The all-new Kia Seltos and Tata Sierra are the latest contenders in India's fiercely competitive compact SUV space. Here's how they stack up against each other.
The all-new Kia Seltos and Tata Sierra are the latest contenders in India's fiercely competitive compact SUV space. Here's how they stack up against each other.
The second-generation Kia Seltos has been revealed, and it not only looks dramatically different from its predecessor, but is also longer and wider.
However, the recently-revived Tata Sierra, which resides in the very same segment, has also been making waves thanks to its distinctive design.
So, let’s compare these latest compact SUVs on paper, and figure out which one excels in what particular area.
The 2026 Kia Seltos measures 4,460 mm in length, making it 120 mm longer than the Tata Sierra’s 4,340 mm. However, the Sierra is marginally wider at 1,841 mm (+11 mm) and noticeably taller at 1,715 mm (+80 mm). It also gets a longer wheelbase of 2,730 mm against the Seltos’ 2,690 mm, which should translate into better legroom and shoulder room inside the cabin.
Ground clearance favours the Sierra at 205 mm versus the Seltos’ 190 mm, while boot space is larger on the Sierra at 622 litres (without parcel tray) compared to the Seltos’ 447 litres. Wheel sizes range from 16-18 inches on the Seltos and 17-19 inches on the Sierra.
Both SUVs offer three engine options. The 2026 Kia Seltos continues with the familiar 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol (113 bhp, 144 Nm), 1.5-litre turbo-petrol (158 bhp, 253 Nm) and 1.5-litre diesel (114 bhp, 250 Nm). Transmission choices include 6-speed manual, iMT, IVT, 7-speed DCT and 6-speed torque-converter automatic depending on the engine.
2026 Kia Seltos | Tata Sierra | |
| Engines | - 1.5L NA Smartstream Petrol - 1.5L T-GDi Smartstream Petrol - 1.5L CRDi VGT Diesel | - 1.5L NA Revotron Petrol - 1.5L TGDi Hyperion Petrol - 1.5L Kryojet Diesel |
Gearbox Options | - 6 MT / IVT (NA Petrol) - 6 iMT / 7 DCT (Turbo Petrol) - 6 MT / 6 AT (Diesel) | - 6 MT / 7 DCT (NA Petrol) - 6 TC AT (Turbo Petrol) - 6 MT / 6 TC AT (Diesel) |
| Power | - 113 bhp (NA Petrol) - 158 bhp (Turbo Petrol) - 114 bhp (Diesel) | - 104 bhp (NA Petrol) - 158 bhp (Turbo Petrol) - 116 bhp (Diesel) |
| Torque | - 144 Nm (NA Petrol) - 253 Nm (Turbo Petrol) - 250 Nm (Diesel) | - 145 Nm (NA Petrol) - 255 Nm (Turbo Petrol) - 260-280 Nm (Diesel) |
The Tata Sierra mirrors the lineup with a 1.5-litre NA petrol (104 bhp, 145 Nm), 1.5-litre turbo-petrol (158 bhp, 255 Nm) and 1.5-litre diesel (116 bhp, 260-280 Nm). It offers 6-speed manual, 7-speed DCT and 6-speed torque-converter automatic options. Performance is nearly identical in the turbo-petrol department, while the Sierra’s diesel has a slight torque advantage.
Both get full-LED lighting, flush door handles, roof rails and a rear spoiler. The Sierra adds rear fog lamps, puddle lamps on all doors and larger 19-inch alloys, while the Seltos counters with memory-linked ORVMs.
Inside, both adopt a triple-screen layout. The Seltos pairs a 12.3-inch driver display and 12.3-inch infotainment with a 5-inch HVAC panel; the Sierra uses a 12.3-inch passenger entertainment screen instead.
The Seltos offers a 10-way powered driver seat with memory and a head-up display, while the Sierra provides an air purifier, cooled glovebox and a 12-speaker JBL system with Dolby Atmos (versus the Seltos’ 8-speaker Bose). Ventilated seats, panoramic sunroof, wireless charging and OTA updates are common.
Both are equipped with Level 2 ADAS, six airbags, 360-degree camera, all-disc brakes, ESC, hill-hold and hill-descent control. The Seltos has three drive modes (Eco, Normal, Sport) versus the Sierra’s two (City, Sport), but terrain modes are similar.
The price of the new Kia Seltos will be revealed in January 2026. We do expect the second-gen model to cost decently more than the outgoing model, which was priced between ₹10.79 - 19.81 lakh (ex-showroom).
The new Tata Sierra starts at ₹11.49 lakh, and goes up to ₹18.49 lakh (both ex-showroom) for the second from top Adventure+ diesel variant. The price of the top-end variants have not yet been officially announced.
