2021 Kia Seltos
"The 2021 Kia Seltos offers functionality and technology alike."
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Spacious interior
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Capable all-wheel drive
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Peppy turbo engine
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Great technical value
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Control elements for driver assistance buried in the touchscreen
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Mediocre handling
Variety can be the spice of life, right? But too much spice can cause heartburn.
In the media campaign for the Seltos 2021, Kia listed no fewer than 17 vehicles as potential competitors for its new subcompact crossover. This list includes prestigious models such as the Honda HR-V and the Hyundai Kona, the latter from Kia's parent brand. What did Kia do to differentiate the Seltos from this large group of rivals?
Shoppers may think they'll get sturdy SUVs, but vehicles in this class are essentially hatchbacks on stilts. Nevertheless, Kia made the Seltos as SUV-like as possible and gave it a more sophisticated all-wheel drive system than many of its competitors. Kia also emphasized the value and gave the Seltos a long list of driver aids and technical features.
Kia offers buyers a unique selection. The base price of $ 23,110 buys either an LX model with all-wheel drive or an S model without all-wheel drive (with more technical functions). Kia provided a four-wheel drive SX model with all-wheel drive for testing that starts at $ 29,010.
Design & interior
The Seltos shares a base platform with the Hyundai Kona, but the two crossovers couldn't be more different when it comes to the exterior design. Where the Hyundai consists only of science fiction curves, the Kia looks more traditional and angular. It may be more like a compact hatchback, but the Seltos looks like an SUV.
It also offers more SUV-like benefits than many of its competitors. The Seltos offers significantly more space in the rear seats than its Kona platform mate and more cargo space than any direct competitor. However, the "Magic" folding mechanism of the Honda HR-V in the rear seat makes it easier to use the available cargo space. The Honda also offers more legroom in the rear seats than the Kia, while the Jeep Renegade offers more headroom in the front and rear. Regardless, the Seltos offers enough additional benefits to justify buying a car of comparable size – which is not always the case in this segment.
The interior of the Selto is also a nice place. It's not exactly fancy, but the materials feel reasonable for this price range. The upright roof leaves plenty of space for glass, offers a good view to the outside and gives the interior an airy feeling. The front seats felt decently comfortable in one day, and the back seats lean back.
Tech, infotainment & driver assistant
The standard infotainment system includes an 8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. SX models receive a 10.25-inch touchscreen as well as integrated navigation and satellite radio. While the systems have Kia's Uvo branding, they have the same graphics as the BlueLink systems we saw in the last Hyundai models.
It is not a bad thing. It is typical for Kia (and Hyundai) that the infotainment interface is not a problem, but is still easy to use. The only big mistake is that Kia forces the driver to dive deep into the on-screen menus to turn the driver aids on and off. It's not exactly easy to drive while driving, and we'd like Kia to have some hard buttons instead.
Speaking of driver aids: The Seltos offers more than its sibling Hyundai Kona. The LX equipment variant is equipped as standard with autonomous emergency braking (including pedestrian and cyclist detection) and a driver's attention monitor. For the same basic price, the S equipment variant offers a lane departure warning system and an automatic high beam. However, you have to do without the all-wheel drive to get it.
The infotainment interface is a bit uncomplicated, but still easy to use.
The adaptive cruise control is available, but only in the upper SX equipment variant. This function is not available on the Kona at all, but is available on some competitors and on the Honda HR-V standard. The Nissan Rogue Sport is available with the automaker's ProPilot Assist system, which combines adaptive cruise control with automated lane centering.
The Seltos also has a lane keeping assistant, which gives the lane keeping assistant a little more functionality. As standard, equipment variant S shows the center of the lane and not the lane markings in order to keep the vehicle on the right track. This means that the system steers proactively instead of waiting for the car to get off track. You can feel how the tracking support works, almost as if there are another pair of hands on the steering wheel. However, the inputs are relatively gentle, unlike some of the more basic lane keeping assistants we've come across.
Experience behind the wheel
The Seltos comes standard with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder naturally aspirated engine that delivers 146 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque. This engine is connected to a continuously variable transmission (CVT), which Kia calls the intelligent variable transmission (IVT). Our test car had the optional 1.6-liter four-cylinder with turbocharger. Thanks to turbocharging, this smaller engine delivers 175 hp and 195 lb-ft. Kia paired it with a seven-speed dual clutch transmission for a sportier driving experience.
The turbocharged powertrain is a winner. The engine offers a lot of grunt and the fast gear changes of the double clutch transmission help to form the post. This is basically the same as the Hyundai Kona Ultimate, and it was also a standout feature of this car.
However, the Kia lacks the sporty handling of the Hyundai. There's nothing wrong with handling the Selto, but it's not as sharp and precise as the Kona. However, the Seltos is more comfortable to drive than the Kona, and the target buyer is more concerned with it than with the ability to carve corners. If you want your little crossover to feel like a sports car, buy the Hyundai or even better the Mazda CX-30.
The turbocharged powertrain is a winner.
The Seltos is available with front or four-wheel drive, the latter offering more functions than many systems in this segment. It allows the driver to manually lock the torque in a 50/50 split front / rear to ensure that the car doesn't drive front-wheel as standard. Torque vectoring directs performance from side to side to turn the seltos into corners. Hill start assist and hill descent control are standard. The four-wheel drive system even has a cool name: Dynamax.
These functions should increase confidence in bad weather or on unpaved roads, but do not make the Seltos an off-roader. Kia quickly pointed out that the Seltos has a better approach angle than a Jeep Renegade or Subaru Crosstrek, which means you're less likely to smash the front end into something when driving over uneven terrain.
But the Seltos has less ground clearance than the Crosstrek or Renegade. On a dirt road that was part of the route, something scratched the floor of the car. It is therefore hard to imagine that you feel safe when driving the Seltos on an actual off-road trail. The Renegade remains the only vehicle in this segment with real off-road capabilities.
Fuel consumption and security
The fuel consumption values for the 2.0-liter / CVT combination are 31 mpg (29 mpg city, 34 mpg motorway) with front-wheel drive and 29 mpg (27 mpg city, 31 mpg motorway) with all-wheel drive. The 1.6-liter turbo engine and the dual clutch transmission are only available with all-wheel drive and have a total output of 27 mpg (25 mpg city, 30 mpg highway).
Fuel consumption is quite competitive compared to other vehicles in this segment, not to mention some conventional cars. Less aerodynamic body and extra weight usually result in crossovers being penalized for mileage, but this is not very serious.
The Seltos delivers the things that distinguish crossovers from ordinary cars.
The Seltos is a new model, so it is difficult to predict future reliability. However, Kia has an overall good reputation for reliability and offers generous warranty coverage. The Kia 10-year warranty on the drivetrain and the five-year warranty of 60,000 miles on the drivetrain are only covered by the parent company Hyundai.
Crash test assessments by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) are currently not available.
How DT would configure this car
The SX trim level seems to be the best option. It not only receives the livelier turbo engine and the fast-switching dual clutch transmission, but is also the only equipment variant from Seltos with adaptive cruise control. Since the SX is the top equipment variant, it also contains the technical features of the bottom equipment variants such as autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning and charging the mobile phone. Even with a base price that's about $ 6,000 higher than the cheapest Seltos, the long list of features of the SX is a good value.
Our opinion
Many crossovers in this price range claim to offer SUV robustness, but are really just glorified hatchback models. The 2021 Kia Seltos is the real deal.
The Seltos delivers the things that distinguish crossovers from ordinary cars. It offers impressive cargo space for a vehicle of this size and an all-wheel drive system that makes a real difference in bad weather. This is in contrast to the platform colleague of the Selto, the Hyundai Kona. While the Kona is a good vehicle, its lack of cargo space and car-like behavior make it difficult to buy a vehicle instead of a conventional hatchback.
In such a crowded field, competitors inevitably do certain things better than the Seltos. The Kia lacks the off-road capability of the Jeep Renegade or the off-road capability of the Mazda CX-30. While Seltos is available with many driver aids, the Honda HR-V offers more of them as standard. Although it may not be the best in some areas, the Seltos does everything well.
Should you get one?
Yes. The Seltos is an impressive value.
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