We drove the all-new Kia Seltos in South Korea and it’s showing a lot of promise

We won’t blame you if you’ve forgotten about the existence of the Kia Seltos. Initially launched in our market in 2019, followed by a small update in 2023, it quietly sits in the shadows of its electrified rivals such as the Honda HR-V and Toyota Corolla Cross, as well as other electrified models from brands such as BYD and even Kia themselves.

But there’s still hope for the subcompact crossover as its all-new second generation was unveiled late last year, receiving a complete overhaul inside and out, and mechanically.

And before we go any further, one thing I’d like to point out is that the Seltos is a global Kia product, not designed for specific markets only but for the entirety of the world. As of this writing, it’s already available in markets such as South Korea, India, and Brunei; with Europe, the United States, Mexico, and the Middle East to follow. Kia Philippines has also confirmed its arrival in our market but with no exact date when.

Recently, we flew all the way to Kia’s home market of South Korea to embark on a road trip from Seoul, all the way down south to Gwangju, approximately 400 to 500km through expressways, provincial highways, and small town and city streets. From that experience, we can easily say that this all-new Seltos is showing a lot of promise and is something to look forward to.

How so?

A very strong suit of the all-new Kia Seltos is its bold design. The first generation was already a looker, but it didn’t age as well as it could have, especially with Kia having transitioned to a newer design language. This makes the second generation a huge departure from before with the Opposites United design language which I find as one of the most distinct on the market today. 

Taking a closer look shows that the Seltos is a mishmash of different Kia crossovers with its front fascia taking inspiration from the EV9 with its vertical daytime running lights, matched with a wide Tiger Nose front grille that has the headlights integrated into it. The side profile is still undeniably a Seltos, while the rear goes for an EV5-like design with taillights that wrap around and form two L shapes. 

The bumpers and wheel arches also give a rugged touch to what is otherwise a futuristic exterior, with the X-Line package on the non-hybrid we tested giving off a sportier vibe with gloss black trim and blacked-out wheels, among others.

Inside, the Seltos features a minimalist dashboard with a stacked layout which looks somewhat identical to what other Kia products offer these days. A large panel features a trio of screens—the instrument cluster, a climate control screen, and the infotainment screen.

Compared to other new vehicles on the market, the Kia Seltos has a very low learning curve. Yes, we do have a lot of features integrated into its screens, but the most important functions still have dedicated physical hard buttons or are very easy to locate when in-screen.

The 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, five-inch climate control screen, and 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system all work hand-in-hand to provide users with a straightforward experience that doesn’t come with unnecessary hurdles such as having to dig deep into multiple menus.

The Kia Shop, an official Kia merchandise and vehicle accessory store in South Korea, even offers some very practical accessories such as storage solutions that can be fitted into the vehicle. Having them in one of the vehicles we tested makes us wish these would eventually be offered for the Philippine-spec Seltos as well.

How about driving? We were given the opportunity to experience two different powertrains–the gasoline-turbo and hybrid. 

The former is the high-output 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline direct injection (T-GDI) engine making 193 horsepower and 265Nm of torque, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission that sends power to all four wheels.

And then the latter, the one to look out for, is a 1.6-liter gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine, naturally aspirated, paired to an electric motor and 1.49kWh lithium-ion battery. This produces a combined 141 horsepower and the same 265Nm of torque as the gas-turbo, mated to a six-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT). If it sounds familiar, that’s because it’s shared with the Hyundai Elantra and Kona, both available in the Philippines.

Regardless of which powertrain we end up with, both the gas-turbo and hybrid surprisingly feel identical. The eight-speed automatic transmission in the former could use a bit of tuning to be a bit more responsive and smoother with delays in shifting, especially when overtaking. I say that there’s about two seconds before power actually comes in.

Where the gas-turbo is lacking, the hybrid makes up for. The six-speed DCT appears to be smoother in its operation, and while there is much less horsepower on paper, you barely feel the difference thanks to the electric motor assisting in providing power and torque. 

With Kia’s Smart Regenerative Braking System 3.0, the hybrid system is also able to provide a smoother braking experience, making use of real-time navigation data, road gradients, and front radar sensors to automatically adjust braking intensity. If you want to manually do it yourself, you can still choose different levels through the paddle shifters.

Another commendable aspect of the all-new Kia Seltos is its ride. South Korea’s roads are not exactly the best. They’re definitely better than here in the Philippines, but still have a fair share of imperfections, plus how we drove over a million a lot of humps, especially in low speed driving locations.

While its suspension leans towards the firmer side of things, allowing for a less bouncy ride–unfortunately, the norm with other models that try to provide a smoother ride, it’s still properly balanced to provide a smooth ride, minimizing discomfort on longer drives, especially when going over wavy road surfaces.

Then there’s the advanced driver-assist systems (ADAS). I don’t use them a lot, but I do like having them when needed. The Kia Seltos certainly does not disappoint here. While it’s unlikely for us to get features like Highway Driving Assist 2 (HDA 2) and Lane Following Assist 2 (LFA 2), they were extremely helpful in making my first-ever drive in South Korea as seamless and smooth as possible.

HDA 2 is more than just adaptive cruise control, it also adjusts based on the speed limit in your area. Driving way above the speed limit seems to be normal in South Korea, and driving at or below it would be detrimental to safety. Speed radars and cameras are all over the country, but the HDA feature will adjust accordingly, allowing you to slow down on time and at the same time as other drivers.

Meanwhile, the LFA feature steers and keeps the vehicle centered on the lane when on the highway. If a lane change is needed, flicking the turn signal to your desired direction will make the vehicle smoothly change lanes on its own, smoother than on a Tesla, even with them supposedly being the best in the business.

We’ll have a more detailed review with more specifications, fuel economy, and more impressions once the all-new Kia Seltos arrives in the Philippines, but for now, those are our first impressions.

Overall, experiencing the all-new Kia Seltos ahead of its local arrival shows a lot of promise for what was an easily forgettable model. The outgoing first generation is old, dated, behind on tech, and is not available with any form of electrification.

Where the Kia Seltos got left behind, this all-new second generation fixes. It’s by no means a groundbreaking product, but once you actually get in and drive it, tinker with the features and all, it still gets everything right for a subcompact crossover. It’s straightforward–it just works, it was designed around the customer, and that’s what’s going to make it successful.

If priced right once launched, Kia Philippines definitely has a winner in its hands.