2021 Kia Seltos Road Test and Review

2021 Kia Seltos ・ Photo by Kia

The 2021 Kia Seltos is an all-new crossover in the Kia lineup. It slots between the smaller Kia Soul and slightly larger Kia Sportage offering the versatility of an SUV with a smaller footprint. This makes it ideal for city dwellers who don’t have the room to park a larger vehicle and spend their days navigating congested city streets.

It also has a budget-friendly starting price of $21,990, making it a good choice for first-time buyers or those who simply have a tighter budget for their next new car. A range of four trim levels, a choice of front-wheel or all-wheel drive, and two available engines make it easy to find a version of the Seltos that’s right for your budget and lifestyle. Let’s take a closer look at the 2021 Kia Seltos to see if it’s the right crossover for you.

A Choice of Four Well-Equipped Trims

There’s a range of four trims, making it easy to find a Seltos that fits your budget and needs. The base LX includes cloth seats, a six-way manually adjustable driver’s seat, six-speaker audio, and an 8-inch touchscreen for $21,990. The S has the same starting price with front-wheel drive or a price of $23,490 with all-wheel drive. It adds heated outside mirrors, roof rails, and leatherette seats with the option for heat. Add the turbocharged engine to the S along with larger wheels and brakes and additional safety features for $25,490.

The EX drops back to the base engine but adds a sunroof with power shade, Premium Sofino leatherette seats, 10-way power driver’s seat, and heated front seats at $25,290. Sitting at the top of the Seltos lineup is the SX with the turbocharged engine and additional features that include LED headlights and fog lamps and a 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen at a price of $27,890.

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Two Responsive Engine Options

The 2021 Kia Seltos is offered with a choice of two engines. The base engine is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 146 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque paired to a continuously variable automatic transmission. There are both front-wheel and all-wheel drive models with this engine. Your second option is a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 175 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque. It’s paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission with all-wheel drive only.

While the base engine does the job, the turbocharged engine provides a more engaging drive experience. It gets the Seltos up to speed quickly and has plenty of power for highway passing. It makes the Seltos more fun to drive. It’s also quiet, especially under hard acceleration, due to the automatic transmission versus the continuously variable transmission found on the base engine.

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Fuel Economy That Keeps More of Your Money in Your Wallet

The Kia Seltos gets good fuel economy so when gas prices rise, it will be far easier to manage. Equipped with front-wheel drive, which is only available on a single trim and only with the 2.0-liter engine, the Seltos achieves an EPA-estimated 29 mpg in the city, 34 mpg on the highway, and 31 mpg combined. This is your best option if fuel efficiency is your top priority.

The figures drop with the addition of all-wheel drive to 27 mpg in the city, 31 mpg on the highway, and 29 mpg combined with the 2.0-liter. If you want the extra performance offered by the 1.6-liter turbocharged engine, which is all-wheel drive only, then fuel economy falls further to 25 mpg in the city, 30 mpg on the highway, and 27 mpg combined. Regardless of which you choose, the 2021 Kia Seltos gets fuel economy that’s easy on the budget.

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Smooth and Quiet Ride

The 2021 Kia Seltos offers a smooth ride with composed handling over uneven road surfaces. The suspension system nicely irons out the bumps so it’s easier for the driver to steer and it's more comfortable for passengers. Even in heavy rain, the Seltos was relaxing to drive with crisp handling that reduces driver fatigue over longer trips. This isn’t an overly sporty ride, so the steering is responsive but relaxed rather than demanding constant adjustment.

The ride was also remarkably quiet. The sound of strong winds and heavy rain were kept at bay, making conversation easy, even with rear-seat passengers. Road noise on wet roads was also nicely muted even over rough surfaces. The turbocharged engine with its automatic transmission offers a quiet ride and makes excellent use of the engine’s impressive horsepower.

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Comfortable and Attractive Interior

The interior of the Kia Seltos has quite a bit of variation, depending on whether you choose base, mid-range, or top models. As expected, especially of a vehicle at this price point, the base trim is more modest. Manually adjustable seats, cloth seating surfaces, and plastic trim pieces are standard. On the plus side, the quality of the materials is still good — so though base trims of the Seltos aren’t fancy, they don’t look cheap.

As you move up the range, amenities improve with the addition of leather seating surfaces and a leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated seats, and a larger infotainment screen on the SX. Regardless of the trim, the Seltos has comfortable and supportive front seats that provide a good view of the road. There’s room for three in the back, but it’s a tight fit for more than two. All but the tallest passengers have plenty of head and legroom.

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Fully-Featured Infotainment Across the Lineup

Infotainment is a priority for many buyers, as staying connected and informed on the road becomes an expectation rather than an afterthought. Kia recognizes this with a solid infotainment system on every trim. It features an 8-inch touchscreen with AM/FM/MP3, Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay. There are six speakers for the audio system with steering-wheel-mounted audio controls, Bluetooth connectivity, one 12-volt outlet, and one USB port. Mid-range trims add a wireless charging pad along with a second USB port for rear passengers.

The top SX gets a larger 10.25-inch infotainment screen along with satellite radio, telematics, and voice recognition. It also gets an audio upgrade with a Bose premium audio system and a sound-connected mood lamp. While the SX has the most fully-featured system, Kia was sure to equip every Seltos with key features like smartphone connectivity that makes using the system easier.

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Good Cargo Capacity

One of the big benefits to buying an SUV or crossover is its versatility. It can just as easily handle people as a load of cargo, depending on your needs of the moment. The Kia Seltos has good cargo capacity for a small crossover with 26.6 cubic feet behind the rear seat. That lets you carry a full load of five passengers and still have room for luggage, groceries, or whatever you need for the day’s adventures.

If you don’t need the rear seat for passengers, then you can expand cargo capacity by folding the seats down. They fold in a 60/40 split to allow for larger items increasing cargo capacity to 62.8 cubic feet behind the front seats. There’s a low load floor to make loading up heavy items easier, and a wide rear opening to easily accommodate bulky cargo. The Seltos also has available roof rails for handling more extensive cargo needs.

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Solid Suite of Safety Features

The Kia Seltos comes with a solid range of standard and available safety features to protect you and your loved ones. Standard features include hill start assist, downhill brake control, and cruise control. All but the base trim include a driver attention warning, forward collision avoidance assist with car and pedestrian detection, a lane-departure warning, lane-following assist, lane-keeping assist, and automatic high beams.

Mid-range trims see the addition of blind-spot monitoring and a rear cross-traffic alert. The top SX trim only also comes standard with fusion forward collision-avoidance assist with cyclist detection, smart cruise control with idle stop and go, safe exit assist, and highway driving assist. While features on the base model are limited, the bulk of the Seltos lineup offers a solid range of advanced safety features to set your mind at ease.

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Final Thoughts

The 2021 Kia Seltos is an affordable and well-equipped crossover in what is an increasingly crowded segment. All that competition can make it hard for any one model to stand out among the rest. The Seltos takes key steps to differentiate itself. 

It offers affordable pricing across the lineup with even the top trim coming in well below $30,000 — rather than leaping so high that it becomes out of reach for budget-minded shoppers. That pricing doesn’t mean Kia skimped. Instead, the Seltos has an attractive interior at every price point with additional amenities on top trims that are hard to find in competitive models, including the powerful turbocharged engine. The 2021 Kia Seltos is a well-rounded crossover that's perfect for those who want the versatility of a crossover with affordable pricing.

Photo by Kia