Spec comparison: Kia Seltos facelift vs Hyundai Creta vs Grand Vitara vs Volkswagen Taigun vs Honda Elevate

Kia India has finally unveiled the much-anticipated new Seltos facelift in India. While the launch of the SUV will take place in the coming months, the carmaker will open its order books on 14 July, 2023. Notably, from a fresh look and a new interior to advanced features, this mid-cycle facelift has brought several significant changes to the refreshed Seltos. Not to mention, it also comes with a new turbocharged petrol engine option. Kia will offer the Seltos facelift in a choice of three trim options: X-Line, GT Line, and Tech Line. Since most details about the 2023 Seltos facelift are available, here compare it with its direct rivals in the Indian market.

Kia Seltos facelift vs Hyundai Creta vs Grand Vitara vs Volkswagen Taigun vs Honda Elevate: Powertrain

The upcoming Kia Seltos facelift will be available in three engine options across five transmission choices. The updated Seltos will come powered by a new 1.5-litre, inline four-cylinder, turbocharged petrol engine producing 160PS and 253Nm of torque. This engine debuted with the Hyundai Alcazar and all-new Verna, followed by the Kia Carens. On top of that, it will come with a 1.5-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol motor and a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged diesel unit. Transmission options include a six-speed manual, six-speed iMT, torque-convertor automatic, CVT automatic, and dual-clutch automatic.

The first direct rival of the refreshed Seltos, the Hyundai Creta, is powered by the same a 1.5-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol motor making 115PS and 143.8Nm of torque and a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged diesel unit that generates 116PS and 250Nm of torque. While the petrol comes mated to a CVT automatic and a six-speed manual gearbox, the diesel can be paired with a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission.

On the other hand, the Volkswagen Taigun, or the Skoda Kushaq for that matter, get two powertrain options. Firstly, there is a 1.5-litre, inline four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine producing 150PS and 250Nm of torque, secondly, the SUVs can also be had with a 1.0-litre, inline three-cylinder, turbocharged petrol motor that delivers 115PS and 178Nm of torque. VW and Skoda both offer a choice of six-speed manual, six-speed automatic, and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission options.

Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara comes powered by a strong hybrid powertrain. It gets a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, naturally aspirated petrol motor with mild hybrid system that makes 103PS and 137Nm of torque and a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, naturally aspirated petrol engine paired with Toyota's TNGA Atkinson cycle hybrid technology. Together, this system produces 116PS and 122Nm of torque. While the former is mated to a six-speed manual and a CVT automatic, the latter is coupled to only an e-CVT automatic transmission. The Grand Vitara also offers an option of all-wheel drive. Meanwhile, the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder bears specifications identical to the Maruti's SUV.

The recently unveiled Honda Elevate is the newest rival and contender in the compact SUV segment. It comes powered by a 1.5-litre, inline four-cylinder, naturally aspirated petrol engine paired with a six-speed manual or CVT automatic transmission. It can deliver 121PS and 145Nm of torque.

The refreshed Seltos offers a range of engine options and a whopping five different transmission options. It also offers the most powerful petrol engine in its segment - the 1.5-litre turbo. In addition, the iMT gearbox is one of the USPs of the Seltos facelift. Moreover, the Taigun and Kushaq have the 150PS 1.5-litre TSI Evo engine, making them an alternative for Seltos' new turbo petrol engine. However, the Grand Vitara and Urban Cruiser Hyryder stand out with their strong hybrid powertrain that also provides an EV-only range. Last but not least, the Elevate is powered by a naturally aspirated motor borrowed from the City, which is not as powerful as the turbocharged 1.5-litre but is more powerful than the Maruti's 1.5-litre naturally aspirated unit.

Kia Seltos facelift vs Hyundai Creta vs Grand Vitara vs Volkswagen Taigun vs Honda Elevate: Features and Specifications

Kia has equipped Seltos facelift with numerous new features. The most significant additions include ADAS with 17 functions, a panoramic sunroof, dual-zone temperature control, eight-way powered drive seat, a new 10.25-inch dual-screen setup, and electronic parking brake with auto hold. It now gets 15 standard safety features and a total of 32 safety features. The refreshed SUV continues with the heads-up display, ventilated seats, ESP, six airbags, connected car tech with smartwatch connectivity, traction control, eight-speaker Bose sound system, driving modes, wireless charging pad, TPMS, air purifier, front and rear parking sensors, and LED headlights, among others.

The Hyundai Creta offers more or less the same features as the outgoing Seltos that are carried forward to the Seltos facelift, but it misses out on ADAS, fully digital cluster, dual-zone temperature, and heads-up display.

Whereas, the key features in the Grand Vitara include a 360deg camera, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a panoramic sunroof, a nine-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a wireless charging pad, connected car features, a heads-up display, LED headlights, driving modes, paddle shifters, cruise control, and ventilated seats.

In comparison, the VW Taigun offers various features, namely a fully digital instrument cluster, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an electric sunroof, 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system, six airbags, multi collision braking, ESP, LED headlamps, six-speaker sound system, connected car features, wireless phone charging, engine start/stop button, ventilated front seats, paddle shifters, hill hold and descent control, and TPMS, among others. The Skoda Kushaq is also equipped with similar features.

The upcoming Honda Elevate will be the second SUV in the segment after the Seltos facelift to offer ADAS functionality. On top of that, it will offer a range of other features, such as an electric sunroof, LED headlamps, connected car tech with smartwatch connectivity, auto-dimming IRVM, semi-digital instrument cluster, a six-speaker sound system, a lane-watch camera, a rearview camera, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, multiple airbags, ABS with EBD, and more.

All in all, it is safe to say that the Seltos facelift not only offers a variety of engine and transmission options but is also the most feature-rich SUV in the segment. On the other hand, the Creta, Kushaq, Elevate, Taigun, Grand Vitara, and Urban Cruiser Hyryder miss out on many features.

Also read:

2023 Kia Seltos makes India debut; bookings to open on 14 July 

Honda Elevate pre-bookings open; launch slated for Sep

Upcoming Hyundai Creta spied testing in India