Kia Seltos compact SUV takes on the Toyota Fortuner luxury SUV in a Classic Drag Race

The all-new Kia Seltos, which was launched in the Indian market last year has become one of the most successful cars in the segment. Kia offers a wide range of engine and transmission options that includes the high-performance 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine too. But the other two engine options – 1.5-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel generate a similar 115 PS of power. Is that enough to beat the good old Fortuner? Well, here is a drag race, an old school way to find out which is quicker off the mark.

To compare with, the Toyota Fortuner is much more powerful than the Kia Seltos. It gets powered by a massive 2.8-litre diesel engine that generates a maximum power of 174 PS and peak torque of 450 Nm. The Seltos, as we mentioned above is powered by a 1.5-litre diesel engine that generates a maximum power of 115 PS and peak torque of 250 Nm. Both the vehicle here get an automatic transmission, which means that the gear shifts will be controlled by the respective vehicles.

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The video shows both the vehicles getting off the mark on an empty stretch of road. The Kia Seltos races ahead of the Fortuner and maintains a lead until the very end. However, the exact length of the track is not known. In the second round of the drag race, the Fortuner takes a small lead as soon as both the vehicles start moving. However, the Seltos gains the lead back and maintains it throughout. It is possible that the driver of the Seltos was a fraction of second late when starting the vehicle off the mark.

How Kia Seltos wins with less power?

Well, it is all about power to weight ratio. Even though the Fortuner is much more powerful than the Seltos on the paper, it is also much heavier than the mid-size SUV. The Fortuner weighs around 2.180 kg, which is quite heavy. The Kia Seltos, on the other hand, weighs only 1,360 kg making it about 800 kg lighter. Lighter vehicles move quicker through, especially from a standstill. That is why high-performance cars and supercars extensively use carbon fibre material and a lightweight frame to reduce as much weight as possible. In fact, some high-performance vehicles in a bid to reduce weight do not even provide electrically controllable windows, climate control system, infotainment system and even proper door handle inside the cabin.

Is Fortuner slower than Kia Seltos?

Since Fortuner is slow off-the-mark, it does not mean that will fail to overtake the Kia Seltos. On a long stretch, the Fortuner might easily overtake the Seltos as it has higher top-speed. Initially, the Seltos is much quicker though. Because of the weight of the vehicle, the Fortuner’s engine has to work more to overcome the friction and build momentum. Once that’s done, as we all know that it can cover long distances without much of a problem.

It should be noted that such drag races on public roads are illegal irrespective of the fact that there is no traffic on the road. Since Indian roads are highly unpredictable, any animal or pedestrian can just jump in the way and cause a massive accident. It is always safe to do such drag races in a controlled environment like a race track.

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