Lac Beauport, QC - Kia has been on a tear lately with a series of homeruns, introducing a run of brand new vehicles that are excellent at what they set out to do. They recently turned that verve inward at their sub-compact Seltos; an incredibly important little crossover that has made up 21% of all of Kia’s sales in Canada since its inception, and we were invited to check out the newly redesigned 2027 Kia Seltos. 

Kia’s new Seltos is larger in every dimension, safer, quieter, more refined, and packed with more features, many of which punch above its price class.

Exterior Design

The Seltos was one of the last holdouts of Kia’s former design language, and now it’s been brought in line with rest of Kia’s “Opposites United” styling. Its instantly recognizable as a Kia, borrowing a lot of the same styling elements seen on the EV9, EV5, and K4, all of which are lookers in their respective classes. Amber vertical running lights with Kia’s signature lighting pattern make up the fascia, with the unique headlight arrangement - enclosed within the grille - offering a striking and attractive differentiation from the norm.

The profile and rear end are similarly boxy and utilitarian, with styling flourishes that are lifted almost directly off of the EV5 to very good effect. The more rugged X-Line trim levels get a more tough-looking front and rear fascia with more black trim, where the other trim levels see more use of brightwork for visual pop. Either way, it works well and is a good-looking little vehicle.

I and my colleagues tend to joke among each other that a lot of these little crossovers are varying flavours of the same refrigerator, but the new Seltos brings some real styling swagger to the game to help differentiate it from the rest of the commuter appliance crowd. Four new colours - most of which are actually colourful - help add to the visual pop and make it look more upscale.

Interior Accommodation

The upscale push continues inside the Seltos, using a very similar compact dashboard design seen on the EV5 and EV9, framed by metallic trim on the door cards. It emphasizes physical controls for ease of use, and nicely houses a widescreen display, comprising the digital gauge cluster, auxiliary climate controls panel, and 12.3-inch touch display.

The seats are excellent, with our testers for this event being equipped with Kia’s “Sofino” synthetic leather and elegant vertical stitching, reminiscent of luxury cars. What used to be 2-way lumbar adjustment has now become 4-way adjustment for added comfort, and the driver’s seat has inherited Kia’s “Relaxation Seat” that reclines at the touch of a button, and the rear seats recline as well.

In typical Kia fashion, all the switchgear and touch points feel excellent, and materials are well-chosen and attractive. They really sweat the details, and it’s that attention to detail that really sets it apart and makes it feel like a cut above.

The Seltos has grown in every dimension, and that combined with smarter use of space means there’s a lot more room to work with. Rear seat space is excellent, plenty comfortable for adults, and cargo space has grown as well, with handy hooks and attachment points for cargo nets or securing bags, and the cargo floor is flat with the seats folded down, which is a huge plus.

Most trims come equipped with a panoramic roof to add the spacious, airy feel of the generously sized cabin and it doesn’t diminish headroom, either; the Seltos really undermines its sub-compact classification.

Tech & driver assistance

The user interface operates on the same Android-based operating system that Kia’s been using successfully for years, with a tile-based homescreen that’s snappy, attractive, and easy to navigate, and it has standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, too. A multitude of USB-C chargers for both front and rear passengers, as well as a wireless phone charger on all but the most basic trim level. 

Adaptive cruise control with stop and go with lane tracing are standard on all models, as are collision warning with emergency braking, and now have the benefit of junction monitoring as well. Higher trim levels with the upgraded, configurable digital gauge cluster also get a surround view monitor with blind-spot cameras activated during lane changes. 

On that note, those same high-spec models also get Kia’s updated Highway Traffic Assistant 2, which not only can trace lanes and following traffic effectively, but can also change lanes as well. A crisp heads-up display shows what the car is seeing in real time, and it all works very well; better than a lot of higher dollar vehicles.

Under the hood

There’s nothing new here yet. A new hybrid powertrain with electronic all wheel drive is due later this year, and you can bet we’ll be covering it once they start landing. In the meantime, there are two options: base models come with a simple 2.0-litre engine making 147 horsepower and 132 foot-pounds of torque, routed through a continuously variable transmission, with all wheel drive being standard on most trims. X-Line models get a familiar 1.6L turbocharged four-cylinder engine, producing 190 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque, dictated by a more responsive 8-speed automatic transmission, with standard all wheel drive.

All the vehicles at this first drive event were fitted with the more powerful of the two engines. It's a fairly quiet, smooth engine with good mid-range punch and relatively generous passing power, and the transmission is well suited to it with decent responsiveness. It even sounds halfway decent under load, and doesn’t have the same overworked vibe that some of its competitors do. 

Despite the added heft from having grown, careful tweaks to the engine (a slight decrease in outright power in favour of more low-end torque) have managed to keep fuel use about the same as before. Over the course of my drive day in mixed conditions, I observed an average fuel use of 8.8L/100km. It’s slightly on the thirsty side of the spectrum among small crossovers, but it’s also among the most powerful, too - not a bad tradeoff. 

When the new hybrids do start arriving, that powertrain will be available as an option on all trim levels, and not locked behind the highest models. Regardless of which powertrain you choose, you'll be fine feeding it with regular-grade gas; the fancier powertrains don't need fancy fuel.

Driving impressions

Like any other Kia we've driven recently, the Seltos prioritizes comfort and refinement above all else. It's exceptionally quiet for its class, with wind buffeting, road noise, and any breaks in the pavement all feeling well removed from your drive, thanks to added sound deadening materials, a stiffer body structure, and a standard acoustically laminated windshield.

It’s no sports car, but it’s not a slouch, with fairly direct, lightweight steering, decent control of body motions, and healthy get-up-and-go from its turbocharged engine. It’s a cinch to maneuver with a tight turning circle and excellent visibility, and the surround-view cameras are crisp and sharp. All in all, like most other Kias, there’s no one remarkable trait to point at, it’s all just very nice, and easy to get along with right away.

Pricing structure

Pricing begins at $28,495 for base, front wheel drive LX models, with the 2.0L engine. All wheel drive can be added to that for $2,000, or you can make the short additional step up to the EX model, which adds the aforementioned all wheel drive as standard, along with a panoramic moonroof, Sofino leather seating, heated steering wheel, automatic climate control, wireless phone charger, 18-inch wheels, nicer exterior trim, and more for $33,495 - this is what Kia anticipates will be the volume seller, and it’s not hard to see why.

EX Premium models add navigation, power tailgate, powered front seats with ventilation, heated rear seats, one-touch windows and ambient lighting for $36,795. The vehicles we drove were all loaded X-Line models, which swap out the base engine for the tougher turbo mill and toughen up the exterior to match for $39,295, and then the most loaded X-Line Limited models add a heads-up display with the upgraded Highway Driving Assist 2, Kia’s Digital Key 2 that allows you to use your phone to unlock and start the car, a Harmon Kardon sound system with a subwoofer, and rain sensing wipers for $41,295 - which is in line with the top trims of its competitors, while offering more impressive features and/or usability.

Wrap it up

Kia’s Seltos has long been a quiet favourite of ours among small commuter crossovers, offering smart style, healthy powertrain options, and an extensive feature list that all punch above its price point. The new Seltos is no different, but now adds the same exceptionally handsome exterior design language and upscale interior design language that we’ve liked so much on Kia's newest vehicles.

The 2027 Kia Seltos looks and feels like a cut above, offering style, practicality and a feature list that would look more at home on a luxury car. We look forward to spending more time with them and checking out the new hybrid engine, but until then, these are arriving at dealers across the country right now. Go check one out.