Which Kia Seltos is better: diesel or petrol?

Many manufacturers are turning away from diesel power, but some makers still buck this trend. As an example, Kia offers a fairly expansive diesel-powered model range, including brand new models like the Seltos. There are two petrols and one diesel engine on offer, so we evaluated the range to see which one ticks the most boxes. Should you stick with a petrol, or will the diesel be the better buy?

One diesel, two petrols, three gearboxes

The Kia Seltos offers a fairly wide selection of engine/transmission/equipment combinations, with most of the action concentrated around the entry-level “EX” trim level. Buyers of these derivatives can choose between manual- or automatic gearboxes, and select either petrol- or diesel power.

Mid-level “EX+” trim can be had with either the base petrol or the diesel engine, but are only available as automatics. At the top of the range is the sporty “GT Line” trim, which comes only with a 1.4-litre turbo petrol mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic. They all have an excellent warranty for 5 years with no distance limit and a service plan for 5 years or 90 000 km. Which combination is the best choice for family buyers? We take a closer look at the details to get to the bottom of this question.

* Manufacturer’s claimed figures for performance and average fuel consumption.

Which engine is right for you?

Going the diesel route

The first thing you’d notice from the table above is that, if fuel economy is your primary concern, you’d be better off with a diesel. And, if you really want to eke out every possible kilometre between fuel stops, the turbodiesel/manual combination will go the furthest on a tank of liquified dinosaurs.

Fortunately, the diesel engine is really nice to use: it has a solid slug of torque that arrives as soon as the rev counterpoints to the north of 1 500 r/min, and it delivers its punch across a wide rev range – well, up to its ceiling of 4 500 r/min, anyway. It’s also fairly quiet and smooth-running even from a cold start and seldom reveals its fuel source in normal driving conditions.

Fuel consumption is exemplary, with the Seltos 1.5 CRDi manual consistently logging sub-6 ℓ/100 km average consumption in mixed-cycle driving, lending some substance to its claimed average figure of 5.1 ℓ/100 km. On-paper performance isn’t scorching, with a 0 – 100 km/h sprint in a relaxed 11.5 seconds and a top speed of 176 km/h, but on-road performance (overtaking, nipping into a gap on the freeway and so on) is effortless and punchy and makes the Seltos 1.5 CRDi manual a smooth and long-legged cruiser.

Much of the same can be expected from the 1.5 CRDi automatic, except with even less driver effort and a mild consumption penalty (which goes up to 5.7 ℓ/100 km). Interestingly, Kia claims identical performance figures for both transmissions, and the same applies to the 1.6-litre petrol derivates as well.

Want a petrol? Right this way!

The Seltos range is bookended by two 4-cylinder, petrol-powered derivatives: a naturally aspirated 1.6-litre at the bottom end, and a turbocharged, direct-injected 1.4-litre at the top. Like the diesel, the 1.6 can be had in either manual- or automatic flavours, both 6-speed units.

Peak outputs from the non-turbo 1.6 are reasonable but not earth-shattering: 90 kW and 151 Nm (at a lofty 4 850 r/min) are claimed to be good for a 0 – 100 km/h sprint in 11.2 seconds, and it runs out of steam at 175 km/h. In other words, just about the same performance as the 1.5 CRDi, but without the mid-range torque – that’s the one trade-off for saving R 30 000. The other is fuel consumption: with a claimed average of 6.9 ℓ/100 km (manual) or 7.2 ℓ/100 km, the entry-level petrol is quite a lot thirstier than the diesel.

At the opposite end of the spectrum is the 1.4T-GDI GT Line, which ups the ante to 103 kW and 242 Nm. This makes for a markedly faster Seltos, but obviously at a price premium. R 25 000 over the high-spec automatic diesel gets the 0 – 100 km/h dash down to 9.7 seconds, and its claimed fuel consumption is midway between the 1.5 CRDi and the 1.6 petrol at 6.3 ℓ/100 km. The extra money adds some luxury- and cosmetic additions, though, so the top-level Seltos is still good value relative to its siblings.

The Verdict

Most buyers will likely be quite satisfied with a 1.6-litre petrol Seltos with whichever trim and gearbox the buyer prefers: it’s powerful enough to get most family-car jobs done, and it’s markedly less expensive than the 1.5 diesel. However, if the budget can stretch that little bit further, a Seltos 1.5 CRDi will do those same jobs even better and save on fuel in the long run.

The 1.4T-GDI GT Line is a bit of an odd one in this line-up: it’s usefully quicker than the others and a fair bit better equipped, but its equipment level and more complex mechanical pieces also move it perilously close to entry-level premium-brand crossover territory. It’s very nice, but it probably wouldn’t be the sensible choice in its range.

For general use, we’d recommend the Seltos 1.5 CRDi with the gearbox of your choice. Its balanced package of usable torque and superb fuel efficiency gives the Seltos a winning set of real-life attributes, at a reasonable price point. Those in search of the best value and economy should home in on the manual derivative, but the automatic is an equally viable (if thirstier and more expensive) option, in either of its available two trim levels.

Keyword: Which Kia Seltos is better: diesel or petrol?