Jack of all trades, master of none, though oftentimes better than master of one.
The first half of the aforementioned adage is often quoted but few know the full context. And having spent more than six months with the Kia Seltos, I feel that the saying fits the mid-size SUV well. While some SUVs excel in a particular area and fall short in others, the Seltos does everything you ask of it well and can even be called the master of some trades.
Six months down the line, it still looks as appealing as the first time I picked it up. The boxy front end looks fantastic, especially the LED headlamps that seem to have been picked off a concept car. Besides the eye-catching red paintjob that blends well with the moderate use of chrome, I am quite fond of the Y-spoke alloy wheels. These are exclusive to the GT Line variant which gets the sporty treatment both inside and out.
The all-black interiors are impressive as well and gets high-quality materials. The Seltos is feature packed and the list includes some quite useful tech. Like the Blind Spot Monitor, which is my favourite.
The Seltos saw a lot of highway action this month besides including a road trip with the wife but instead of the popular tourist destinations south of Pune, I headed northwest. Post monsoon, Bhimashankar is breathtaking. In some places, the hills in the distance and greenery reminded me of hill stations in the North. The roads around Bhimashankar are in good nick and mostly deserted. It allowed me to keep up the pace while the wife relaxed in the passenger seat soaking in the view outside and listening to jazz crooning out from the eight-speaker Bose audio system.
The 1.5-litre diesel is quite powerful and is complemented by the torque converter gearbox that impresses with its seamless shifts. As we neared the protected sanctuary, the roads deteriorated in sections. It wasn’t a problem as the brilliant suspension absorbed craters with ease. The Seltos has been a true all-rounder both in the city and highway. It will be dearly missed.
