Finally! The Kia Seltos has arrived. And that too in style. Introductory prices start at Rs 9.69 lakh and go all the way up to Rs 15.99 lakh (ex-showroom India). That’s quite a gap between the two figures but then there are a lot of variants to choose from. The SUV can be had in two trim lines – Tech Line and GT Line. Both of them have sub-trim levels, covering a variety of powertrain options. Speaking of which, no matter which powertrain you settle for, the Seltos will flaunt a BSVI (Bharat Stage VI) badge.

A bit too confusing? Let’s uncomplicate. Under the Tech Line trim, there are five sub-trim levels – HTE, HTK, HTK+, HTX and HTX+. A total of four powertrain options are available for these trim levels. They comprise of two 1.5-litre engines, where one is petrol with 115hp/144Nm and the other is diesel with 115hp/250Nm. Both engines can be had with a 6-speed manual transmission. However, the petrol mill can also be had with a CVT. Similarly, the diesel can be coupled to a 6-speed automatic.

Over to the GT Line. Here, the list of sub-trim levels comprises of GTK, GTX and GTX+. Only one engine, the 1.4-litre petrol engine, is on offer under the GT Line. The turbocharged power-plant produces 140hp/242Nm and can be had with either a 6-speed MT or a 7-speed DCT (dual-clutch automatic transmission). Claimed mileage figures? Here there are:

1.5 Petrol-MT: 16.5kmpl || 1.5 Petrol-CVT: 16.8kmpl || Diesel-MT: 21kmpl || Diesel-AT: 18kmpl || 1.4 Petrol-MT: 16.1kmpl || 1.4 Petrol-DCT: 16.5kmpl

It isn’t a surprise that the most frugal powertrain of the lot is the diesel-MT. However, there’s something interesting to note. The 1.4 petrol engine mated to the DCT can actually be more fuel-efficient than with the MT. What’s also surprising is that the turbocharged mill is not that thirsty when compared to the less powerful 1.5-litre petrol engine.

Right then. Time to talk features. As you’d expect with such a long list of variants, which features are offered in where can be quite daunting to fathom. Let’s start slow. As standard, the Seltos comes with features such as ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors, projector headlamps, 16-inch steel rims with full covers, disc brakes on all wheels, keyless entry, shark-fin antenna, rear AC vents and all power windows. As you climb up the trim tree, gizmos such as UVO connected car tech, a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a built-in air purifier, electric sunroof, 17-inch alloy wheels, an 8-speaker Bose sound system, six airbags, and ventilated seats can come into the equation.

As far as the standard warranty is concerned, it is 3 years/unlimited kilometres. The company has announced that till date it has received over 32,000 bookings for the Seltos. Deliveries commence from today and nearly 5,000 units have already been manufactured.

It seems Kia Motors India did not want to leave any stone unturned with the Seltos. That being said, expect the carmaker to expand the list of variants further in the near future. In India, the Kia Seltos joins the compact SUV segment and rivals the Hyundai Creta, Renault Captur and Nissan Kicks. Based on how it is priced, the new entrant is likely to trouble bigger SUVs, such as the Tata Harrier and the MG Hector, as well. Here’s the complete prices list (introductory and ex-showroom) for the Kia Seltos: