2024 Kia Seltos Review: Surprising Features On A Budget

Usually, in the car world like anywhere else, you pay more for flexibility. Want great gobs of power or traction? Open your wallet. Want luxury or high-tech cabin features? Open your wallet. Want more space and style? You guessed it: open your wallet.

The 2024 Kia Seltos doesn't quite buck that trend, no, but at the same time it does upend some of the biggest shopping decisions new car buyers on a budget typically have to make. That's particularly good news if you're one of the millions of Americans who currently live in a cold-weather state, where winter driving means dealing with unpredictable snow and ice.

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In fact, for the 2024 model year Kia has broadened the Seltos' appeal considerably. Based on the success of the X-Line trim elsewhere in its range, the diminutive crossover can now be given a moody, blacked-out makeover. At the top end, there's more technology and driver assistance borrowed from Kia's more expensive SUVs.

Kia has made its subcompact SUV a little tougher and burlier to look at, with a bigger front grille, bulging bumpers, and stronger lighting. There is — trim depending — a nice array of bright paint colors to choose from, too, including a striking Mars Orange and rich Dark Ocean Blue, plus this fetching Photon Blue. Some colors come as two-tone finishes, with a contrast white or black roof.

For the 2024 Seltos, Kia has squeezed some extra power out for its crossover. The standard model gets a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 146 hp and 132 lb-ft of torque, paired with a CVT, but the upgraded 1.6-liter turbo four-cylinder — as fitted to this 2024 Seltos SX Turbo AWD — now delivers 195 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque. That's 20 hp more than the outgoing model, all routed through an 8-speed automatic transmission.

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Kia's approach to all-wheel drive bucks the usual trim walk trends. The base 2024 Seltos LX gets AWD with torque vectoring plus a center lock and the 2.0-liter engine; however, front-wheel drive is standard on the S and EX trims, with all-wheel drive an available option. The turbo engine is standard on the X-Line ($28,690) and SX ($29,990) trims, as is all-wheel drive.

On the road, the turbo engine is adequate but won't blow anybody away. It's perky around town and doesn't get out of breath on highway jaunts, but the automatic transmission isn't the most eager to downshift in either the Normal or Smart modes. There are definitely times when you'll hit the gas to tap an overtaking opportunity and wish the Seltos had paddle shifters to bypass the gearbox's own drive logic.

Things get more eager in Sport mode, and this was one of the (rare) times I found myself wishing there was an Individual mode for a custom mix of settings. Still, without adaptive suspension onboard, Kia's standard — fairly firm — setup is unchanged regardless of drive mode. Though it makes for a level, composed SUV through corners, poor-quality highway surfaces left it feeling a little crashy at times.

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For economy, the base engine is rated for up to 31 mpg combined in front-wheel drive form or 29 mpg combined with all-wheel drive. The turbo AWD Seltos, meanwhile, is rated for 25 mpg in the city, 27 mg on the highway, and 26 mpg combined. My own testing of the turbo version — which skewed toward highway mileage — found those estimates to be on the conservative side, the Kia almost hitting 29 mpg.

With a starting price of just $24,390 (plus $1,325 destination) for the 2024 Seltos LX, it's perhaps no surprise that the spec list is on the conservative side. There's a choice of only four exterior colors and just one interior option: black cloth. You get keyless entry but not push-button start, basic air conditioning, an 8-inch infotainment screen, and a 4.2-inch cluster display. No SiriusXM and no remote start, but there's wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support.

The 2024 Seltos S, from $24,990 plus destination, is very close in price but gets far more features. Of course, you sacrifice AWD, too. If you're fine with front-wheel drive, there are more color choices, faux-leather and cloth seats, push-button start, heated side mirrors, automatic climate control, and a larger, 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen plus a 10.25-inch digital driver display.

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As we've seen on other Kia models, the 2024 Seltos X-Line ($28,690 plus destination) is a more rugged interpretation. It has 18-inch gloss black wheels, black roof rails, and other matching exterior trim. Unlike with Kia's X-Pro trims, though actual off-road ability doesn't change here: it has the same 7.3-inch ground clearance and identical approach and departure angles to the other trims.

By the time you get to the 2024 Seltos SX (from $29,990 plus destination) things are getting positively lavish for the category. Heated front seats are standard from EX up, but the SX can have ventilation too as part of a $1,200 package that also includes a sunroof and smart power tailgate. A Bose 8-speaker audio system (with fairly gimmicky connected mood lighting) is standard on SX, plus a wireless phone charger, LED headlights and fog lights, and a unique 18-inch machined-finish alloy wheel design.

All Seltos trims get forward collision-avoidance assist with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane departure warning and lane keeping assist, lane following assist, and driver attention warning. S trim and above add blind-spot warnings, rear cross-traffic avoidance assist, and safe exit warning.

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Only the SX trim gets junction turning detection for the forward collision-avoidance assist and Kia's Highway Driving Assist. It's a hands-on system, combining lane-following and adaptive cruise control, and is impressively confident at staying within the markings. Less impressive is how sluggish the Seltos is to pick up speed after you move out from behind a slower vehicle.

After seeing what Kia has been capable of with its EV and hybrid vehicle cabin design, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the interior of the Seltos is a little pedestrian. Certainly, the features are all there (assuming you step up through the trims) but the design and plastics all err on the bland side. It's sturdy but hardly memorable.

Then again, perhaps you'll be too busy stretching out to notice. The Seltos puts its slightly-larger-than-normal dimensions to good use, with a spacious cabin that has decent room for two adults in both rows. The rear seat folds with a 60/40 split, expanding from 26.6 cu-ft to a capacious 62.8 cu-ft. A hidden compartment under the trunk floor is useful, too.

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All trims get a USB media port in the front and a pair of USB-C charging ports for the second row. All but the base LX trim have a front USB-C charging port, too.

If the 2024 Seltos is selling anything, it's reassurance. Affordable subcompact SUVs with all-wheel drive are still a relative rarity, and yet — if you can sacrifice some equipment and creature comforts — that's just what the base spec Seltos provides.

Meanwhile, Kia's standard warranty remains one of the healthiest in the industry. The 2024 Seltos gets 10 years/100,000 miles of limited powertrain coverage, 5 years/60,000 miles of limited basic warranty, and 5 years/100,000 miles of limited anti-perforation warranty. There's also a 5 year/60,000 mile roadside assistance plan.

For the nicer engine, nicer cabin tech, and generally nicer driving experience, the 2024 Seltos X-Line does nudge the budget up. Then again, Mazda's similarly-scaled CX-30 has the edge in driving dynamics, but by the time you add its excellent turbo engine you're at nearly $34k. The new Seltos is roomier than a Hyundai Kona, and more powerful than a VW Taos AWD. Overall, that feels like a winning strategy.