You might not be familiar with the Kia Seltos. Why would you be; it only entered the market a year ago. The Seltosis the newest subcompact crossover SUV from Kia, giving us another excellent model from this Korean brand. When you want a small SUV with impressive style, refined driving, and upmarket tech, you’ll be pleased to take the Seltos out for a drive.
Ten Things You Need to Know About the 2022 Kia Seltos
This is a Fun SUV to Drive
Upon first glance, the Seltos might not look like a fun vehicle to drive, but it is. You do have 7.3 inches of ground clearance, which makes you wonder if this SUV can corner at all. Thankfully, Kia gave this vehicle a strut front suspension and multi-link rear version to add fun to the drive. This SUV feels planted with very little body roll when you take corners. The only way you’re going to feel the understeer is if you push the Seltos to its limits, which is unlikely. When you want an energetic compact crossover to drive, this can be the right choice for you.
Your Family Might Not Appreciate the Ride Quality
The suspension setup and stiffness of the chassis make it easy for families to dislike the driving experience in the Kia Seltos. When you compare the ride quality of this Kia to that of the Honda HR-V, you’ll feel the difference. The stiffness truly stands out when you’re driving at lower speeds. If you’re after a vehicle with a smooth drive on any road, you’ll want to look elsewhere; the tradeoff for fun is harsher ride quality.
The Seltos Offers Premium Build Quality
Will the premium market eventually disappear? It will if mainstream automakers, such as Kia, continue to build models that include higher quality features and elements. The Seltos is an excellent example of a small SUV with upmarket qualities that you can easily enjoy. The body is constructed entirely of high tensile steel, giving this SUV the rigidity desired. Forget the cheap feeling you used to find in the Kia lineup; this is an impressive little SUV.
Better Safety Features than the 2021 Version
Every year vehicles get better. The 2022 Kia Seltos adds more to the mix of safety for your drive. This new model had automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, automatic high beams, adaptive cruise control, cyclist detection, and lane-departure warning. You have to reach the Nightfall Edition or SX trim to benefit from all of these features that can come in this little SUV. With all of these goodies included, the Seltos receives a four-star rating from the NHTSA and a good rating for crash tests from the IIHS.
This Kia Looks Better than its Price
The Seltos is one of the most affordable SUVs in the market today. It doesn’t look like it should be, but it is. You’ll see items that appear to come from higher-class vehicles, including LED headlights, LED
daytime running lights, an impressive front grille with a chrome surround, and blacked-out air dams. You’ll be pleased when you see the affordable pricing for this Kia and know that you’ll take home one of the most attractive vehicles you’ve ever seen.
More Road Noise Than it Should Have
There are some shortcomings to the Kia Seltos, one of which is the amount of road noise you’ll experience during your drive. This factor makes the Seltos feel less premium than its design. The suspension, tires, and wind all bring noises into the cabin where you don’t want them. One way to combat this is the turn your music up and have a great time singing along to your favorite tunes. Once you do this, you won’t notice the noises coming from outside the vehicle at all.
Kia Gives this SUV an Excellent Infotainment System
Among the subcompact crossover SUV class, the Seltos has one of the best infotainment packages you’ll find. The base model includes an eight-inch touchscreen for the base LX trim, while the upper four trim levels use a 10.3-inch screen. The base system is impressive with its package of features, but the larger screen adds more items, including satellite radio, voice recognition, and optional navigation. Either way, you’re getting an impressive system that you’ll use every time you take this little SUV out for a drive.
More Spacious Than Expected
Often, we look at subcompact crossovers and know there’s a tradeoff for size and comfort to drive a small vehicle. The Kia Seltos is surprisingly spacious for this class. The front seat gives you41.4 inches of legroom and 40 inches of headroom, making it easy for tall drivers to enjoy this compact vehicle. The rear seat area is still spacious, with 38 inches of legroom and 38.4 inches of headroom, giving passengers plenty of comfort during any drive. One note, it’s probably not a good idea to try and stuff three people in the rear seat because the middle seat is pretty tight.
The Transmission Leaves a Little to be Desired
Kia gives us an IVT to handle the shifting duties in this SUV. The IVT is donned as an intelligent CVT automatic transmission, which is a fancier way of saying that it’s a CVT with overdrive. The transmission does an adequate job of handling the duties, but it’s not as much fun as the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission that comes with the turbocharged engine. If you want more excitement in your drive, upgrade your powertrain and enjoy a more engaging transmission in your Seltos.
Both Engines Offer Good Power in the Seltos
The base engine of this Kia SUV is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder model that makes 146 horsepower and 132 lb.-ft. Of torque. This engine is found in the LX, S, and EX models and does a good job of being much peppier than it sounds. Of course, you can step up to the 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and have 175 horsepower and 195 lb.-ft of torque for your small SUV. The turbo engine gives you a time to sixty mph of 6.6 seconds in the Kia Seltos, which is more than fast enough for this little SUV.
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