We are situated at the head end of a season bringing intense change and promise here at Jim Butler Kia of St. Louis! Cooler temperatures will soon make their way into the forecast, Halloween costumes will be purchased, and the excitement of fall football will find its way onto big screens statewide. Times such as these will call for a versatile and value-packed small SUV, with the bonus of a very spacious cabin.
The 2025 Kia Seltos was the topic of a thoughtful blog on the U.S. News Cars forum last week, where they first commended it for its excellent handling and wealth of features. After thoroughly testing the Seltos they also highly approved of its direct steering, balanced handling, and firm suspension. It was simple to maneuver when things got a bit cramped and was a blast to take aggressively around curves. For catching up on notes or just taking a minute to yourself, the cabin stays serene most of the time!
The Seltos is equipped with two engine options: a 146-horsepower four-cylinder and a 195-horsepower turbo-four. The first is mated with a continuously variable automatic transmission and the turbo with an 8-speed automatic. Front-wheel drive is standard on the S and EX models, with the benefit of all-wheel drive available on the LX, X-Line, and SX trims. The turbo-four was the U.S. News crew’s powertrain of choice, as it instilled a greater deal of confidence during highway driving. Fuel economy is one of the traits that prospective buyers are currently eyeballing most.
The Seltos fares quite well in this category, as the front-wheel-drive models nail down an EPA-estimated 28 mph in the city and 34 mpg on the highway. The cabin is well-crafted and very attractive. The ability to haul different types of gear is quite a selling point for any model today, as after-school sports and heeding the call of the wild are both popular activities. You’ll benefit from 26.6 cubic feet of storage space behind the rear row and 62.8 cubic feet with all the rear seats folded down.
Any SUV’s child safety brownie points are sprinkled generously among new parents: one less worry on a busy day is always warmly accepted! The Seltos has two complete sets of LATCH connectors to man the rear outboard seats, and a tether anchor to take care of the middle seat. This busy and savvy gang’s favorite trim was the EX, which comes with attractive features such as a 10.25-inch touchscreen, heated front seats, navigation, and blind-spot monitoring. It also is equipped with the most fuel-efficient engine of the group.
The touchscreen is situated high up, with the most useful controls directly visible on the center stack. One detail that won’t go unnoticed by busy parents on the go is the large door pockets. They are perfect for any music-festival-bound 24-ounce water bottle, or cellphone. The Seltos’ excellent maneuverability, minimal body roll, and quick ratio steering all make it a great choice for urban commuting. Another final verdict from the team was that the infotainment system was the best and easiest to use in the segment.
The
all-wheel-drive EX and SX now receive a standard hands-free power
liftgate. The U.S. News team dove deeper and looked at how the 2025
Kia Seltos performed in different areas. The EX trim is where
you gain goodies such as full synthetic leather upholstery, heated front seats,
and a power-adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar support. The SX trim’s
coolest feature for long hauls? The Bose audio system brings anything from
Blake Shelton to The Bouncing Souls fully to life for the drive!
