The all-new Seltos offers roomy versatility for a small SUV, along with excellent fuel economy and an affordable price. Unfortunately, it is let down by a stiff ride and loud cabin.
The Seltos, which slots below the Sportage in Kia’s SUV lineup, certainly has its strengths. One asset is how painless it is to get in and out of the cabin, thanks to large door openings and easily accessible front seats. The refreshingly straightforward controls are another high point, which includes the touch-screen infotainment system.
Even tall drivers had plenty of headroom, though the plastic center console bothered nearly everyone’s right knee. The front seats are comfortable enough for short trips, but they lack lower-back support for longer journeys. The rear seat is surprisingly spacious. Tall windows and mostly slim roof pillars leave the Seltos with minimal blind spots.
The base 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine in our test car produces just 146 horsepower, and it never felt like it had much oomph left in reserve. But, we were impressed with how well the continuously variable transmission mimicked a regular automatic, replete with simulated “shifts.” Fuel economy is excellent for an AWD SUV at 28 mpg overall.
There is a more powerful turbocharged 1.6-liter engine on higher-end versions of the Seltos, but it feels lethargic at lower engine speeds. The Seltos comes standard with front-wheel drive, with all-wheel drive being optional.
Our testers enjoyed taking the little Kia through our avoidance maneuver exercise, where it posted an admirably high speed thanks to its responsive yet forgiving handling and a well-tuned stability control system. However, the stiff suspension transmits every bump straight into the cabin, and the ride can feel jumpy on backroads. That unyielding ride, plus a loud cabin and a coarse drone from the engine when pushed, makes the Seltos a less-than-ideal long-haul companion.
The Seltos’ tidy packaging could appeal to some urban dwellers, but suburbanites may be turned away by the noise and ride shortcomings.
Unfortunately, the base LX trim does not come with key advanced safety features, such as forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection. These features, and others, come with the higher trims that elevate the price to the mid $20,000s.