10 Best Features of the 2024 Kia Seltos

The Kia Seltos is a compact SUV that received a major refresh for the 2024 model year. The exterior design is updated to make a bolder first impression while the interior gets a newly available panoramic display with a 10.25-inch instrument cluster alongside a 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen. It gives the Seltos a more premium look and feel.

There’s also a whole new trim with the introduction of the X-Line to the Seltos lineup. This trim gets a series of exterior enhancements, including unique badging with black accents. There’s also an available 1.6-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder under the hood that delivers more power paired to a new 8-speed automatic transmission. Here are the 10 best features of the 2024 Kia Seltos.

The Seltos refresh includes an exterior redesign that creates a stronger first impression. The grille is wider with new front and rear fascias along with vertical fog lights that are integrated with the daytime running lights. There’s new Star Map signature lighting that illuminates across the grille and makes the Seltos immediately recognizable.

The back of the Seltos gets attention as well, with the lighting there mimicking the design up front. Geometric wheel designs add character to the Seltos as you approach the vehicle, and there are even new colors with a bright Pluton Blue, Fusion Black, or Valais Green from which to choose. All these details help the Seltos stand out from the wide range of crossovers currently available.

The Seltos is available in a range of five affordable and well-appointed trims. The base LX starts at only $24,390; this makes it a great choice for those buying their first car or who may have a more modest budget. The S comes in at $24,990, and the new X-Line is priced at $28,690.

Crossing over into the top of the lineup, the EX starts at $25,790 while the top SX comes in at $29,990. That puts the full lineup of the Seltos under $30,000. Add in solid fuel economy figures that help keep you on budget even as gas prices rise, and the Seltos is a great value.

Often, the challenge when shopping for an affordable car is a lackluster interior. Leather and wood trims aren’t going to be a standard feature on a car at this price point, but the designers at Kia made sure it still looks good, rather than cheap. There are cloth seating surfaces that look attractive and feel nice to the touch.

There’s a 6-way manually adjustable driver’s seat and a 4-way passenger seat. Also standard are 60/40 split-folding rear seats, power windows and locks, and even rear air vents to keep those in back comfortable. The base Seltos looks good and has solid standard features so you won’t feel like you had to compromise by buying the base trim.

A new X-Line trim joins the Seltos lineup for those looking for a sportier, more aggressive appearance in their crossover. It includes the turbocharged 1.6-liter engine and all-wheel drive as standard features. A unique grille with a striking Gunmetal finish adorns the front of the X-Line. There are also unique 18-inch wheels not found on the rest of the Seltos lineup.

A black sport roof rack along with matching gloss black accents on the doors further enhance this trim’s appeal along with X-Line badging. There are also Gunmetal front and rear skid plates. While none of these changes provide a performance boost, they do boost the appeal of the Seltos. Those who want something more rugged and bold will like this look.

The Kia Seltos is available with a choice of two engines. Base trims get a 2.0-liter 4-cylidner with 146 horsepower and 142 lb-ft of torque paired to a continuously variable automatic transmission. The top X-Line and SX trims get a 1.6-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder with 195 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque. This engine is paired to an 8-speed automatic transmission.

While both are responsive and engaging with enough horsepower to get the Seltos up to speed without complaint, the turbocharged engine is simply more fun. The jump in both horsepower — which is 20 more than last year’s version of this engine — and torque makes a dramatic difference in acceleration. If performance is a priority, then this is the engine for you.

The Kia Seltos is an affordable crossover that stays affordable over time, thanks to good fuel economy. It gets an EPA-estimated 28 mpg in the city, 34 mpg on the highway, and 31 mpg combined on trims equipped with front-wheel drive and the 2-liter engine.

Choose all-wheel drive and those numbers fall slightly. Equipped with the 2-liter engine, the Seltos gets an EPA-estimated 27 mpg in the city, 31 mpg on the highway, and 29 mpg combined. The more powerful turbocharged 1.6-liter turbocharged engine, which is paired only with all-wheel drive, gets 25 mpg in the city, 27 mpg on the highway, and 26 mpg combined. No matter which configuration you choose, the Seltos is an affordable crossover to fuel.

Technology continues to be a big differentiator with larger screens offering a more premium experience. Not only are they easier to read, especially if you’re following navigation, they’re simply easier to use. The Kia Seltos has two infotainment setups. The base trim only has a 4.2-inch instrument cluster and an 8-inch infotainment touchscreen. The rest of the lineup gets a new panoramic display that levels up the experience for both driver and passenger.

It features a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster next to a 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen. Although it’s two separate screens, they’re mounted in a single display that runs along the dashboard in a clean line.

All-wheel drive is available across the full Seltos lineup, even on the base LX trim, which makes it quite a value. There is the option for front-wheel drive but with limited availability. The mid-range S and EX offer front-wheel drive as a standard feature and make all-wheel drive an option.

Not everyone wants all-wheel drive, but those who live in regions where winter brings snow will appreciate the wide availability of this feature. Even if you don’t live where it snows, having all-wheel drive improves stability and traction anytime, including during the summer months when heavy rain can coat the road with a layer of water.

The list of standard safety features on the Seltos is lengthy, which is a notable achievement on a vehicle at this price point. Every Seltos includes forward collision avoidance assist with car, pedestrian, and cyclist detection, driver attention warning, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, lane following assist, and high beam assist. All but the base trim also has blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, and safe exit warning.

The top SX trim adds highway driving assist, speed limit warning, and speed limit assist as standard features. These assist features make longer highway drives less tiring, although it’s important to note they still require an attentive driver at the wheel.

As a compact crossover that sits just above the Soul in the Kia lineup, the Seltos is not a large vehicle, yet there’s still a good amount of room for cargo. Even with a full load of five passengers, you still have space to stow things in back.

With the rear seats up, there’s 26.6 cubic feet for cargo. This is with the dual-level load floor set low to provide the most room possible. If you don’t have anyone in the rear seats, then you can fold them down and increase cargo capacity to 62.8 cubic feet. This helps make the Seltos a versatile choice that gives you the flexibility to carry people or cargo depending on your needs of the moment.