As far as the world of crossover SUV's is
concerned, competition is one driving factor that results in the highest of
quality, and it's no secret that customers sure do have a wide variety of
crossover SUV's to choose from right now. The staff on duty at Road Show
provided a close-up focus on the new Kia Seltos this past week after testing,
and immediately reflected that it is going to be at the head of successful
competition rankings for the Honda HR-V.
The Seltos fits into our Kia lineup right between
the fun-and-funky Soul
and Niro,
flaunting a center-locking differential and all-wheel drive on the offense. The
103.5-inch wheelbase is two inches longer than the Soul, and the Seltos' tall,
upright nose and border of black trim around the base make it look very poised
and ready for action. The busiest and most noticeable feature is the leading
edge, and the trademark Kia “tiger-nose” grille that we have come be so
familiar with. The entire array of lighting is much different than the
Telluride's which are simple and clean: on the Seltos the multiple inset LEDs
and 3-D effect evoke a much more futuristic vibe overall.
The team from Road Show rendered the
inside as having plenty of headroom and legroom and loved the reclining heated
seats in the second row. Front seats are ventilated, and well-covered in your
choice of real or artificial leather or fabric. For infotainment accessibility,
you can choose from an 8-inch or 10.2 capacitive touchscreen, running an
updated version of Kia's UVO system featuring higher-resolution mapping and
choice of Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.
As far as safety, the Seltos roars out strong with six airbags and other
passenger-harboring goodies such as automatic emergency braking, pedestrian
detection, rear cross-traffic alert and adaptive cruise.
With the 1.6-liter turbocharged engine, the
testing crew had no trouble at all merging quickly on the interstate, and they
also enjoyed the responsiveness from the 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. The
crew was driving the new Seltos over many bumps and potholes in South Korea,
and the ride quality with the car's 18-inch wheels was way beyond satisfactory.
As far as typical domestic errands such as school runs and weekend trips, they
admit that the Seltos seems perfectly suited.
Although some are under the impression that the
car was only meant for the Korean market, all of us here at Jim Butler Kia of St Louis think that
Kia will choose to bring it on over to American shores. With consumers wanting
the best in safety features, technology offerings, and specialized size of SUV
that perfectly meets their needs, everything about the Seltos aligns with the
busy parent, growing business, or career-minded young professional!
