Not many car companies have enjoyed growth this year – Kia is one with a modest lift of 2 per cent with its big seller the Cerato hatch and sedan range – sales this year up 14 percent year to date. A new small SUV arrives for Kia next Friday and on looks alone it has the wherewithall to really lift Kia sales before year end. Around 200mm longer to Hyundai’s Kona the Kia Seltos sits just below Kia’s Sportage SUV being 115mm shorter. Kia suggesting it will appeal more to a younger audience to Sportage with strong female appeal. Available in a mix of front drive and all-wheel-drive models – the front drive Seltos S kicks of the batting at $25,990 , the Sport $29,490  and the Sport Plus from 32,990 – all prices drive-away. The first of the 4WD Seltos – the Sport Plus $36,490 with the flagship Seltos GT Line $41,990. Engine power for the front drive models is a 2.0-litre 110kW four coupled to a new generation CVT automatic, Four-wheel drive Sport Plus and GL Line models get a 1.6-litre 130kW turbo coupled to a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic. The specification level is impressive – the entry Seltos gets autonomous emergency braking, an 8-inch touchscreen with Apple Car Play and Android Auto, lane keep assist, cruise control, drive attention alert, a reversing camera with dynamic guidelines and rear parking sensors. Pretty much the specification we’ve come to expect in small SUV’s however it’s the sheer visual appeal that will sell this new Kia Seltos together with some great colours like Starlight Yellow.

I’m David Berthon

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