parameters Of Global NCAP
Will there be any mechanical changes?
We don’t expect the carmaker to make any changes under the hood. The Kia Seltos will continue to be available with the same petrol and diesel engine options: 115PS/144Nm 1.5-litre petrol (6-speed manual/CVT automatic), 140PS/242Nm 1.4-litre turbo-petrol (6-speed manual/7-speed DCT), and 115PS/250Nm 1.5-litre diesel (6-speed manual/torque converter automatic).
