KIA is now number 3 on the Top Ten, a thousand cars ahead of arch rival, parent company Hyundai. Why? Style, Class, Price? It is probably all of that, and Damien Meredith’s 7 Year warranty, brought in a little over 7 years ago. During that time, KIA began the transition to an SUV-heavy line-up, on route to one driven only by batteries.
Although Seltos was the top seller in the 11-strong range last month, Sportage is leading the pack year to date.
Seltos got a midlife refresh, but still has no wireless Apple CarPlay.
External changes were subtle, confined to a fiddle with head and tail lights, and changes in garnishes here and there.
Inside, where Over-The-Air Updates are now a thing, there are rear vents and USCB power outlets in the back. The captain gets a twin set of 10.25” LCD screens, and an electric chair. Perhaps he deserved it?
All models get a full-size spare tyre.
The 2.0L models are still saddled with a CVT, but the 1.6 turbo AWD models score Kia’s fabulous 8-speed automatic.
Driver and safety aids are more or less on par with the big SUVs, which all come in handy once you’re in the move.
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ABOVE: 2023 Kia Seltos
The Drive:
GT-Line Seltos uses the Kia Connected service to get the latest weather and traffic updates, as well as updating onboard software.
Perhaps Kia could use that update system to rid themselves of a truly awful alert regime, worthy of many, many paragraphs, such is the effect.
It starts off well enough. The fabulous travel assist features are brilliant on trips. Seltos keeps you in your lane, and at a safe distance from the car in front. It warns you when there is a car next door, and is always ready to throw out the anchors should things go tits-ip.
However, there is a new Hyundai Group function in the Traffic Sign Recognition system. It dings every time the limit changes, and goes off like a jelly on springs when you go over that limit. For whatever reason, the speed displayed is highly inaccurate. In the city, there are speed changes hither and yon, with Seltos banging and clanging like a broken kitchen timer. It is intended to make sure you’re never over the limit, but if the speed wrong, is carries on like a pork chop until it rights itself.
You cannot mute the audible alerts, which after a few kilometres, makes you lose the will to live. I can’t stress enough how annoying it is, and the only way to get rid of the constant barrage of haughty remonstrations, is to turn the system off completely. Once off, you get none of the warnings, and none of the benefits, a true double-edge sword. It would drive a gay man to drink, but then, so does everything else.
Turning it off means entering the settings function, selecting “Vehicle”, and tapping the graphic with the traffic sign symbol. You’re already a couple of taps into the process, but I often found the screen unresponsive, meaning a further 4 or 5 taps was required to disarm the enemy.
Here’s the rub, you have to do that every time you get in and start the Seltos. You can’t mute the sound, and you can’t turn it off permanently. If you think I’m being a drama queen, consider this: If you had all the alerts turned on, including the RoadKill alert, you would be bombarded with bongs and bings bountifully, every few metres in some cases. That’s one bounty I could do without. Kia says it is part of a European Safety edict, but none of the European brands we driven denied the user from muting alerts permanently.
Performance is delightfully nippy, aided by a nifty Sport setting. It brings Seltos to life, but left in normal mode, is a more sedate affair. Handling and ride are typical Kia, carefully curated by Guru Graeme Gambold. Graeme likes a sportier feel to cars and regardless of the drivetrain he is given, finagles a fine finesse to the way Seltos moves. It is quite frisky in the bends, yet long legged and generous on the open highway. The 146kw265Nm power is “sufficient”, as Rolls Royce used to say.
The CVT models are not to my taste, but if you don’t mind the rubber-band feel in your tranny, go for it. You only get front wheel drive though, so that might sway your choice.
Seltos is fun, and rather sexy.
Conclusion:
Seltos was a joy apart from the errant alert system. The cabin is beautifully laid out, switches fall easily to hand, and the 1.6 4 cylinder is blissfully smooth. The AWD feels competent enough to tackle light off-roading, or the snowy goodness of a frosty frolic.
Pricing:
| Powertrain | Transmission | Trim | RRP | DA |
| S | $29,500 | $31,690 | ||
| 2.0 MPI | CVT FWD | Sport | $32,700 | $35,390 |
| Sport+ | $35,800 | $38,490 | ||
| GT-Line | $41,500 | $44,590 | ||
| 1.6 T-GDI | 8AT AWD | Sport+ | $39,300 | $41,990 |
| GT-Line | $44,900 | $47,690 |