Even the most affordable Kia Seltos in Australia now prices greater than $30,000 drive-away.

At launch in 2019 essentially the most reasonably priced a part of the Seltos vary kicked off across the $25,000 drive-away mark. Now, the Seltos S you see right here will set you again $31,690 drive-away.

Sure, new vehicles have turn out to be dearer throughout the board, however a $5000 improve in 4 years is steep irrespective of which approach you have a look at it. In fact, Kia has made some modifications to justify that worth hike.

The up to date Seltos you see right here has a extra fashionable inside than earlier than, new seems, and a few additional tools in comparison with the automotive it replaces. The non-compulsory Security Pack is now customary (at all times transfer), and also you now get rear air vents and USB cost factors.

However, it nonetheless options the identical engine and transmission as earlier than…

Is the essential Seltos nonetheless a wise purchase in 2023?

How a lot does the Kia Seltos price?

The bottom Seltos S is the one mannequin within the vary beneath $30,000 earlier than on-road prices, with a sticker of $29,500.

Kia’s present drive-away worth for the automotive is $31,690. That drive-away worth means it undercuts the bottom Hyundai Kona (~$35,000 drive-away) or Nissan Qashqai (~$37,000 drive-away).

As a substitute, it’s extra intently aligned with the Hyundai Venue Elite (~$32,600 drive-away).

• 2023 Kia Seltos S 2.0 FWD: $29,500 ($31,690 drive-away)
• 2023 Kia Seltos Sport 2.0 FWD: $32,700 ($35,390 drive-away)
• 2023 Kia Seltos Sport+ 2.0 FWD: $35,800 ($38,490 drive-away)
• 2023 Kia Seltos Sport+ 1.6T AWD: $39,300 ($41,990 drive-away)
• 2023 Kia Seltos GT-Line 2.0 FWD: $41,500 ($44,590 drive-away)
• 2023 Kia Seltos GT-Line 1.6T AWD: $44,900 ($47,690 drive-away)

All costs are earlier than on-road prices.

What’s the Kia Seltos like on the within?

If the little wheels didn’t give it away on the skin, the quantity of laborious plastic and the dearth of padding in key locations will clarify this can be a base mannequin. There’s additionally the very fact you flip a key to begin this mannequin…

The steering wheel is a urethane unit, there’s a mechanical handbrake, and the elbow relaxation on the door is completed in laborious plastic as an alternative of the friendlier padding supplied greater up the vary. It’s practical and nicely geared up, however the Sport sitting above it within the vary is a a lot nicer place to take a seat on lengthy journeys.

The basics are stable. The motive force and passenger sit in generously padded entrance seats with vary of adjustment for taller drivers, and the view out of the upright home windows is superb.

Not like higher-end fashions within the vary, the bottom Seltos will get an 8.0-inch infotainment system flanked by shortcut buttons.

It’s practical, with wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (this automotive doesn’t have manufacturing facility satellite tv for pc navigation) together with AM/FM and DAB radio, and the wi-fi smartphone mirroring is way extra dependable than it was at launch.

Though the dearer fashions have flashier graphics and greater screens, the one factor you’re actually lacking out on within the S is manufacturing facility satellite tv for pc navigation.

The quantity of storage on provide is nice. There’s a shelf below the centre stack giant sufficient for an outsized cellphone or pockets, together with adequately-sized cupholders between the entrance seats, and a reasonably deep console bin. The door bins are on the shallower facet.

One USB-A and one USB-C port characteristic up entrance, together with a 12V plug. There’s no wi-fi charging within the Seltos S.

The rear seats have been improved for the reason that Seltos’ debut. Due to a spread reshuffle from late 2022, the S options USB-C ports and air vents again there – a win for youths on sizzling summer season days Down Below. Beforehand, these options have been reserved for the GT-Line.

It is a greater tackle the small SUV components, with a number of legroom and headroom for passengers within the rear seats.

The wide-opening rear doorways and tall home windows make this one of many higher small SUVs on the market for households with tight parking areas, and imply you’ll extra simply be capable of load kids or cumbersome baby seats than in some rivals.

You get two ISOFIX factors and a trio of high tethers again there.

Once we first drove the Seltos it was a little bit of an outlier, however the competitors has caught up. The brand new Hyundai Kona is greater than earlier than, as is the brand new Nissan Qashqai. In that context the Seltos remains to be good, but it surely’s not fairly the standout it as soon as was.

Claimed boot house is 468 litres, up 35 litres on what’s on provide elsewhere within the Seltos vary. That’s as a result of the S will get an area saver spare wheel as an alternative of a full-sized spare.

Folding the rear bench (60/40) expands that to 1428 litres.

What’s below the bonnet?

The 2.0-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine within the Seltos S carries over from the pre-update mannequin, and produces 110kW of energy and 180Nm of torque.

The engine is mated to a continuously-variable transmission (CVT), with drive despatched to the entrance wheels solely. If you need all-wheel drive you’ll have to go for a higher-spec mannequin with a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine.

The 2023 Kia Seltos makes use of a claimed 6.9L/100km on the ADR mixed cycle with the two.0-litre engine; we noticed 8.1 litres per 100km on per week skewed to life within the metropolis.

All fashions have a 50-litre gas tank and might run on 91 RON common unleaded petrol.

How does the Kia Seltos drive?

Except all-wheel drive is an absolute should, that is the engine to have in your Kia Seltos.

It’d look underdone on paper however the 2.0-litre petrol will get off the mark shortly sufficient, and is clean and quiet in regular metropolis driving. Fairly than slurring awkwardly once you need to speed up, the CVT does impression of a traditional computerized transmission.

The educational curve may be very shallow right here in case you’re hopping out of a a lot older automotive.

Put your foot down and the engine is usually a bit shouty when it revs; anybody who drives round with the throttle welded to the firewall ought to have a look at the 1.6-litre turbo.

With chubby tyres and a snug suspension tune, the Seltos does a superb job filtering out scarred metropolis streets. There’s some audible clunking over large bumps within the cabin, however for essentially the most half this can be a fairly refined little SUV.

The sunshine steering, stable visibility and high-resolution reversing digital camera make parking in tight areas easy sufficient, and the Seltos is a superb measurement if you’d like a pretty big inside however spend numerous time on small metropolis streets.

Of all of the small SUVs on the market, the Seltos is arguably among the best in case you’re protecting lengthy distances. Street and wind noise are stored at bay, and the engine hums away beneath 2000rpm on the authorized restrict in Australia.

With 4 folks on board it does really feel prefer it’s working laborious at freeway speeds if you wish to overtake, or speed up up hills.

It’s value noting although the Seltos S misses out on adaptive cruise management, which makes life simpler on lengthy drives by sustaining a spot to the automotive in entrance in the event that they gradual beneath your set velocity.

You do nonetheless get lane-keeping help nevertheless, together with lane centering which is extra ‘hands-on’ than I would really like when making an attempt to position the automotive between the white traces. Fortunately it may be turned off utilizing a button on the steering wheel.

Whereas we’re speaking about annoying security tools, the velocity restrict warning within the newest Kia and Hyundai merchandise is diabolically unhealthy. Drift over the velocity restrict and it’ll beep at you. Drift again beneath, after which over it once more – even by a small margin – and it beeps once more.

Drive via a faculty zone exterior of faculty hours and, despite the fact that the 40km/h restrict isn’t lively, it’ll beep at you for exceeding the varsity zone restrict.

It prompts each single time you begin the automotive, and takes a number of button presses to show off. I’d be seeking to the aftermarket to have it coded out, as a result of house owners have confirmed it doesn’t get any much less annoying the longer you spend with the automotive.

What do you get?

The 2023 Kia Seltos S comes customary with the next options:

• 16-inch alloy wheels
• Spare-saver spare wheel
• Computerized halogen headlights
• Computerized high-beam
• Halogen daytime operating lights
• Rear fog mild
• Matte Black grille mesh
• Physique-coloured door handles
• Physique-coloured, power-folding facet mirrors
• Roof rails
• Rear spoiler
• Shark fin antenna
• 4.2-inch instrument cluster display
• 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Six-speaker sound system
• 12V energy outlet in entrance console
• USB-A and USB-C outlet in entrance console
• Two USB-C retailers behind centre console
• Handbook air-conditioning
• Second-row air vents
• Handbook handbrake
• Folding key
• Material upholstery
• Six-way manually adjustable driver’s seat

Is the Kia Seltos secure?

The Kia Seltos was crash examined by ANCAP in 2019 and it obtained a five-star security score.

It obtained an grownup occupant safety rating of 85 per cent, baby occupant safety rating of 83 per cent, weak highway person safety rating of 61 per cent, and a security help rating of 70 per cent.

All 2023 Kia Seltos fashions come customary with the next security options:

• Entrance, front-side and curtain airbags
• Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
• Blind-spot help
• Rear cross-traffic help
• Protected Exit Warning
• Clever Pace Restrict Help
• Lane-keep help
• Lane Following Help (lane centring)
• Driver Consideration Alert
• Entrance and rear parking sensors
• Rear-view digital camera
• Tyre-pressure monitoring system

How a lot does the Kia Seltos price to run?

The 2023 Kia Seltos is roofed by a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre guarantee, with seven years of capped worth service and as much as eight years of roadside help in case you service the automotive at an authorised Kia seller.

Service prices over seven years/75,000 kilometres quantity to $2072. Kia additionally gives as much as eight years of roadside help.

CarExpert’s Take

The Kia Seltos S is a stable little SUV for consumers on a price range, but it surely feels a bit underdone in locations.

In any case, below the pores and skin it shares rather a lot with the Cerato hatchback – and if it’s reasonably priced, low-fuss motoring you’re after the Cerato makes extra sense.

You may get a extra generously geared up Cerato Sport for lower than the Seltos S, or a far more generously geared up Cerato Sport+ for simply $1500 extra.

Alternatively, if you’re set on an SUV, we’d be stumping for the dearer Seltos Sport or Sport+.

With extra expertise, extra security tools, and extra welcoming interiors, they’re the place the Seltos vary actually shines.

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