From Kia a new compact SUV the Seltos arrives in showrooms next Friday – taking the choice in compact SUV’s to around 27 with Mitsubishi’s ASX the best seller by a country mile. The new five-door Seltos sits below Kia’s Sportage model, 115mm shorter, but still rather roomy by small SUV standards. Very good looking in a great range of colour the company suggesting it will appeal more to younger buyer with a strong female skew. Available in a mix of front drive and all-wheel-drive models – with pricing kicking off at $25,990 drive-away for the entry front –drive Seltos S, running up to $41,990 drive-away for the flagship Seltos GT Line.  Front drive models feature a 2.0-litre 110kW four-cylinder coupled to a new generation CVT automatic, all-wheel-drive models get a 1.6-litre turbo driving through a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic. The specification across the range is impressive, higher grade models however gets such niceties as smart remote start, fast wireless phone charging, an electronic park brakes, an 8-speaker Bose premium sound system, 18-inch alloy wheels, a head-up instrument display, interior sound mood lighting and premium artificial leather seats and powered, heated and ventilated front seats. Plus there’s a swag of driver assist technologies on the latest Seltos. Kia’s of course were one of the first companies to run with a 7-year/unlimited kilometre warranty and roadside assist and its given them a certain sales momentum I the market. The Seltos on looks alone will give them a big sales lift and I look forward to checking it our driving characteristics in coming weeks.

I’m David Berthon

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