LIKES
- Newly standard safety tech
- All-wheel drive is widely available
- Spacious interior
- Good base touchscreen
- Excellent warranty
DISLIKES
- 7-speed automatic shift quality
- SX Turbo’s too much
- Some glaring trim pieces
- Average acceleration (base)
BUYING TIP
The 2022 Kia Seltos pairs a superlative warranty and a low price to step to the front of Kia’s small-crossover lineup.
What kind of car is the 2022 Kia Seltos? What does it compare to?
The Seltos anchors Kia’s crossover lineup with a five-seater with available all-wheel drive, which the smaller Soul lacks. With that feature and crisp styling, the 2022 Seltos also sports a smart base price of $23,665. Rivals include the Hyundai Kona, Kia Soul, and Subaru Crosstrek.
Is the 2022 Kia Seltos a good car?
It earns a TCC Rating of 6.2 out of 10, with a strong score in features.
What’s new for the 2022 Kia Seltos?
This year the Seltos gains automatic emergency braking on every model. Seltos S, EX, and SX versions all have a 10.3-inch touchscreen standard as well as remote start, and a new Nightfall edition gets 18-inch black wheels and other blacked-out trim.
A 146-hp inline-4 powers most Seltos crossovers. With a CVT distributing power to the front or all four wheels, it’s a tame application of a tame powertrain, with average acceleration that doesn’t hamstring its drivability. We can’t say the same for the 175-hp turbo-4 upgrade; its 7-speed dual-clutch transmission isn’t fluent at city speeds, and it likes to upshift early, which saps the fun. The Seltos’ available all-wheel-drive system helps it keep track of dusty trails; keep the steering in Sport mode to track interstates cleanly.
The Seltos seats four adults well, with a fifth seat possible if your friends are into compromise. The front seats could use more bolstering, but the rear seats recline for power naps—or fold away to boost the Seltos’s substantial cargo space.
For 2022, Kia’s made automatic emergency braking, active lane control, and automatic high beams standard; higher trims get blind-spot monitors and adaptive cruise control. Crash-test scores have been mixed, with a four-star NHTSA rating and a Top Safety Pick from the IIHS in conflict.
How much does the 2022 Kia Seltos cost?
It’s $23,665 for the base Seltos LX, which has all-wheel drive, and an 8.0-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. A front-drive version costs a little more but adds a 10.3-inch touchscreen. For $29,165, the Seltos SX Turbo has all-wheel drive, adaptive cruise control, and synthetic leather upholstery.
Where is the 2022 Kia Seltos made?
In South Korea.
Styling
The Seltos is part pizzazz, part puzzle.
Is the Kia Seltos a good-looking car?
The Seltos takes a new styling path that other Kias (like the Sorento) have followed, but it’s not an entirely clear one. The contrast-color roof and jaunty proportions work for us, but some details leave us puzzled. It’s a 6 here, with a point for the interesting bodywork.
The hood and nose of the Seltos wear deep creases, and a wide honeycomb grille and headlights band it all together with vertical fog lights that give the front end some height. Down the sides, the Seltos has some blackout pillar trim that works for a contemporary “floating roof” effect, and a general similarity to the Volvo XC40. At the back, the Seltos fakes dual exhaust ports, and we have to ask, why?
Performance
A shifty gearbox limits the fun in the Seltos.
The Seltos has decent acceleration and handling’s fine, but the turbo car’s indecisive transmission cuts into the fun. We base our performance rating on the non-turbo Seltos, and that merits a 5.
Is the Kia Seltos 4WD?
The Seltos comes in front-wheel drive in one inexpensive version, but all other versions get a simple all-wheel-drive system that can shift power from the front to the rear wheels to balance traction. It’s geared more toward any-weather traction and dusty trails than challenging off-roading.
Most Seltos hatchbacks develop 146 hp from a 2.0-liter inline-4 teamed to a CVT. Acceleration to 60 mph is estimated in the nine-second range, slightly better in front-drive models that weigh less. In the related Kia Soul, the same powertrain’s perfectly adequate, if not particularly speedy.
Our Seltos drives have been in cars equipped with the 175-hp 1.6-liter turbo-4. It’s more energetic, to be sure—but its 7-speed dual-clutch automatic isn’t as refined as it should be. It judders through shifts at low speeds in city driving. It’s eager to upshift, which zaps the fun baked into its boost. It can be coaxed into playful acceleration, but it takes attention.
The Seltos rides more softly than expected, with noticeable body lean in corners. It’s tuned with a more compliant ride than the Soul hatchback, which doesn’t offer all-wheel drive. Typical for Kia cars, the Seltos has steering that builds up weight through its Eco, Normal, and Sport drive modes, but it doesn’t have much feel, and tracks best on the highway when toggled into Sport mode.
Comfort & Quality
The Seltos is big on versatility.
It’s small, at 172.0 inches long and on a wheelbase of just 103.5 inches, but the Seltos has flexible interior space for five. It’s best for four and a few gym bags, though. We give it a 6 here, with a point above the median for its cargo room.
The Seltos is slightly bigger than the Soul, and like that other hatchback it’s a marvel of packaging. The front seats seem wide for its size, but they need more bolstering. Base cloth coverings can be upgraded to synthetic leather, but all front Seltos passengers have ample head and knee room.
Back-seat passengers also get good space; the Seltos can seat 6-footers behind other 6-footers, and the rear seats recline for better comfort on long rides. Still, a third person in the back seat, no matter their size, will be squeezed for shoulder space.
Interior quality settles in slightly above average. The Seltos cabin blends attractive materials with good fit and finish. Some hard and glossy plastics on the console and steering wheel seem off-key, but they’re the exception, rather than the rule.
Safety
Mixed crash-test scores limit the Seltos’s safety rating.
How safe is the Kia Seltos?
The IIHS calls it a Top Safety Pick when it’s equipped with automatic emergency braking (all 2022 Seltos crossovers have it) and LED headlights (only the SX has them). We give it that point, but take a point away for a lackluster four-star NHTSA overall rating.
With extra points for newly standard emergency braking and good outward vision, it’s a 7 here.
Features
Newly standard safety elevates the Seltos’ score.
A good touchscreen and an excellent warranty boost the Seltos in our features rating, and this year’s addition of standard automatic emergency braking helps it to a score of 8 here.
Which Kia Seltos should I buy?
You’ll do fine with the base $23,665 Seltos LX, which has that safety gear plus all-wheel drive, 17-inch wheels, power features, and an 8.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. If you don’t want all-wheel drive, the front-drive Seltos S is only $200 more and gets fog lights, remote start, and a 10.3-inch touchscreen.
How much is a fully loaded Kia Seltos?
The $29,165 Seltos SX Turbo AWD spools up the features list with the best safety technology as well as a 7.0-inch driver information screen.
Every Seltos comes with an outstanding 5-year/60,000-mile warranty.
Fuel Economy
The Seltos sips less fuel in front-drive form.
Is the Kia Seltos good on gas?
It’s better when it’s not outfitted with all-wheel drive. The most popular Seltos comes with AWD, though, and its EPA ratings of 27 mpg city, 31 highway, 29 combined merit a 5 here.
You’ll do better with a base front-drive Seltos, which is EPA-rated at 29/35/31 mpg.
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