2022 Kia Seltos Review

The Kia Seltos 2022 model has wowed critics with a handsome appearance and high quality material choices. These materials look like they’d be at home in the Telluride, as Car and Driver noted. That’s high praise for such an affordable subcompact SUV. It also indicates that the interior will stand up to daily use and continue to look good longer.

Another plus is the exceptionally roomy cabin and, as US News reported, the spacious seats. Indeed, it is unusual for this class to claim 99 cubic feet of passenger volume.

Helping the Seltos lead its class, Kia engineers managed to claim 38 inches of second-row legroom and 38.6 inches of headroom. That ensures that tall teens and adults can fit. Furthermore, the rear seats have a two-step recline function to help the back seat passengers stay comfortable.

The base edition is the LX with standard all-wheel drive. It now has a standard touch screen and a long list of standard driver assistance features.

This includes the lane keeping assist, lane departure warning system, and lane following assist. It also has high beam assist, driver attention warning, and pedestrian detection. Forward Collision Assist includes automatic emergency braking capability.

The S trim level is so affordable that it is surprising how many standards it has. The seats are covered in Sofino leatherette and premium cloth. Standards include the larger navigation display, push button start, smart key with remote start capability, automatic climate controls and LED interior lighting. It also provides UVO connectivity, additional front/rear charge ports, and rear AC vents.

The 2022 Seltos Nightfall Edition has its own exclusive design for the black radiator grille and the alloy wheels. Shoppers will notice the rugged design of the side sills and stand-up roof rails. The cabin has fun accents such as blue stitched upholstery.

Available in gray or black upholstery, the EX wears Sofino premium leatherette on its power driver’s chair. Favorite extras include the wireless charger and active blind spot technology.

New for the SX Turbo, Kia has added a fun Sport steering wheel. It’s also the first year that shoppers can choose a Plum color scheme for the cabin. Favorite standards include a Bose 8-speaker premium audio system.

Considering its affordable pricing, it surprises many shoppers that they can get a contrast color roof. Clear white or starbright yellow exteriors are offered with a cherry black roff. The dark ocean blue exterior is paired with a white roof.

These exterior colors are also available as a single color choice. Another color favorite is Mars Orange. LED lighting and silver skid plates are common to all editions.

The S trim level has silver roof rails and offers the option of a color-contrast roof. The SX models have LED fog lights and a standard color-contrast roof of your choice.

With Nightfall editions, you’ll find black or darkened accents such as the roof rails, alloys, mirrors, and logos. Kia Seltos incentives can help you choose the right trim level and color to suit your personal style.

When you want better dash tech, you’ll be happy to know that the base edition starts you off right. The standard 8-inch touch screen includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A 3.5-inch information screen is behind the steering wheel. Other aspects include satellite radio connectivity, voice recognition, and Siri Eyes Free.

You have only to step up to the S trim level to get the 10.25-inch touch screen and navigation system. This large display is matched to a larger driver information screen. This brings the Seltos in line with the more expensive Kia Telluride.

The Bose audio system has special fractal-textured speakers. In the SX, the ambient lighting can be altered to match the music. A Kia Seltos sale can be your ticket to one of these higher trim levels.

Performance

Weighing about 3,100 pounds, this SUV is designed to move faster. The horsepower-to-weight ratio definitely assists with aerodynamics and fuel efficiency. Front wheel drive or DynaMax AWD is combined with a continuously variable automatic transmission.

The 2-liter four-cylinder engine delivers 146 horsepower. As other reviewers have noted, the low weight and peppy engine ensure engaging driving dynamics. This satisfying powertrain is standard on the Seltos LX, S and EX.

Shoppers who want more can choose a turbocharged engine. Output is 175 horsepower and 195-pound feet of torque. This makes the lightweight SUV even quicker. For fuel efficiency, the engine can pause during long idles at redlights and similar situations.

The transmission is a special 7-speed dual-clutch automatic. This combination is standard on the Nightfall Edition and the SX Turbo.

Utility and Capability

If you are comparing vehicles, you’ll note that the Seltos has 26.6 cubic feet of open cargo space. You can check the Mazda CX-30 or the Honda HR-V and won’t find as much room for your gear. Plus, the dual-level cargo floor gives you the opportunity to hide objects from sight.

Hyundai also provides a dual-level cargo floor as an organization bonus. When you don’t need the back seats, you can quickly fold the second row to claim 62.8 cu-ft.

This crossover has a generous SUV-like ground clearance of 7.3 inches. Standard all-wheel drive gives you all-weather capability in the LX, EX and SX models. The driver can lock AWD for low-speed traction when conditions demand it. However, the electronic AWD system is also designed to react automatically to snowy or sandy road conditions.

Safety

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has tested the 2022 model and declared it a Top Safety Pick. Among its standard features, shoppers are delighted to find downhill brake control and a high line tire pressure monitoring system.

Of course, these days its not just how well the car can deal with a crash test. It’s also how well it can avoid a crash all together. That’s why the LX has so many built-in driver assistance features.

When you step up from the LX, you are adding a rear cross-traffic system with a collision assist and a blind spot system with a collision avoidance assist. You also get adaptive cruise control which can work with the standard lane keeper to make travel easier.

Parents will appreciate LATCH attachments for car seats, a rear occupant alert, and the available Safe Exist Assist. On the SX models, Kia adds a Highway Driving Assist that brings even more automation to certain facets of highway travel.

Seltos Price and Value

You’d be hard-pressed to find any other new SUV with all-wheel drive that debuts at an affordable $22,840. The LX has so many features that you won’t find at this price on most rivals. Plus, it has excellent warranties, good gas mileage, ample cargo space, and better fit and finish for its class.

Fuel economy is 29 mpg city and 35 mpg highway for a combined rate of 31 mpg on the front-wheel drive S model. The all-wheel drive models may earn 27 mpg city and 31 mpg highway. You can compare models at the Fuel Economy website of the Department of Energy.

The standard bumper-to-bumper warranty covers the SUV for up to 60,000 miles or five years. That’s two years longer potentially than the majority of automotive brands. Even better, the powertrain warranty can last up to 100,000 miles or 10 years.

Before you test drive any other brand, find out what Kia can do for you. Check out the Seltos and learn more about its technologies at Peoria Kia dealer.