3/12/20 UPDATE: This review has been updated with test results for an SX AWD model.

There's a goodness that Kia has figured out how to bake into its newer SUVs, most notably its mid-size three-row Telluride. While the Korean brand's latest box on wheels, the new 2021 Seltos, may be tough to classify—it sits right on the border between subcompact and compact—it's apparent after just a few minutes behind the wheel that it shares some of the Telluride's class-climbing excellence.

HIGHS: Solid value, secure manners, attractive and spacious cabin.

We've already driven a Korean-market Seltos in South Korea, but our recent drives both in Texas and Michigan are our first on home soil. Here are the basics: The Seltos shares its platform and powertrains with the smaller, subcompact Hyundai Kona. It is both larger and more rugged looking, allowing it to approach the compact SUV space and the likes of the Ford Escape and Toyota RAV4, not to mention Kia's own Sportage. If you've been waiting for Kia to build an all-wheel-drive version of its boxy, front-drive Soul, this is as close as you're going to get.

View Photos Michael Simari Car and Driver

Unexpected Refinement

The Seltos's top-level SX specification comes standard with Hyundai/Kia's familiar 175-hp turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-four and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. This powertrain is also available on the mid-range S trim level. A healthy 195 lb-ft of torque—available from just 1500 rpm—gives it plenty of punch for highway merges and passing maneuvers. Acceleration from 50 to 70 mph happens in a respectable 5.0 seconds. This engine also is pleasingly quiet at anything except full throttle, where it can sound a bit thrashy. We recorded a substantial-for-class 83 decibels of noise inside our all-wheel-drive SX test vehicle at full throttle. That dropped to a reasonable 71 decibels at a 70-mph cruise.

While Kia's dual-clutch automatic still doesn't operate as crisply as some, it calls little attention to itself and generally does an admirable job of making the most of the 1.6-liter's output. However, we did notice some clunky shifts at stop-and-go speeds. Toggling up through the three driving modes (Normal, Smart, and Sport) heightens the transmission's responsiveness and willingness to hold on to gears, sharpens the engine's throttle response, and firms up the electrically assisted steering. At the test track, our 3271-pound SX scooted from zero to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds. Still, compared to the bulk of small, all-wheel-drive SUVs that need close to eight seconds to crack 60 mph, the boosted Seltos is rather fleet. Only the few of its slightly larger competitors with their respective optional engines, such as the Escape and Mazda CX-5, are significantly quicker.

View Photos Michael Simari Car and Driver

The Seltos’s standard powertrain is a 146-hp 2.0-liter four paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). We only spent a few miles on urban streets with this setup, but it felt powerful and responsive enough to compete with the Nissan Rogues of the world. It is somewhat noisier and coarser in tone than the 1.6-liter turbo, however, and the CVT's propensity to hold the engine at one droning RPM does the engine no favors. An all-wheel-drive system is standard on all trims except for the S model, where it's a $1500 option. Like the Kona, opting for all-wheel drive brings an independent rear suspension in place of the front-drive version's simpler torsion-beam rear suspension.

LOWS: Hard interior bits, CVT and base engine combo can be a bit uncouth, optional dual-clutch automatic is occasionally confused, Turbo models can be thirsty at the pump.

Let's get one thing out of the way: The Seltos isn't a performance SUV, but it exhibits secure composure and admirable refinement for its price point. Its taut suspension offers good body control in corners without compromising ride comfort. The steering is precise, which, combined with brake-based torque vectoring, gives this Kia a surprising bit of agility and control without feeling darty or nervous. Wheel sizes range all the way from 17 to 18 inches. The grip from the SX's 18-inch Kumho Majesty 9 Solus TA91 all-season tires amounted to a solid 0.84 g of adhesion around the skidpad for a crossover of this size. However, that grip level is notably less than the 0.88-g effort we recorded for a smaller, yet mechanically similar, all-wheel-drive Hyundai Kona on which the Seltos SX is based; the front-drive Kona fared even better with an impressive 0.92-g of stick. The Kumhos also helped the Kia post a solid 160-foot stop from 70 mph.

View Photos Michael Simari Car and Driver

SX models carry a combined EPA fuel-economy estimate of 27 mpg, which is respectable amongst the Seltos's peers, including the Jeep Compass, Mazda CX-30, and Nissan Rogue Sport. Settle for a 2.0-liter model, and that figure climbs to 29 mpg with all-wheel drive and 31 mpg for front-drivers. Our SX example, however, averaged just 21 mpg in mixed driving. On our 75-mph highway test, its 30-mpg return matches the EPA highway estimate.

Design Within Reach

Given the industrial boxiness of the Soul below it in Kia's lineup and the frog-faced Sportage above it, the Seltos's squared-off and chiseled aesthetic strikes us as handsome. Design touches such as the pattern on the grille and the intricate headlights give it a slightly upscale look. A contrasting white or black roof is a $345 option, although you currently can't pair that with the optional $700 sunroof due to manufacturing constraints. Kia says it plans to rectify that in the future, and that it may introduce additional Seltos variants down the road. The brand has already shown an off-road-oriented X-Line model in concept form.

View Photos Michael Simari Car and Driver

Inside, the Seltos has supportive front seats, excellent outward vision, and a reclining rear seat with legroom for six-footers. An adjustable two-tier cargo floor provides a decent 27 cubic feet of space behind the second row, which expands to 63 cubes if you fold down the rear seat backs. While fit and finish are commendable, plentiful hard plastics, including on the dash, door panels, and center console, are evidence of the Seltos's budget price. But ample soft-touch points and thoughtful detailing across the cockpit work well to enhance the atmosphere. Spring for the optional Bose audio system, and you get sound-connected mood lighting that helps dress up the interior at night.

Kia's latest infotainment system is crisply rendered, highly intuitive, and is controlled through a standard 8.0-inch touchscreen. An expansive 10.3-incher as seen on the Telluride is optional. Likewise, the standard 3.5-inch display in the instrument cluster can be upgraded to a vivid yet straightforward 7.0-inch unit. Only the top SX Turbo trim level gets all of the Seltos's active-safety and convenience tech, which encompasses pretty much every mainstream anti-collision gizmo on the market. But many of those systems are standard on all but the base LX model.

View Photos Michael Simari Car and Driver

Family Values

The low $23,110 entry point for the Kia Seltos—which is the same for a base LX version with all-wheel-drive or the higher-spec, front-drive S model—makes our (minor) gripes about it seem trivial. Even our top-spec SX test vehicle with its optional $345 Starbright Yellow paint and black roof and a $130 set of carpeted floor mats carried an entirely reasonable as-tested price of $29,485. While the larger Telluride redefines and breaks out of its segment, the Seltos is an attractive and refined entry in the sub-$30K small SUV class, even if it's not a segment-buster like its big brother.

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