- 2020 Kia Seltos - Small, but Mighty is Kia's latest subcompact crossover named after the son of Hercules.
- With its distinctive design, technology, and promising ride, the all-new 2020 Kia Seltos looks to impress in a hotly-contested subcompact crossover segment.
Two meaningful takeaways from Kia’s 2020 Seltos SX, an urbanely-styled compact SUV that looks like it’s simultaneously trying to give Land Rover’s new Defender and Subaru’s Forester a run for their money. First, the fairly-inexpensive Seltos is packed with technology in a fashion similar to which Japanese automakers became renowned in the 1980s. Second, nobody looking at it would believe how lovely this thing rides.
Kia Crossover 2020 Seltos
2020 Kia Crossover Reviews
Find a brand-new Kia Seltos for sale at our West Portland area Kia dealership. 12520 SW Canyon Rd. Beaverton, OR 97005 Sales: Call sales Phone Number (503) 567-4966 Service: Call service Phone Number (503) 567-5889 Parts: Call parts Phone Number (503) 567-8818. The 2021 Kia Seltos, like all of the other Kia crossovers and SUVs outside of the 2020 Kia Telluride, offers two engine options for customers to explore. The 2021 Kia Seltos offers a 2.0L I-4 engine that generates 146 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, while achieving fuel economy ratings of 29 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway.
For a shade less than $30,000, the Seltos has a 1.6-L turbocharged and direct-injected 4-cylinder engine, a 7-speed (wet) dual-clutch automated-manual transmission, torque-vectoring all-wheel drive, even LED headlights. Then there’s an expansive suite of advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) technology and top-line electronic and driver-interface features, including a vivid 10-inch central touchscreen. The cabin is the electronics match for vehicles costing twice as much. The only trade-off? Virtually all the touchable plastics are vividly low-rent.
Equally amazing is that this small SUV, which Kia said is meant for the paper-thin white space between its funky Soul and the mainstream Sportage, has the supple and confident damping of a luxury sedan. There’s pothole-smothering absorbency – itself a rare attribute for anything “compact” – yet more-than-acceptable body control when you engage a backroads workout for the 175 hp the turbocharged 1.6-L manufactures. We were blown away time and again by the Seltos’ utter disregard for every kind of bad road surface.
We wouldn’t put a lot of stock in the off-road abilities of this decidedly car-like wagon-thing and after taking in the hard-plastic cabin fittings, you wouldn’t be wrong in suggesting the near-$30,000 price is pushing it, regardless of the Seltos SX’s extensive content. But the wide dynamic capabilities of the 2020 Seltos SX – particularly its creamy-but-capable ride – put it at the top of the segment.
2020 Kia Seltos SX Turbo AWD
Base price: $27,890
As tested: $29,485
Highs: High-quality ride; premium driveline and electronic tech
Lows: Downmarket cabin materials; small 1.6-L is soft at the upper end of the tach
Takeaway: Offbeat but enticing package reminiscent of 1980s Japanese cars.