Kia Seltos vs Ford Ecosport Comparison: Which one is better?

1. Kia Seltos vs Ford Ecosport: Introduction

Being the biggest car name of its respective brands, Kia Seltos and Ford Ecosport are the most popular SUVs that are doing its ways to garner a bigger slice of the Indian pie. While one is currently the oldest sub-four-metre SUV on sale in India, another is a brand new mid-size SUV that is ringing the cash counter for its respective company Kia, also a new brand for our country.

So which one is better, Kia Seltos or Ford Ecosport? Check out our Kia Seltos vs Ecosport comparison that is based on different aspects like prices, dimensions, engine specifications, features, fuel mileage and more.

2. Kia Seltos vs Ford Ecosport Dimensions: Which Is Bigger?

You know the answer. Kia Seltos is a South Korean mid-size SUV that is certainly bigger than the sub-compact car Ford Ecosport. In fact, Kia Seltos is placed a couple of segments above the Ecosport so its sizes are easily comparable with the badass SUVs like Hyundai Creta, Tata Harrier, Renault Captur or Jeep Compass.

The Ford Ecosport gets a sub-4m length that makes it 317 mm shorter than the Creta-sized SUV – Kia Seltos. In terms of width and wheelbase, the Ecosport is also narrower and shorter than the Seltos counterpart.

The American SUV gets a width of 1800 mm and 2610 mm in the wheelbase while those of the South Korean one is at 1765 mm and 2519 mm. Notably, Ford Ecosport wins over the Seltos in terms of height and ground clearance but the difference is rather small. The Ecosport is 27 mm taller than the Seltos SUV while its ground clearance is higher by 10 mm compared to the Kia.

3. Kia Seltos vs Ford Ecosport Design: Which Is Better Looking?

Exterior Comparison

Appearance is good on both SUVs but deep down, Kia Seltos still looks better than Ford Ecosport for many reasons. Being a sub-compact SUV means that the Ecosport might or might not have lesser space to showcase its beauty. On the other hands, Kia Seltos very excels in presenting its cosmetic sophistication to the onlookers from every direction.

Kia Seltos looks like a premium stylish SUV replete with youth and freshness. The Ford Ecosport is more like a city compact SUV that filters the agility and practicality in its design stakes. A gentleman compared with an athlete.

Kia Seltos features an aggressive front fascia that boasts a signature Tiger-nose front grille with excellent knurled-effect chrome inserts. The multi-tier full-LED lighting system of the SUV looks classy with crown jewel LED projector headlamps, ice cube-shaped LED fog lamps along with the heartbeat-shaped daytime running lamps. Ford Ecosport, in a meanwhile, attains a bolder stance with a chunky bonnet, sharp HID headlamps, matte black grille and angular fog lamps housing.

The side profile of the Seltos SUV looks way better than that of the Ecosport. The Ecosport’s five-spoke alloy wheels are quite interesting but they lack the styles and sportiness which we can find in the 17-inch diamond-cut units of the Kia Seltos.

Ford Ecosport’s rear-end features a signature tailgate-mounted spare wheel, quite a retro thing and reminiscent of older SUVs. There’s might be some polarizing opinions here. The spare tyre on the tailgate of the Ecosport might be cool for many but we think the Seltos looks better and more modern without it.

Interior Comparison

Once stepping inside the cabin, it’s not difficult to realize how the interiors of these SUVs are more or less convenient. The Seltos’s cabin takes us aback by its design and layout while Ecosport looks good but less attractive. The Seltos offers a wide range of interior theme options from the all-black to the dual-tone ones and many more. Ford Ecosport brings in light, dark and satin orange interior themes only.

Both Kia Seltos and Ford Ecosport gets a floating-type touchscreen infotainment system but for different sizes. While the highlight on the Seltos’s interior is a massive horizontally-placed 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system as standard across the variants, the Ecosport makes do with a smaller 8.0-inch touchscreen for the higher-spec models instead.

Also, Kia Seltos looks more modern with a digital display for the instrument cluster, leather-wrapped flat-bottom steering and gear lever, premium leatherette seats while leather seats and steering are only offered in the Ecosport S model. Not yet to mention the comfort, we are talking about the cosmetic appeal, Kia’s designer team must have burnt their mid-night lamps to roll out a better work then.

4. Kia Seltos vs Ford Ecosport Features: Which Is Safer and More Convenient?

Comfort Features Comparison

Kia Seltos is packed with all the bells and whistles needed for a premium present-day SUV and even more. That’s again another plus point that we really appreciate. That said, it just needs a glance to say that Kia Seltos is more convenient this time.

The key highlight on the interior of the Kia Seltos should be its advanced UVO connectivity tech that boasts of as many as 37 different features in use. Kia Seltos is the third SUV in the Indian market after the Hyundai Venue and MG Hector to get a connected car tech.

It enables remote functions like engine start/stop, voice-based commands, door lock and unlock, remote vehicle status and many more. Meanwhile, the Ford Ecosport also makes do with the vehicle connectivity with FordPass. Yes, it has Ford’s SYNC3 with voice recognition on tap but it is, once again, available the Ecosport S merely.

Other impressive comfort features of the Kia Seltos include ventilated seats, 8-way power-adjustable seats, an 8.0-inch HUD, a premium Bose 8-speaker sound system, ambient light, wireless charging smart air purifier and power sunroof, etc.

Ford Ecosport’s major highlights, on the other hands, are power windows, air-con with heater, electric adjustable outside mirrors with turn indicators, 12V power source outlet, dual USB ports, day/night IRVMs, shopping hooks in the boot and some more. Engine start/stop and smart entry with capacity sensor are only available from the Titanium variant upwards.

Overall, the Kia Seltos gets the best interior design and feature list, not only in comparison with the Ford Ecosport but in its segment and even a couple of segments above.

Safety Features Comparison

In terms of safety and security, Kia Seltos has an active safety system that comprises of 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, ESC, hill start assist, brake assist, front and rear parking sensors, ISOFIX child seat mounts,  along with many connectivity-based safety fitments like emergency assistance, geofencing, immobilization, stolen vehicle notification, 360-degree camera, blind view monitor among other features. It’s worth noting that the Kia Seltos is the first SUV to achieve a 5-star rating from the ANCAP safety tests.

The compact crossover by Ford is also a safe drive. It comes with a decent list of safety equipment such as dual front airbags, safe clutch start, front seatbelts with pretensioner and load limiter, driver and co-driver seatbelt reminder, crash unlocking system, speed-sensing auto door locks, engine immobilizer, emergency brake light flashing, door ajar warning, rear child lock, rear parking sensors, high-seed alert, approach lights and homesafe headlamps and so forth.

5. Kia Seltos vs Ford Ecosport Engine Specs: Which Is More Powerful?

Kia Seltos is available with three engines, both petrol and diesel engine options under the bonnet. Ford Ecosport offers two engines including petrol and diesel ones.

As for the petrol engines, the Kia Seltos looks more tempting with two options including a 1.5-litre and a 1.4-litre petrol unit. To compare the 1.5-litre petrol mills of two cars, the Kia Seltos vs Ecosport seems to have nearly equal output. The Seltos’s Smartstream G1.5 can produce 155 PS of power and 144 Nm of torque while the Ford Ecosport can make 122 PS / 149 Nm of torque.

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As far as the diesel goes, the Kia Seltos diesel is more powerful than the equivalent Ecosport counterpart. Kia employs a 1.5-litre CRDi diesel engine tuned for 115 PS of power and 250 Nm of torque, which makes it 15 PS more power and 35 Nm more torque than the Ecosport’s 1.5-litre oil unit.

The transmission choices in the Kia Seltos are also more attractive. There is a 6-speed MT, an IVT, a 6-speed AT and a 7-speed DCT on the Kia’s stable while the Ford Ecosport makes do with a 5-speed MT and a 6-speed AT only.

6. Kia Seltos vs Ford Ecosport Top Speed: Which Is Faster?

7. Kia Seltos vs Ford Ecosport Mileage: Which Is More Fuel Efficient?

8. Kia Seltos vs Ford Ecosport Road Price: Which Is Cheaper?

Kia Seltos is currently priced at Rs 9.89 - 17.34 Lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) while Ford Ecosport is positioned at around Rs 8.04 - 11.58 Lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

Kia Seltos is apparently more expensive than the Ecosport. Considering the fact that it’s placed a couple of segments above the Ford car along with more features and engine-gearbox options on offer, the higher price of the Kia Seltos just makes senses.

9. Other competitors: Kia Seltos

10. Other Competitors: Ford Ecosport

12. Kia Seltos vs Ford Ecosport Verdict: Which More Is Worth Buying?

 Kia Seltos might be the more expensive offering when compared with the Ford Ecosport but to tell the truth, the Seltos is still one of the most competitively-priced SUVs off its lot. The South Korean SUV comes with a greater package with many features that even some costlier SUVs in India hardly offer.

In summary, what has worked in favour of the Kia Seltos over the Ford Ecosport should be its modern-looking design, the best-in-class interior, segment-first features, decent engine-transmission configurations and good handling. That said, Kia Seltos is totally a value-for-money buy with that price tags. In a meanwhile, the Ecosport’s core strength lies in good build quality, reasonable features, compactness and some driving fun.

What’s against the Kia Seltos compared with Ford Ecosport is slightly less mileage, higher prices, uncertain resale value and after-sale network, given the fact that Kia is just a new brand in India.

Therefore, based on your needs and budgets, if you need more than what Ecosport can offer you and don’t mind paying some extra money, we strongly recommend you go for the Kia Seltos.