Let's Take a Look Inside the 2024 Kia Seltos

Kia could have left the 2023 Kia Seltos more or less as it was for 2024 and had an excellent vehicle on its hands. But the company, instead, has updated its award-winning smallest SUV inside and out.

The Seltos has been around since 2021 and has won our Best Buy Award in the subcompact SUV class every year of its existence. When our editors pull all the contenders together for testing, the Seltos consistently stands out for its long list of equipment, reasonable price, and impressive room for its small size.

For the new model year, Kia has updated the body and the cabin, added new standard technologies, and given a power boost to its optional turbocharged engine.

Kia offers the Seltos with either a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine good for 146 horsepower or a 1.6-liter turbocharged four making 195 horses. Front-wheel drive is standard, with all-wheel drive available in case you live where snow affects traffic.

Let's take a look inside the restyled Seltos.

The Seltos is shorter than a 2023 Honda HR-V or Toyota Corolla Cross. But it offers comparable leg and shoulder room and more headroom in the front seats.

At most trims, the driver gets a 6-way manually-adjustable seat. The more upscale EX and SX trims come with a 10-way power-adjustable front seat with 2-way power lumbar support. Front seats are heated in the X-Line, EX, and SX models, and cooling seat ventilation is an option at the top of the lineup.

Passenger space is a little tighter in the rear, as should be expected in this class. But rear passengers get their own air conditioning vents — something we can't say about every rival. Both rows also get their own USB charging ports.

If you haven't been car shopping in a few years, you might be shocked to learn about the advanced technologies available in even inexpensive cars.

Every Seltos comes with a screen instead of the traditional driver's instrument cluster. It's just 4.2 inches in the base LX trim but a generous 10.25 inches at every other trim level.

LX models also get a smaller central touchscreen — 8 inches. Other trim levels get a 10.25-inch model.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard equipment. Those systems essentially turn the car's touchscreen into a mirror of your phone's screen, so you can get to commonly-used apps safely without picking up your phone.

Climate control functions, though, run through traditional buttons. So, no more futzing with menus while driving just to turn on the heat.

Most trim levels get a 6-speaker sound system, but SX models get a premium 8-speaker setup from Bose with mood lamps that respond to the music.

We’re used to subcompact interiors looking like rushed projects made with parts left in the bin from designing more expensive cars. That's not the case with the Seltos.

The driver's instrument screen and central touchscreen are mounted together in one housing. It makes them look like one wide, curved screen — an effect more common to luxury cars. But Kia's designers have been doing excellent work lately. The crisp lines of the Seltos cabin belie its low price. There are some hard plastics, but that's to be expected in an affordable subcompact car. They help keep the price reasonable.

The base LX gets just one color choice: black cloth with heathered seat inserts. With other trims, you can get creative.

Kia's SynTex synthetic leather is pretty convincing. On the Seltos S, you can get it in blue with black cloth inserts. Top-of-the-line EX and SX models get a choice of black, sage green, or camel brown that looks upscale at this price.

With the rear seats in use, the Seltos has 26.6 cubic feet of space — more than an HR-V or Corolla Cross.

Fold them down; you’ll get 62.8 — almost eight cubic feet more than in a comparable HR-V.

Build and price your own version of the 2024 Kia Seltos to see this week's Kelly Blue Book Fair Purchase Price, 5-Year Cost to Own, and more, or check out Kia Seltos models for sale near you.

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