Kia Motor India’s first product, the Seltos, is slated to launch on August 22, 2019. That’s about five weeks away from today. The company has decided to utilise that wait time to garner some bookings for the compact SUV. Yes! You can now book the Kia Seltos with a minimum token amount of Rs 25,000. There are two ways to book it – one, by going paying online on Kia Motor India’s website, and two, by visiting any of the authorised dealerships across the country.

There’s no other way of putting it – the Kia Seltos looks promising on paper, at least. It will be available with a variety of engine-transmission combinations. The entry-level variants will house a 1.5-litre petrol engine (115PS/144Nm) which can be had with either a 6-speed manual or a CVT (or IVT in Kia’s books). Then there will be a 1.5-litre turbo-diesel engine (115PS/250Nm) which will be available with both a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed automatic gearbox (torque converter). The most powerful of the lot will be a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine (140PS/242Nm) and it will be offered only in the GT Line. Transmission options will include a 6-speed manual and a 7-speed DCT.

Over to the list of features. As has become the norm of any newcomer in the industry, the Seltos will introduce a number of segment-first features. That list includes a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an 8-speaker Bose sound system, a head-up display, a built-in air purifier, USB charging ports for rear seats, a 7.0-inch display within the instrument cluster and UVO technology. Kia says UVO will offer a total of 37 connected car features, bucketed into five categories – Safety & Security, Navigation, Remote Control, Convenience and Vehicle Management. Yes! That is more or less the same as what Hyundai BlueLink offers.

When it launches, the Seltos will become the first BSVI-compliant compact SUV in India. Kia Motors India is adamant that by the time that D-Day arrives, a total of 265 touchpoints across 160 cities will be up and running. We are expecting a price list ranging between Rs 12-18 lakh. As far as rivals are concerned, the Seltos will compete with the Hyundai Creta, Nissan Kicks and the Renault Captur.