SELLING SUV-NESS (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Can Kia's Seltos be all the compact combustion SUV your family might ever need? Jonathan Crouch checks it out.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 55

Kia has tried to sell us plenty of compact crossover combustion models over the years but few of them have really been proper SUVs. The brand claims that this Seltos model is. If you're about to sign for a Kia Sportage or something similar but don't need all that space, one of these might suit.

Backgroundword count: 140

The strongest selling Kia you've never heard of is this one, the Seltos. It's the brand's second best-seller worldwide (behind the Sportage), first launched in its original form 2019 and sold in massive numbers in countries like Mexico, South Korea and India (where it's built). Safety and emissions legislation prevented the original model being sold in Europe but the second generation design we looking at here has been created to meet these requirements and slots into Kia's line-up between the Niro and the Sportage. As the reference to those two model suggests, the Seltos is a combustion-only design, like the K4 family hatch introduced just before it. A huge sign that big global players like Kia are adjusting their priorities for combustion power in the light of the electric revolution's slow take-up. Let's take a closer look at this car.

Driving Experienceword count: 184

We expect the conventionally engined part of the line-up to be built around a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine. Offering either 178bhp with a six-speed manual gearbox or 192bhp with an eight-speed auto. Kia has also engineered this car to offer the 1.6-litre full-Hybrid engine which puts out 139bhp with the aid of an electric motor energised by an 11.1kWh battery. Hybrid drive is via a six-speed dual clutch auto gearbox. Kia could in the future also offer the PHEV drivetrain from the Niro. But there will be no full-EV version. And there won't be a performance GT variant of the Seltos, the sort of thing Kia offers with its EVs. The Seltos sits on the same K3 platform as the Niro and like that car is primarily front-driven. Unlike that car though, there'll also be a 4WD option to make this what the brand calls 'an authentic SUV'. That 4WD Seltos offers a special 'Terrain' mode that optimises the drivetrain for snow, mud and sand. Whatever Seltos you choose, don't expect particularly involving on road handling - but likely customers won't be prioritising that.

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