Yahoo Autos Kia Seltos Should Do Great in the States If Kia Lets Us Have It
In markets outside of North America, Kia offers a seemingly overlapping lineup of subcompact SUVs that includes the spunky Stonic, the hybrid Niro, the boxy Soul, and the miniscule Ray. And because apparently no slice of the crossover pie is too thin, we've just sampled the fifth member of the brand's growing small SUV family: the Seltos.
Although it has yet to be confirmed for sale in the United States, the Seltos surely will find plenty of love from American consumers should Kia decide to import it from South Korea. It shares a powertrain and platform with the 10Best-winning Hyundai Kona but offers a slightly higher driving position, more rear-seat space, and more cargo room with the rear seats folded, essentially playing a trump card in the game of family one-upmanship.
Rugged Appearance, Delicate Details
Dimensionally, the Seltos slots between the smaller Soul and the larger Sportage in Kia's lineup yet wears a design that pulls inspiration from both without hampering its own style. Kia's designers are particularly proud of the Seltos's LED exterior lighting, including the heartbeat-shaped daytime running lamps, which run over the top and cascade down the side of each headlamp. The Seltos's raked windshield, tapered greenhouse, and floating roof all help create a sense of motion, while chunky body cladding, front and rear faux skid plates, and 18-inch wheels lend it a brawny stance. The Seltos wears its diamond-textured grille surround, a delicate design feature on an otherwise ruggedly styled SUV, far better in person than it does in photos.
While interior materials aren't up to luxury-car standards, they are rather nice for a non-premium vehicle, and the cabin design is pleasingly contemporary. The Korean-spec car we drove was a well-equipped example that sported a large 10.3-inch touchscreen display, Bose audio, ambient interior lighting, heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, and a head-up display.
Familiar Power
Depending on the market, the Seltos will offer up to four inline-four engines, including turbocharged and naturally aspirated 1.6-liters, an Atkinson-cycle 2.0-liter, and even a diesel; front-wheel drive is standard, but all-wheel drive is optional. We sampled an all-wheel-drive model with the turbo 1.6 paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
That powertrain is familiar to us from top-spec versions of the Kona, and it proved to be quite peppy around the busy streets of Seoul, supplying good midrange power for both scooting through traffic and merging on to the highway. The dual-clutch automatic snaps off quick shifts during aggressive driving yet also swaps gears smoothly when cruising sedately. Unfortunately, some of the same low-speed transmission clumsiness we've noticed in the Kona is still present here.
Handling is crisp, and the Seltos feels agile for a higher-riding crossover, which is another trait it shares with the Kona. Rivals such as the Jeep Compass and the Nissan Rogue Sport, both of which are part of the same odd middle ground between subcompact and compact SUVs, are far less engaging to drive. At least the Nissan delivers a more comfortable ride; the Seltos's suspension is firm, and potholes send occasional jolts resonating through the otherwise-quiet cabin.
A No-Brainer
Kia has packed plenty of technology into the Seltos, including both standard and optional driver-assistance aids. Our test vehicle featured a new system called Lane Following Assist which, when used in conjunction with the optional adaptive cruise control, allows for some hands-free operation for short periods of time.
We can't think of any good reason for Kia to hesitate in bringing its latest cute-ute to the States, especially considering how agreeable the Korean-spec Seltos proved to be. If a U.S.-spec version does get the green light, it will be yet another option for a SUV-obsessed public who likely won't care that it doesn't fit neatly into either the subcompact or compact segments. Instead, they'll simply see it as another of Kia's well-built and nicely outfitted small crossovers.
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