Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.
REVIEW: The Kia Seltos is a $29,000 SUV that looks and feels too fancy for its own price tag — until you start noticing the details
REVIEW: The Kia Seltos is a $29,000 SUV that looks and feels too fancy for its own price tag — until you start noticing the details
Alanis KingMay 26, 2020, 22:39 IST
The 2021 Kia Seltos.Alanis King
The 2021 Kia Seltos is a brand-new addition to the company's US lineup, adding yet another choice for buyers in the crowded but incredibly popular crossover-SUV market segment.
The Seltos starts at $21,990 and has five trim levels, with the most expensive one starting at $27,890. Standard all-wheel drive can be had on the cheapest version of the car.
A 146-horsepower engine powers the bottom three Seltos trims, while a 175-horsepower turbocharged option comes standard on the top two, the cheaper of which starts at $25,490.
The Seltos looks great, and is great to drive. Where it falls short is in the cheaper-looking styling details, and in trying to keep the glossy black interior clean — something you shouldn't wish on your worst enemy.
When the 2021 Kia Seltos first arrived at my place for a test run, my first thought was: "Oh! That thing is bright." I mean, I'd seen photos of the Seltos, and I knew it was going to be bright when I saw the color listed as "Starbright Yellow." But this thing was bright bright — the kind of bright you can't prepare your eyes or your mind for.
Not long after, though, the thought pattern shifted. The Seltos no longer just looked bright. It looked good — like, really good.
And that's the Seltos' secret: For a $29,000 SUV with a Kia badge on the front of it, it's a stunner in far more ways than its reasonable price tag should ever allow. Where that reasonable price tag starts to show itself is in the details.
The 2021 Kia Seltos: A budget SUV without the budget looks
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
2021 Kia Seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
Advertisement
Details and safety ratings: An entry-level SUV with high-level offerings
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
kia seltos trim levels review
Trim levels for the 2021 Kia Seltos. (Right click to enlarge in a new tab.)
Alanis King
Advertisement
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
Advertisement
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
What stands out: Styling that'll make you feel fancy, safety tech that won't bug you endlessly
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
Advertisement
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
Advertisement
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
Advertisement
What falls short: Cheap-looking trim pieces, an interior that can't stay clean
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
Advertisement
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
Advertisement
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
How the Seltos compares to its competitors: Similar prices, similar capabilities
The 2021 Kia Seltos (top left), 2020 Hyundai Kona (top right), 2020 Mazda CX-30 (bottom left), and 2019 Subaru Crosstrek (bottom right).
Alanis King
Advertisement
kia seltos hyundai kona mazda cx-30 subaru crosstrek comparison
Fuel efficiency for the various AWD Kona versions can be found through fueleconomy.gov. (Right click to enlarge in a new tab.)
Alanis King
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
Advertisement
Our impressions: A moderately priced crossover for those who want to feel more upscale
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
Advertisement
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
Advertisement
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
Advertisement
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
Advertisement
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
Advertisement
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
Advertisement
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
Advertisement
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
Advertisement
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
Advertisement
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
Advertisement
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
Advertisement
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
Advertisement
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
Advertisement
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
Advertisement
2021 kia seltos
The 2021 Kia Seltos.
Alanis King
The gist: Enjoyable and stylish, but only if you want to spend a lot of time cleaning
Pros: The Seltos has great overall styling, and that's all most people will notice. Its driver-assistance and safety systems are helpful without being intrusive or annoying, it mitigates road noise well, and the SUV doesn't feel dull like some commuter vehicles can — its power and throttle are decent, and its wheel is heavy rather than light and disconnected from the outside world.
Cons: While the overall styling of the Seltos is good, taking a closer look at certain features will leave you feeling like they could have been a little less cheap looking. Inside, its abundance of sleek, glossy black accents on many of the interior color combinations doesn't stay sleek or glossy for long — the accents get so dirty that you'll wonder how a mere human possibly tracked so much grime in there. (Hint: It's because we're all gross.)
What you should know before you head to the dealership: The Seltos has yet to be rated for crashworthiness or other safety features, which means going to the dealership now means that you won't know how it scored. Modern cars usually fare decently in most areas of crash testing, but the big problem areas to look for across the industry are passenger-side crash testing and headlight quality. Those are places where IIHS has more recently added tests, and many automakers haven't caught up with the new criteria.