Kia's Seltos will start at less than $26,000 drive-away when it lands in Australia in October, with the brand's local arm confirming its price targets for its all-new small SUV.
Now it must be said, the brand is yet to confirm official pricing, but Kia Australia's Chief Operating Officer, Damien Meredith, has told CarsGuide he expects the Seltos to start at "between $25,000 and $26,000" when it arrives, according to the brand's "target pricing".
That pricing puts the entry-level trim, the S, on par with its key competitors, with Mazda's CX-3 starting at $22,170, and Honda's HR-V priced from $24,990, plus on-road costs in both examples.
If your tastes run to the top end of the Seltos family - the GT Line - then you'll need deeper pockets, with Meredith suggesting that car will land closer to $40,000, also drive-away.
And the brand has high hopes for the Seltos in Australia, saying it expects to sell as many as 750 units per month initially, but conceding that number could climb to over 1000 if they can get the production allocation they'd require.
"Our target pricing we're looking at is $25,000 to $26,000 drive-away for the entry-level model," Meredith says. "We’ll probably be (selling) about 650-750 per month, and after that it will depend on supply.
"It’s definitely go the potential (to be our number-one seller). But we’ve been told pretty clearly that stock rotations will drive the first 12 months, so you’ve got to be realistic about the volumes we can expect to get."
The Seltos will touch down as a four-trim family in October, starting with the S before climbing to the Sport, then the Sport+, and finally the GT Line.
Even the cheapest S gets 16-inch alloys and automatic headlights with halogen DRLs outside, and an 8.0-inch touchscreen inside that’s both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto equipped.
The Sport adds 17-inch alloys, fog lights and climate control, as well as a massive 10.25-inch touchscreen that sits above the dash. You also get a "premium" steering wheel and shifter, and the safety net of a full-size spare.
Next is the Sport+, which adds push-button start, heated front seats and a self-warming steering wheel, as well as partial faux-leather seats, an electronic parking brake and heated mirrors.
Finally, the GT Line gets the best of the lot, with big 18-inch alloys, LED headlights and DRLs, full faux-leather seats, wireless charging and what Kia calls it Sound Mood lighting; an interior lighting treatment that pulses along with your stereo. The GT Line also gets powered front seats, rain-sensing wipers and the front seats get a cooling function.
There are two two petrol engines choices driving either the front or all four wheels.
The S, Sport and Sport+ models share a 2.0-litre petrol engine good for 110kW and 180Nm, with that power shuffled through a CVT automatic gearbox. That combination will produce a sprint to 100km/h of 9.6 seconds and a 194km/h top speed.
The GT Line (it's also optional in the Sport+) gets a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine good for 130kW and 265Nm, with power sent to all four wheels through a seven-speed DCT automatic. It reduces the sprint to 100km/h to 8.0 seconds, and increases the top speed to 208km/h.
Kia is clearly shooting for a five-star ANCAP safety rating for its Seltos, and so AEB (with pedestrian detection) is standard from the S model up. It’s joined by a reversing camera, six airbags, rear parking sensors, cruise control and Kia’s Lane Keeping Assist system on the S and Sport cars.
The Sport+ and GT Line add a more advanced AEB system with cyclist detection, as well as active cruise, blind-spot detection and front parking sensors.
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