After many months of waiting, the Kia Seltos has finally been launched here in Malaysia. The B-segment SUV is fully imported (CBU) from India, so compared to its locally assembled (CKD) competition, the Seltos – as expected – costs quite a bit more.

Two variants of the Seltos are offered on our shores. The base EX model is priced at RM115,888, while the better equipped GT-Line trim goes for RM133,888. These are on-the-road prices without insurance, along with 50% sales tax exemption applied until 30 June 2021. This SUV also has a five-year, unlimited mileage warranty.

Regardless of which variant you get, both models of the Seltos are powered by the same 1.6L Gamma MPI engine that outputs 123PS and 151Nm of torque; our market is not getting the turbocharged engine. Aside from that, drive is sent to the front wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission.

What differentiates the EX and GT-Line trims of the Seltos are a number of creature comforts and design elements. Exclusive to the GT-Line variant are ventilated front seats, full LED headlights, a head-up display, a Qi wireless charging pad, automatic air-conditioning, and a 7-inch multi-info display – the EX gets a smaller 3.5-inch screen instead.

Standard equipment offered on both the EX and GT-Line models, on the other hand, are quite neat. These include six airbags, leather seats – though the design is different between the two – Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support, passive cruise control, as well as 17-inch alloy wheels.

To recap, the Kia Seltos retails at RM115,888 and RM133,888 for the EX and GT-Line models respectively. Do note that these prices are only valid until 30 June 2021; that’s when the government’s sales tax exemption for CBU and CKD cars is set to end.