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Kia Seltos vs MG Hector Price, Specs, Mileage Comparison

Published by
Team GaadiWaadi

The Kia Seltos has been launched at an ex-showroom price of Rs 9.69 lakh and goes on to rival the likes of Hyundai Creta and MG Hector

The Kia Seltos is finally on sale in India and has been launched in India and goes on sale at a starting price of just Rs 9.69 lakh (ex-showroom). At this price range, it has landed bang in the MG Hector and Hyundai Creta territory. So, let’s compare the new arrival with the Chinese-origin British SUV in our Kia Seltos vs MG Hector Comparison.

Kia Seltos vs MG Hector – Price Comparison

Kia Seltos Tech Line Petrol 1.5 BS6 Diesel 1.5 BS6
HTE INR 9.69 INR 9.99
HTK INR 9.99 INR 11.19
HTK+ INR 11.19 INR 12.19/13.19 (6AT)
HTX INR 12.79/13.79 (IVT) INR 13.79
HTX+ INR 14.99/15.99 (6AT)

 

Kia Seltos GT Line Petrol 1.4T-GDI
GTK INR 13.49
GTX INR 14.99/15.99 (7DCT)
GTX+ INR 15.99

*All prices are ex-showroom

The Kia Seltos has shook the market with an almost unbelievable entry-level price of INR 9.69 lakh. Even its diesel model has a starting price of INR 9.99 lakh, which makes it great value for money. Prices of the 1.4-litre turbo-petrol model, however, are a bit high and start at INR 13.49 lakh.

However, it needs to be mentioned here that while the 1.5-litre engine options are available in the basic HTE grade, the 1.4-litre variant starts with the middle-order GTK grade. The 1.5-litre petrol version is not available in the HTX+ grade, while its HTX trim costs INR 13.79 lakh with the automatic transmission option in the form of a CVT.

The 1.5-litre diesel though is available in the HTX+ grade and costs INR 15.99 lakh with the 6-speed torque-converter automatic transmission. The top-spec 1.4 GTX+ model costs INR 15.99 lakh but isn’t available with the fantastic 7-speed DCT, which, by the way, is available on the 1.4 GTX trim and costs the same.

MG Hector Style Super
Petrol MT 12.18 lakh* 12.98 lakh*
Petrol Hybrid MT 13.58 lakh*
Petrol DCT
Diesel MT 13.18 lakh* 14.18 lakh*

*All prices are ex-showroom, Delhi

MG Hector Smart Sharp
Petrol MT
Petrol Hybrid MT 14.68 lakh* 15.88 lakh*
Petrol DCT 15.28 lakh* 16.78 lakh*
Diesel MT 15.48 lakh* 16.88 lakh*

In comparison, the MG Hector costs a lot more, with the base price pegged at INR 12.18 lakh. Even its petrol DCT model costs INR 16.78 lakh, which is higher than what the top-spec diesel automatic variant and the petrol DCT automatic GTX trim of the Seltos costs.

So, what this means is that the Kia Seltos has pretty much outclassed the MG Hector in the pricing game, which is quite something if you consider that the Hector was being perceived as a good value for money. So, the first round of our Kia Seltos vs MG Hector comparison goes in favour of the new SUV.

Kia Seltos vs MG Hector – Specs Comparison

Kia Seltos Engine and Transmission Options

  • 5-litre petrol engine (115 PS/144 Nm), 6-speed MT,
  • 5-litre petrol engine (115 PS/144 Nm), CVT
  • 5-litre turbo diesel engine (115 PS/250 Nm), 6-speed MT
  • 5-litre turbo diesel engine (115 PS/250 Nm), 6-speed AT
  • 4-litre turbo petrol engine (140 PS/242 Nm), 6-speed MT
  • 4-litre turbo petrol engine (140 PS/242 Nm), 7-speed DCT

The Kia Seltos is available in three engine variants – 1.5-litre petrol, 1.5-litre turbo-diesel and 1.4-litre turbo-petrol. The base petrol motor outputs a maximum power of 115 PS and a peak torque of 144 Nm. It is available with a 6-speed manual transmission and a CVT option. The diesel option comes in the form of a 1.5-litre turbocharged unit that produces 115 PS and 250 Nm.

It outputs a maximum power of 115 PS and a peak torque of 250 Nm. Transmission options include a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed toque converter automatic unit. The flagship engine is a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol unit that produces a maximum power of 140 PS and a peak torque of 242 Nm. Transmission options include a 6-speed manual and a 7-speed DCT automatic unit.

MG Hector Engine and Transmission Options

  • 5-litre turbo-petrol (143 PS/250 Nm), 6-speed MT
  • 5-litre turbo-petrol (143 PS/250 Nm) with 48V mild-hybrid, 6-speed DCT
  • 5-litre turbo-diesel (170 PS/350 Nm) with 6-speed MT

In comparison, the MG Hector is available with a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol and a 1.5-litre turbo-diesel engine options. The former is available with 6-speed manual and 6-speed DCT transmissions, with the latter also being available with a 48V mild-hybrid technology. The diesel engine option produces 170 PS and 350 Nm.

Spec-to-spec, the MG Hector is more powerful than the Seltos but the latter is available with a 7-speed DCT option with the 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine. What also tilts the balance towards the Seltos is that its diesel engine is available with an automatic option, which is something that should work in favour of the new arrival. Still, we would say that there is no clear winner of this part of our Kia Seltos vs MG Hector comparison as the latter offers stronger performance, at least on paper.

Kia Seltos vs MG Hector – Mileage Comparison

Kia Seltos Mileage Figures

  • 5-litre petrol engine with 6-speed MT- 16.4 km/l
  • 5-litre petrol with CVT – 16.3 km/l
  • 5-litre diesel with 6-speed MT – 20.8 km/l
  • 5-litre diesel with 6-speed AT – 17.8 km/l
  • 4-litre turbocharged petrol with 6-speed MT- 16.1 km/l
  • 4-litre turbocharged petrol with 7-speed DCT- 16.2 km/l

Armed with the 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine, the Kia Seltos delivers an ARAI-tested mileage of 16.4 km/l with the 6-speed MT and 16.3 km/l with the CVT. Its diesel engine offers an ARAI-rated fuel mileage of 20.8 km/l with the 6-speed MT and 17.8 km/l with the 6-speed AT. On the other hand, the top-spec 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine offers 16.1 km/l with the 6-speed MT and 16.2 km/l with the 7-speed DCT.

MG Hector Mileage Figures

  • 5-litre turbo-petrol with 6-speed MT – 14.16 km/l
  • 5-litre turbo-petrol with 48V mild-hybrid, 6-speed DCT – 15.71 km/l
  • 5-litre turbo-diesel with 6-speed MT – 17.41 km/l

With the 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine mated to a 6-speed manual transmission, the MG Hector offers a mileage of 14.16 km/l as per ARAI. With the 6-speed DCT and the 48V mild-hybrid, however, it offers an ARAI-rated mileage of 15.71 km/l. On the other hand, its diesel engine, which comes only with a 6-speed manual transmission option, offers an ARAI-rated mileage of 17.41 km/l. From this, it’s clear that the new Korean SUV is the winner of this part of our Kia Seltos vs MG Hector comparison.

Kia Seltos vs MG Hector – Features Comparison

Both the SUVs here come with some top-spec features, including a large sunroof, a high-end music system, electrically-adjustable driver’s seat, 360-degree camera with front parking sensors and connected apps suite. However, compared to the 37 features offered by the UVO connected features package of the Kia Seltos, the i-Smart system of the Hector offers 50 apps.

The Seltos, however, gains an upper-hand over the Hector by offering a wireless smartphone charging pod and multi-drive modes with selectable terrain-response modes. Also, while the Hector’s portrait-style touchscreen infotainment unit is bigger than the infotainment screen of the Seltos, it’s the latter’s unit that is more responsive and offers a great multi-screen mode. Hence, even in this part of our Kia Seltos vs MG Hector comparison, it’s the former that wins over the latter.

 

Kia Seltos vs MG Hector Comparison Verdict

Price- The Kia Seltos is the clear winner of this part of the comparison. The entry-level prices of the Seltos are much lower than that of the Hector. Also, even if you compare the top-spec variants, it’s the Seltos that is more affordable in spite of offering more features.

Specs – We don’t have a clear winner in this part of our comparison. This is because the Hector offers more power and torque but it’s the Seltos that offers more transmission options and even has an automatic gearbox for the diesel unit, which is something that is preferred by many buyers in this segment.

Mileage – Again, it’s the Kia Seltos that emerges as the winner. As per ARAI, the Seltos offers more mileage than the Hector, which holds true on comparison of both petrol and diesel engine options.

Features – To a large extent, both the SUVs stand equally matched in this part of our comparison. Still, if we get into nit-picking, it’s the Seltos that triumphs over the Hector as it offers a few additional features.

From the above, it’s quite apparent that the MG Hector lags behind the Kia Seltos in many departments. However, let’s not forget that the Hector is much more spacious and has a higher street presence due to its bigger size.

Hence, we urge all our readers to take into account their exact requirements and then choose between the two SUVs based on their pros and cons. In our books, however, it’s the new Korean SUV that becomes the winner of our Kia Seltos vs MG Hector comparison.

That said, please note that this, here, is a spec-sheet comparison and doesn’t take into account how the two models perform in real-world conditions. For a test drive review comparison of Kia Seltos and MG Hector, we request you to stay tuned to Gaadiwaadi.

 

Published by
Team GaadiWaadi