- The 2023 Kia Seltos enters a new model year with minimal changes. Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert are now standard on the Seltos S trim in front- and all-wheel-drive formats.
- Roomy for its size
- All-wheel drive standard on most trims
- Pricing starts at $22,840| Price it your way
- On sale now | See Kia Seltos models for sale near you
The 2023 Kia Seltos is a stylish subcompact SUV that packs a lot of cabin room and plenty of features into its tidy dimensions. Helping set the Seltos apart is not only its handsome wrapper, but also the high degree of standard comfort, safety, and tech features. Adding a few options won’t burst your car shopping budget either, and all-wheel drive is standard on almost every trim.
Let’s take a look at what the 2023 Seltos has to offer SUV shoppers who want a small SUV that’s good on gas, easy to maneuver, and attractively priced.
Passenger Room and Comfort
The Seltos immediately impresses with the amount of space provided in the first and second rows. While small SUVs often deliver oodles of headroom thanks to their upright shapes, it’s never a given that everyone will have enough stretch-out space during extended road trips. This is particularly true when it comes to rear legroom, which the Seltos has plenty of for adults seated back there. Rear privacy glass is standard, helping deter prying eyes and solar energy.
Cloth upholstery is standard, though faux leather seating surfaces are offered on higher trims. Heated front seats and a power-adjustable driver’s seat are also optional. In terms of its suspension, the Seltos maintains its composure in city and highway driving. Its small size and the Seltos’ short wheelbase can cause especially large bumps or pockmarked roads to rattle it a bit, however.
Features and Tech
Let’s start with the wide range of active safety features that are standard and available on the 2023 Seltos. Every trim comes with Kia Drive Wise, a suite of features that includes forward collision warning, front automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, automatic high-beam headlights, driver drowsiness monitor, and rear-seat reminder. Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert are offered starting on the Seltos S trim.
The Nightfall Edition and the range-topping Seltos SX models upgrade the powertrain by replacing a fuel-efficient but ho-hum 146-horsepower 4-cylinder engine for a turbocharged 4-cylinder with a much peppier 176-horsepower. The SX also comes with sought-after features like adaptive cruise control, LED headlights, a Bose audio system, and wireless device charging.
Speaking of smartphones, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard across the range. The base Seltos LX employs a perfectly fine 8-inch touchscreen, while every other model is fitted with a 10.25-inch screen that’s even easier to use and has large, crisp graphics.
Materials and Design
Like the surprising scale of the cabin, the quality of the materials used in the Seltos’ interior look and feel a cut above this small SUV’s affordable price point. You won’t fool yourself into thinking this is a luxury machine, though the plastics are solid and feel built to last.
In terms of layout and design, Kia seems to have taken inspiration from the likes of BMW and Audi. This is a clean and modern dashboard, one that’s not too reliant on touchscreen controls and comes with handsome knobs and buttons that are within easy reach of the driver and front passenger.
Feeling adventurous? The Seltos SX trim can be ordered with a plum-colored interior, so long as you’re okay with a Cherry Black or Snow White Pearl paint for the exterior.
Cargo Room and Flexibility
The Seltos also punches above its weight class by offering a cargo area that’s commodious for a subcompact SUV. Behind the split-folding second row the Seltos has 26.6 cubic feet of volume. Fold the rear seatbacks flat and the available room expands to almost 63 cubic feet in capacity.
Aiding your load-lugging chores is a low floor that makes lifting heavy objects aboard a little easier. The square shape of the hatch also helps when you need every inch of cargo space.
More Kia Seltos
Build and price your own 2023 Kia Seltos to see this week’s Fair Purchase Price, 5-Year Cost to Own, and more, or see Seltos models on sale near you.
