It didn't take long for the original Kia Seltos to become a hit. It was roomy, drove well for what it was (as long as you got the turbo), and it was cheap yet offered a lot of bang for your buck. This second-gen 2027 Kia Seltos still delivers on all that and more, tossing a few improvements into the mix.

What's new for 2026?

Quite a lot. This new Seltos hops on the "Opposites United" design language bandwagon, bearing more than a passing resemblance to the EV5 from certain angles and coming across as a mini-Telluride from others. Inside, the second-gen Seltos is roomier and the new look is similar to what we've seen in most other recently redone Kias. All trims now come standard with the three-screens-under-one-panel arrangement, with a 12.3-inch touchscreen for infotainment and a digital gauge cluster to match.

Underneath it all, the 2027 Seltos now rides on the same platform as the Kia K4 and Niro — yes, they still make the Niro — and even some Hyundais. It carries over the 2.0-litre normally aspirated and 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engines, and a hybrid is supposedly coming soon.

First impressions

You don't have to park the new Seltos beside an old one to suss out the size difference. I don't understand how this segment is considered "subcompact" anymore; the 2027 Seltos is as big as the Sportage was a decade ago — which is now as big as the Sorento a decade ago. Where does it end?

The 2027 Seltos wears Kia's new design language well, contrasting the Kona's horizontal lines and sleeker roofline with a blockier, more vertical motif. About the only thing the new Seltos shares with the old one, at least visually, is the pinched C-pillar design. Everything else is as fresh as it gets, mixing-and-matching design cues from other Kias. There's more than a bit of Telluride in the front fascia, while from the side and rear, the Seltos easily passes as an EV5. Also, the wheels on our tester look neat.

What's the 2027 Seltos like inside?

The 2027 Seltos adapts a similar look and feel to, well, pretty much any and every new Kia that's come out since the K4 at the tail end of 2024. This mid-range EX-trim tester wears Kia's new "Sofino" upholstery — that's the marketing team's way of saying "synthetic leather," but it feels plush and convincing. The two-tone light-grey-on-medium-grey motif is broken up by metallic trim; it looks good, but like the EV9 GT-Line, it's a lot of grey.

If you've sat in any new Kia since the K4 came out, the second-generation Seltos feels immediately familiar, using more or less the same angular breadbox design, with the same smart blend of physical controls and the same screen layout. It's decidedly more modern than the outgoing Seltos, but it's not too modern for it's own good, as there isn't too much screen, there are physical buttons for just about everything, and there isn't any finger-print magnet piano black. The only thing that's a bit of a miss is the climate-control-only-screen between the digital gauges and the infotainment; it's a bit inconvenient to use, blocked by the steering wheel and all. But other than that, the Seltos is well laid out, easy to understand, and everything feels higher quality than it's price point might imply. I'll get to that.

I've mentioned this before, coincidentally about this Seltos' platform-mate, the Hyundai Kona: the "subcompact" label in this class is a misnomer. There's 39 inches of legroom in the back — more than the Toyota Corolla Cross and Honda HR-V, arguably the leaders of this subcompact-whatever segment, and just a smidge less than that aforementioned 2017 Sorento. The rear seat backs even recline, almost unheard-of for the Seltos' price tag. Relax, I said I'll get to that.

Cargo space comes in at an impressive 786 litres, and expands to 1,817 litres with the seats folded flat. Both of these figures put it at the front of the class; the Taos has ever-so-slightly more space with the rear seats up, but less overall when everything's folded. Also handy is the Seltos' flat cargo floor, flanked by a row of tie-downs and hoops for groceries. That cargo floor also has two notches: a "level" one keeps the floor flat when the rear seats are stowed, and a lower notch for when you need more vertical space. Neat.

How does the new Seltos Drive?

This mid-trim EX tester comes with the base powertrain, a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine. It's the same one used in the base K4, Hyundai Elantra, and Kona, putting out an entirely modest 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque. It works with a continuously variable transmission despite Kia's insistence on calling it an "intelligent" variable transmission, and all-wheel-drive is standard on all but the base Seltos LX

It works just fine, but the one caveat is the Seltos' growth spurt and overall increase in refinement comes at the expense of weight gain. The 2027 Seltos EX is about 400 pounds heavier than a last-gen EX with AWD and powered by the same engine, so plan your moves accordingly on the highway. Yes, really — it's fine around town, but you will need to plan your merges and passes on the highway.

If you want more muscle, stepping up to the X-Line gets you a 190-horsepower turbo-four and a dual-clutch automatic, or wait for the upcoming hybrid. And if none of this matters to you, that's OK! The 2027 Seltos is still smooth and good-enough on gas — we averaged 8.7 L/100 km, and it takes regular — it's very quiet and comfortable, its easy to see out of and manouevre through tight spots, and the controls feel right. There's zero learning curve to driving a Seltos. It even still has a regular P-R-N-D shifter.

Should you buy one?

This isn't really a Seltos problem, but more of a segment-wide thing. There's exactly nothing remarkable or memorable in how the Seltos — or any crossover, for that matter — goes about its business. They all just blend into one-another, to the point where there's really no wrong answer.

But amid all that sameness and mediocrity, the 2027 Kia Seltos somehow manages to stand out. It's roomy, it drives well as long as you don't go on the highway much, it comes with all the bells-and-whistles you could possibly need, and at $33,745 as-tested but before destination and taxes, the Seltos EX in particular is a pretty great deal. It's hip to be square after all.