The Kia Seltos Offers Safety and Value in a Small Package

When the weather or road gets rough you want to have a vehicle that can handle the situation. Because of this SUVs have become phenomenally popular in the vehicle market. But large SUVs while capable can use a lot of gas and require some expensive upkeep and repairs. To solve these issues, Kia has introduced the Seltos. So the question becomes, should you buy the Kia Seltos? Let’s take a look.

A Smaller SUV

The Kia Seltos is a small four-door SUV with a liftback for storing all your vacation and adventure supplies. Although the Seltos is small, it still packs a lot of advanced features to take on whatever road you choose. The Seltos offers good ground clearance, room for four adults, and available AWD to make sure the tires stay stuck to the road, no matter the conditions.

Safety Features

The Kia Seltos offers a long list of safety features. Driver, passenger, front and rear airbags are included for passenger safety. In addition, the Kia has 4 wheel ABS, braking assist, and electronic stability control. All of these features give this small SUV sure footing on a variety of roads and conditions. While on the road, there are some additional features to keep you safe. The Seltos has integrated turn signal mirrors to give others greater visibility when you decide to change lanes. Along with letting others know when you change lanes, the Seltos also helps the driver to know when it’s safe to change with lane departure warning and lane-keeping assist technology.

Crash Test Ratings

All cars are subject to various crash testing ratings by different government and private organizations. The Kia Seltos was tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administrations (NHTSA) in three separate categories; front and side crash and a rollover scenario. For the frontal and rollover scenarios, the Seltos received a high rating of four stars out of a possible five. The side crash rating came out as a perfect five stars, giving the Seltos an overall rating of four stars out of a possible five. So for safety in crashes, the Seltos rates very well in this class of small SUV.

Get up and Go

The Kia Seltos comes standard with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that generates 146 horsepower. This spritely engine gives the Seltos enough to get up and go along with providing good gas mileage. The average is 29/34 mpg city/highway on the front-wheel-drive model. The AWD edition will drop the overall mileage but still puts in a respectable 27/31 mpg city/highway. To kick things up a notch, Kia adds a turbo option with the turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder that puts out a peppy 175 horsepower. The last option, even with an increase in horsepower, still delivers great gas mileage at AWD: 25/30 mpg city/highway. The power and mileage are one of the many advantages that come with a smaller SUV as the smaller footprint can deliver more pep and better gas mileage than its larger counterparts.

A Look Inside

The interior of the Kia Seltos is roomy and well-appointed, especially for a small SUV.

The cabin can comfortably accommodate five adults. Standard seating features include; cloth upholstery, manually adjustable driver and passenger seats, along with reclining rear seating. Upgraded seating features include; partial synthetic leather upholstery, power adjust driver’s seat, and heated front seats, for those chilly mornings. The Seltos also comes with an impressive and standard infotainment system that has an 8-inch touch-screen, six speakers, and Bluetooth. The system also includes a standard rearview camera so you can look before backing out.

Reassuring Warranty

Kia offers excellent warranty coverage for their cars and the Seltos is no exception. The standard warranty is for a five-year/60,000-mile, covering the basics and an additional 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. So you can drive your Seltos for many worry-free miles.

The Kia Seltos offers a lot of safety, quality, and a feature-rich driving experience all at an affordable price. The Seltos comes in five different varieties; starting with the base LS, then the S model, the EX, the S Turbo with the 1.6-liter engine, and finally the SX Turbo. Each model includes various feature sets and options, including the turbo engine configuration. Base models start at $21,990 with the top end SX Turbo starting at $27,990, depending on options. The Seltos is a strong, new contender in the very popular and crowded small SUV segment.