Is it advisable to buy a Kia Seltos GTX+?

I booked the Kia Seltos GTX+ but within a month of its launch, I saw complaints online regarding DCT heating, infotainment system hanging and low mileage (automatic). Should I go for the Compass or Octavia instead? I can wait for the 2020 Octavia.

Maniprasad Sundaramoorthy, Coimbatore

AAA - Yes, it’s true that the Kia Seltos faced problems with DCT overheating and the infotainment system hanging. Both are software issues and Kia has provided upgrades to fix them. The infotainment issue was causing the screen to suddenly blank out, and Kia says this has been fixed by an OS update. The DCT heating issue was because the software was calibrated to disengage the clutch only partially with a light application of the brakes. The idea was to still provide a bit of drive in
stop-start conditions and reduce lag, but this excessive clutch ’slip’ led to clutch overheating, which the safety system then disengaged until it cooled down; hence, even in ‘D’ there was no drive. Kia has now upgraded the gearbox software to fully disengage the clutch even with the lightest brake application, to prevent the overheating issue.

If you are still keen on the Seltos, we don’t think  you should worry as the problems seem to have been solved. The 2020 Skoda Octavia will be fantastic but much more expensive.