Comparison: Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara vs Kia Seltos

There’s no doubt the Kia Seltos is the benchmark of compact SUVs in India. Its debut in 2019 caught everyone’s attention with its contemporary styling, powertrain combinations, and competitive pricing. Fast forward four years, and the Seltos continues to be one of the best-selling SUVs in its segment. However, with competition closing in fast with new entrants such as the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Toyota Hyryder and the Volkswagen group twins, the Seltos was starting to lose its sheen. To address that, the Korean carmaker has given a mid-life refresh to the new Seltos with updated styling, engines and even more features. The SUV is back and brimming with enthusiasm to take on its rivals. 

Among the Kia SUVs competitors, the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara stands out as a significant SUV with its unique offering of a hybrid powertrain that makes it special in the segment. The Grand Vitara also sports a modern design language, all the expected features and multiple engine options. Furthermore, it’s after a long while the homegrown carmaker is offering a premium product, a shift from its usual approach. Maruti Suzuki’s customer base, sales and after-sales support remain unmatched even today and these qualities will also help the Grand Vitara find many buyers.

If you’re in the market for an SUV under Rs 20 lakh, there’s a high chance these two SUVs will rank high on your list. But, when it comes down to putting your money, which one should it be? Let’s find out. 

Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara vs Kia Seltos: Dimensions

Let’s tackle this in a systematic way. The longest SUV here is the Seltos coming in at 4365mm as opposed to 4345mm of the Grand Vitara. If you consider the width, the Kia takes the lead again, albeit by a mere 5mm. The Grand Vitara comes back by being the tallest SUV here at 1645mm in contrast to the 1620mm of the Kia Seltos. If you fancy more wheelbase, the Kia Seltos offers an additional 10mm. Considering the unpredictable nature of our roads, ground clearance has become a priority these days. Here, the Grand Vitara takes the lead with 210mm, while the Seltos offers 190mm of ground clearance. 

Moving on to another important parameter, boot space, Kia trumps the Maruti Suzuki with 433 litres of boot space. In conclusion, both SUVs are neck and neck, but we’re more inclined to suggest the Seltos since it offers more boot space, wheelbase, width and length.

Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara vs Kia Seltos: Engine & Transmission

Let’s brush over the numbers of both SUVs first. The Kia Seltos offers three engine options: 1.5-litre petrol/diesel/turbo petrol and five gearbox options: CVT, iMT, AT, MT and DCT. The Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara makes use of a 1.5-litre three-cylinder and four-cylinder petrol engine, the former being a strong hybrid while the latter is a mild hybrid. There are also three gearbox options for the Grand Vitara: CVT, MT and AT.

In all fairness, both SUVs approach this in a distinct manner. If you want an SUV that offers the most fuel economy, it has to be the Grand Vitara with mild and strong hybrid engines. It offers anywhere between 20.58 to 27.97 kmpl which is exemplary for an SUV. However, on the downside, it offers just about enough performance and won’t be the best fit for someone who loves to drive. 

The Kia Seltos offers impressive performance with the 160PS turbo petrol engine and the dual-clutch gearbox. This combination is the gold standard when it comes to performance and excitement. It is also one of the rare few SUVs that still offer the option of a diesel engine which is ideal for someone who prefers the frugality of a diesel mill. The Kia is not as fuel efficient as the Maruti Suzuki but it gets the job done. So ultimately, it is the Kia Seltos for performance and the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara for fuel efficiency. 

Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara vs Kia Seltos: Features & Comfort

Standard features are offered by both SUVs making them relevant in the segment. They offer a large touchscreen, a digital driver’s display, a panoramic sunroof, ventilated seats, a wireless charger, automatic headlamps, auto wipers, cruise control and the whole shebang. However, the Kia Seltos is inarguably the better-loaded SUV here as it offers some extra goodies such as the Bose sound system, a bigger touchscreen system, an air purifier, electric seats, 18-inch alloy wheels and a heads-up display. So if we consider features and comfort, the choice is the Kia Seltos as it offers more convenience with better features, especially with the latest update. 

Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara vs Kia Seltos: Safety Features

The outgoing version of the Kia Seltos was crash tested by the GNCAP resulting in an average score of 3 stars. The Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara and the latest iteration of the Seltos are yet to be tested. Maruti Suzuki is confident that the SUV will score well but only time will tell. Until then, we have to look at what they offer on paper. All the essential and basic safety features are covered. Both SUVs come with 6 airbags and a whole host of safety kit. That said, Kia goes one step ahead and is now offering a full ADAS suite with over 17 features for the new Seltos which makes it the clear winner in this comparison. 

Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara vs Kia Seltos: Price Comparison

If we just look at the pricing of the base model, the Grand Vitara with the mild hybrid engine is around Rs 20,000 more affordable. But look at the mid, upper mid and range-topping versions, it is obvious the two SUVs are more or less equally priced with the difference not being substantial enough for a deal-breaker. For example, the range-topping Kia Seltos comes with a sticker price of Rs 19.65 lakh while Maruti Suzuki will sell you a Grand Vitara top-spec for Rs 19.90 lakh. Despite the SUV you choose, the range-topping models will cost you over Rs 21 lakh as these are ex-showroom prices, devoid of taxes, insurance and other miscellaneous charges. 

Summary

It is easier to summarize this than we thought. And that is entirely down to the difference in intent of the two SUVs in question – the Kia Seltos and the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara. If you’re a potential buyer on the fence between these two SUVs, we’ve got you covered. 

The  Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara is the SUV that you should bring home if you like your cars to be fuel efficient. Despite being an SUV, the Grand Vitara delivers astonishing fuel economy thanks to the hybrid trickery under its hood. It’s also a well-built, feature-loaded SUV that looks and feels the part. Plus, you get Maruti’s aforementioned unbeatable sales and service support. 

But if you’re an enthusiast who values performance, the Kia Seltos is the car for you. It offers a diesel engine, better performance, more powertrain options, better boot space, and safety. The benchmark that Kia set four years ago with the original Seltos still remains and the new one takes the game ahead of all its rivals ticking all the boxes.