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The subcompact crossover SUV market is heating up. Inflation and electrification are adding thousands of dollars per year to the popular five-passenger crossover SUV segment, forcing some shoppers to look at the slightly smaller segment for an affordable alternative. Many shoppers simply prefer the CUV segment, as it is often called. Among the hidden gems in this segment is the Kia Seltos. Here are five things that make it a standout in its segment.
Kia Seltos - Turbocharged Engine
We love the Toyota Corolla Cross, Subaru Crosstrek, and Honda HR-V, but they are underpowered. Toyota offers a solution with its optional and more expensive Hybrid trim, but the others have no up-powered engine option. The Seltos offers a turbocharged engine with 195 lb-ft of torque and a sport mode.
Kia Seltos - Geared Transmission
Continuously variable transmissions are not terrible. However, we’ve never driven one we liked more than a geared transmission. The exception being single-speed battery-electric vehicles. Most of Seltos’ competitors offer CVTs, and they let their vehicles down. They drone and are no fun to drive. The Seltos offers a geared transmission, and in our driving, it felt much better than all but one competitor, the Mazda CX-30, which also offers a geared transmission.
Kia Seltos - Spare Tire
Under the cargo area of the Kia Seltos is a compact spare tire. This is not to be taken for granted anymore. We’ve tested top-trim vehicles from Hyundai, Subaru, and Toyota in this segment that don’t offer a spare tire.
Kia Seltos - Ventilated Front Seats
If you live in an area with very hot weather, you know that ventilated seats are a big deal. The Seltos offers ventilated seats as part of a package. At least you can get them! We feel that at the Seltos $33K top-trim price point, this is a great feature. We have tested “luxury” vehicles that cost far more and didn’t have this handy feature.
Kia Seltos - 10-Year Warranty
Warranties are boring—until the day you need one. Kia offers a warranty that is among the very best in the business. Original owners enjoy a 10-year or 100,000-mile warranty. By contrast, many competitors have warranties that are significantly shorter in duration.
The Kia Seltos is a compact five-passenger crossover SUV with a lot to offer owners. If you are shopping in this segment, be sure to add it to your list of considerations.
Test Notes: Our media test vehicle was a 2024 SX Turbo AWD trim with Snow White Pearl Paint and the SX Sunroof option. Its total price, including the Inland Freight and Handling Fee, was $33,085. That cost does not include dealer Doc fees, added dealer markups, or dealer-added content.
Image. of 2024 Seltos courtesy of Kia.
John Goreham is an experienced New England Motor Press Association member and expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can follow John on Twitter, and connect with him at Linkedin.
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