A bit more size and Telluride-inspired looks combine with incredible road manners to transform this subcompact SUV. What a change Kia hath wrought on the all-new second-generation 2027 Kia Seltos. What used to look like a fairly anonymous entry-level subcompact SUV now comes across as a neat-looking shrunken two-row Telluride.
But there's more here than sharp new looks, because the Seltos also steps up to the plate with a much-needed increase in overall refinement and a full slate of new features. The result is a dramatic reconstitution. It starts with the usual slight increase in size, as the new Seltos is 1.8 inches longer, barely more than an inch wider, and more than three-quarters of an inch taller.
The footprint is also bigger, as the wheelbase has been stretched by 2.4 inches. Why is this important? Interior space is more generous, and rear legroom has improved to a class-leading 39 inches, a full inch more than before. Also, the forward cabin is about an inch broader across the shoulders, and cargo space is more generous by a cubic foot. In other words, there's more room to spread out.
View Price on AmazonThe wheelbase stretch does wonders for ride comfort, which also benefits from an excellent suspension tune by Kia engineers. Even though the front struts and rear multilink suspension have passive dampers all around, you might think it has computer-controlled damping. Body motion is smooth, and impacts are nicely damped.
The whole experience has a kind of suppleness that feels a class or two higher, with the nicely muted interior noise levels adding to that impression. Handling is solid, as the chassis reacts in sync with steering inputs. That said, this car doesn't exactly relish attacking corners. It's absolutely fine, but it does feel a little less eager than the last one.
The one shortcoming centers on the part of the car that Kia did not improve: the two powertrains, which are purely carryover. The base pairing remains a 2.0-liter inline-four that makes 147 horsepower and is backed by a CVT, while our test car had the turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-four that makes 190 horsepower and has an eight-speed automatic.
Our test car weighed 3668 pounds, a full 336 pounds more than the last Seltos we tested. This roughly 10 percent increase in weight with no increase in power means the 2027 Kia Seltos is inevitably slower than before. After all, each horsepower is hauling around 19.3 pounds instead of 17.3 pounds.
Sure enough, the new Seltos got to 60 mph in 8.2 seconds, whereas the old one did so in 7.1 seconds. The quarter-mile took 16.4 seconds at 86 mph, whereas the old car did it in 15.5 seconds at 91 mph. That isn't great, but the Chevy Trax, which won the last comparison test in this field, did 60 mph in 8.5 seconds and a 16.5-second quarter-mile.
Source: caranddriver.com
