2024 Kia Seltos First Drive: A Stylish Subcompact SUV Aimed at Subaru

The subcompact SUV segment is a small but fiercely competitive one, with reasonable cargo capacity, available all-wheel drive, and affordable pricing being near the top of buyer wish lists. They're also on the lookout for the latest and greatest new models. So in an effort to keep pace in the space, Kia recently rolled out its refreshed 2024 Kia Seltos.

After a few hours behind the wheel of the updated Seltos, we found it to be more modern, refined, and slightly more powerful than before, with decent second-row passenger room. As an overall package, it's a pretty complete one and serves as further proof that Kia has become very good at giving the people what they want. But will they want it more than the new Subaru Crosstrek, which has been even more significantly revamped for the 2024 model year?

Positioned between the Soul and the Sportage, the Seltos was launched in North America in 2021, so it's still a relatively new vehicle. As such, the updates to the exterior are mild, with the 2024 model's most noticeable change being a set of sharpened-up taillights and the addition of Pluton Blue paint, which is new to the Seltos lineup. The big news inside the cabin is the inclusion of Kia's latest panoramic dual driver information cluster and infotainment screens that'll be familiar to anyone who's looked inside the refreshed Kia Telluride. The setup can be sized up to 10.25 inches apiece as an option.

As before, two powertrains are available for the 2024 Seltos, paired with either front- or all-wheel drive depending on trim and engine. The base 2.0-liter four-cylinder producing 146 hp and 132 lb-ft of torque remains unchanged, and it's mated to the same CVT as before. The optional 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, however, now uses an eight-speed automatic instead of the outgoing seven-speed DCT. It also sees a 20-hp bump to a claimed 195 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque, something Kia says it achieved through upgrades to the turbocharger and cooling system. The downside of the power upside is that the updated engine and transmission combo return slightly worse fuel economy than the 2023 version. But it's slightly more powerful than the Crosstrek's top trim powertrain, so there's that.

Also joining the 2024 Seltos lineup is a new X-Line appearance trim that replaces the old Nightfall Edition. Available only with the 1.6-liter engine, it comes festooned with unique features including 18-inch wheels, a black roof rack, gloss-black door trim, and a gunmetal-finish front grille.

One lineup change of note: The most affordable pre-face-lift base model was the Seltos S with front-wheel drive. For 2024, the new floor is the Seltos LX, which is only available with all-wheel drive. Kia officials we spoke with said the change was made because it wanted to make AWD as accessible and cost-effective as possible. Oh, and there's that pesky Subaru to match up with, which has standard AWD across the model range.

The first thing we noticed about the Seltos after getting into it is how high the driver's seat can be raised. In this era of lofty beltlines and ever-decreasing sightlines, it was nice to be able to significantly boost the seating position in order to see more clearly over the hood.

During our time with the Seltos, Kia only had the top-tier SX AWD for us to try out with the turbocharged 1.6-liter and eight-speed automatic, and the powertrain worked invisibly and noninvasively. The Seltos putters around town smoothly, merges onto highways well, and easily maintains cruising speeds. Likewise, the subcompact SUV's cabin isolation is impressive compared to other offerings in the segment, which tend to let a lot more engine drone and wind noise leak into the cabin. The Seltos keeps the worst of it out, and the only time you really hear the engine is when you floor it.

Its steering remains light and progressive at all speeds, and the brakes bite very naturally. Ride quality is relaxed and not overly damped. However, when taking sweeping turns at speed, the suspension tends to lean more than a little bit into corners and in general the Seltos responds rather grudgingly when pushed. It isn't as buttoned down as, say, the Toyota Corolla Cross, with its more chuckable and fun chassis setup.

The panoramic display is a welcome improvement, as it remains clear and legible even during the brightest time of day. Using the infotainment screen is also a breeze, as everything is simply labeled and reacts very well to inputs. Interior materials are also solid to the touch and the seats emanate sturdiness. That said, we sampled the most expensive Seltos you can buy, so it's unclear whether these observations apply to lower trims.

Thanks in part to seat backs that are at more of a raked angle, its rear seats offer good headroom. On the downside, folks with longer legs might find their knees cramped, but the Seltos still offers more rear legroom than a Mazda CX-30. The trunk is decent for this segment and can fit either two large suitcases or three or four smaller ones.

The 2024 Kia Seltos comes in five trims that range from $25,715 to $31,315—an increase from 2023's starting prices of $24,185 to $29,635. Even with the price increase, the Seltos is still competitive with the Corolla Cross (which starts at $24,945 and goes to $32,400 for the top-trim hybrid) and the new Subaru Crosstrek ($26,290 to $32,190).

It's clear to us after our time with it that Kia is aiming to woo prospective Crosstrek buyers with its updated Seltos, given the emphasis on making AWD as affordable as possible and its increased power over the Subaru at the high end. But the Crosstrek has a reputation for off-road ruggedness that the Seltos simply can't match, and given that the Crosstrek is all-new for 2024 and the Seltos has merely been refreshed, that might be a consideration, as well.

Although it's not like the Crosstrek in the dirty sense, the Seltos is as inoffensive a daily driver as they come. It's comfortable, easy to drive and get used to, and it looks nice, too, which is always a plus. It also comes in a myriad of trims and options that should satisfy even the choosiest buyer. We all appreciate the things in life that just work when we want them to, and at least from our first taste of it, the 2024 Seltos seems to be one of those things.