10 Best Things About the 2027 Kia Seltos

2027 Kia Seltos X-Line SX ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Six years ago, the first-generation Kia Seltos hit the market costing $21,990 and up. It was an agreeable, simple, affordable little SUV – not fancy, but cheap and cheerful without being too tiny. It slotted below the bigger, fancier Kia Sportage, which cost $24,090.

Now, the 2027 Kia Seltos enters its second generation with a thorough redesign. Backfilling the old Kia Sportage, which has grown in recent years, the new Seltos is now the size of the 2021 Sportage. Thanks to cushier seats, a smoother ride, and a higher-tech interior than its predecessor, the 2027 Seltos fits even more cleanly into the old Sportage’s shoes. And at a starting price of $24,990, it even costs about the same. A promising gas-electric hybrid model is coming soon, too. 

We recently spent a week driving the redesigned 2027 Seltos between Maryland and Upstate New York. Here are our 10 favorite things about this impressive new subcompact crossover SUV. 

1. Prices Stayed Affordable

The redesigned Seltos’s price jumped a bit from last year’s smaller, less fancy model. But again, at $24,990, it’s still one of the least expensive SUVs you can buy. 

That price buys amenities like alloy wheels, a leatherette-wrapped steering wheel, adaptive cruise control with lane-keeping steering assistance, front and rear parking sensors, push-button starting, a 12.3-inch touchscreen, four USB ports, and a six-speaker stereo. This isn’t a penalty box. For $1,700, you can add all-wheel drive, which comes bundled with heated seats and side mirrors, a spare tire, and selectable driving modes. 

It's a modest step up to the S model. For $26,390, it adds blind-spot monitoring with a rear cross-traffic alert, a 12-way power driver’s seat, dressier styling details like bigger wheels (18 inches instead of 16), and a wider choice of colors. 

The Seltos lineup doesn’t stop here. Its upper trim levels unlock more luxury features – including some add-ons that are new to the Seltos this year. Let’s get to that next. 

2027 Kia Seltos X-Line SX ・ Photo by Brady Holt

2. More Luxury Features

Stepping up from the Seltos S, the $28,390 EX model brings leatherette upholstery, a power liftgate, automatic climate control, rear climate vents, and a rear center armrest. And front-drive EX models get the features that were exclusive to the LX and S with AWD. That makes for a well-equipped SUV that costs less than the cheapest 2026 Kia Sportage LX. You can also add roof rails plus a panoramic sunroof and a heated steering wheel for $1,500; the latter two features are new to the Seltos this year. 

Another trim level is the X-Line S, which costs $28,990 with standard AWD – $900 more than the equivalent AWD S. The X-Line has a few off-road-themed styling details, roof rails, leatherette upholstery, and new cushy mesh head restraints, and it unlocks the EX’s amenities as optional add-ons. 

Finally, the X-Line SX, like our test vehicle, costs $32,790 at the top of the lineup. It combines the EX’s features with the X-Line S’s styling while adding 19-inch wheels. It also has a $2,500 Prestige Package with exclusive amenities – ventilated front seats, GPS navigation, a Harmon Kardon stereo, and several new Seltos features: a blind-spot camera mirror, a surround-view parking camera, rear automatic braking, memory settings for the power driver’s seat and mirrors, and a “relaxation” mode for the driver’s seat.  

More importantly, as we’ll discuss, the SX is also the only Seltos with a more powerful turbo engine. Our test vehicle came to $37,205 with the Prestige Package, floor mats, and the mandatory $1,495 destination charge. 

2027 Kia Seltos X-Line SX ・ Photo by Brady Holt

3. Chunky New Design

Last year’s Seltos was already among the larger subcompact crossovers, and the 2027 model also got longer and wider. It also adopts the chunky styling from the flagship Kia Telluride and EV9 three-row SUVs – a vertical front end, sharper-edged headlights and taillights, and crisper lines throughout. It’s a more distinctive look than the old Seltos. And we like how the boxy new look pairs with a subcompact body. It’s more cheerful than intimidating. 

The Seltos also shares flush door handles with larger Kias. They mechanically retract when the car is locked, making this SUV look concept-car smooth along the sides. Some buyers might shudder at the idea of replacing these motors after the Kia’s five-year, 60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty has expired (the engine and transmission get the brand’s famous 10-year or 100,000-mile coverage). Fortunately, these handles don’t disappear as fully as the Telluride’s. 

As we mentioned, the two X-Line Seltos models – including our test vehicle – have some different styling touches from the LX, S, and EX. The bumper drops the latter trims’ silver details in favor of blacked-out bulges. The X-Lines also have blacked-out wheels. And they have glossy black trim on the fenders instead of the other trims’ matte black. To us, the gloss looks less off-road-ready, but the Seltos isn’t built for rock climbing anyway. 

2027 Kia Seltos X-Line SX ・ Photo by Brady Holt

4. Well-Built Interior With Next-Generation Infotainment

Even last year’s Seltos had a well-built interior for a subcompact SUV. Some plastic trim wasn’t fancy, but we loved the smoothly moving parts like buttons, knobs, stalks, and the gear selector. Some luxury-brand cars don't handle these details this well. The new Seltos also cleans up last year's dashboard design with a more symmetrical look and a better-integrated set of digital displays. 

The 2027 Seltos also brings Kia’s next-generation infotainment system. The screens are slightly larger – a 12.3-inch central touchscreen sharing a panel with a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, while last year’s Seltos topped out with a pair of 10.25-inch screens. Also, the 2026 Seltos had an 8-inch touchscreen paired with analog gauges; this year, everyone gets the full digital experience. The latest infotainment system is also more responsive, and it now supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto via Bluetooth. Last year, you had to plug in your phone. 

If the big screen seems daunting, don’t worry – you still get physical buttons and knobs for most common functions, especially on base models. Upper trim levels replace some physical climate controls for a bonus 5-inch touchscreen between the gauges and infotainment screen. If it were up to us, we’d pay extra for the real buttons, but the climate screen does fill a blank space in the big panel. 

2027 Kia Seltos X-Line SX ・ Photo by Brady Holt

5. Cushy Seats With Room for Adults

The old Kia Seltos had a roomy interior for a subcompact crossover, with a higher seating position and more adult-friendly backseat than many competitors. The 2027 model builds on that strength with even more space and cushier, more comfortable seats. We carried four people without complaint on our 700-mile round trip, but five would have been tight. 

The new Seltos has well-shaped, well-padded seats that held up well during our hours in the saddle. The new mesh head restraints on X-Line models are squishy and soft, like you’ll rarely find outside a Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Generous adjustability includes a tilting driver’s seat on all but the base LX, along with a height-adjustable passenger seat on all trim levels. Our test car’s “relaxation” driver’s seat lets you tilt the whole thing back like a recliner chair when you’re taking a break in your car (not while driving). We also appreciated our test car’s ventilated front seats during hot summer drives. But since you have to spend $37,000 to get them, as with the relaxation seat, we suspect most drivers will do without. At least heated front seats and a heated steering wheel are widely available. 

2027 Kia Seltos X-Line SX ・ Photo by Brady Holt

6. Class-Leading Cargo Space

The Seltos’s roomy cargo hold proved handy for our trip as well. Kia quotes 27.8 cubic feet of luggage room behind the rear seat and what Kia calls a class-leading 64.2 cubic feet with the rear seat folded down. (We’ll append a small asterisk – the Volkswagen Taos has 65.9 cubic feet, but only with front-wheel drive; the AWD Taos has a bulkier suspension and 60.2 cubic feet of remaining space. All Seltos models have the same cargo space.) The 2021 Kia Sportage we mentioned earlier had just 60.1 cubic feet of cargo space – less than the Seltos. 

The Seltos also sports an adjustable-height cargo floor. You can drop it a few inches for maximum volume, which we did on our drive to New York. Or you can raise it back up to create a flush surface with the folded seatbacks. Our only complaint was folding and unfolding the seats; you have to go around to each side of the car to release a lever. 

The new Seltos is now rated to tow 2,000 pounds – great for a subcompact SUV. The old Seltos wasn’t rated to tow in the U.S. at all. 

2027 Kia Seltos X-Line SX ・ Photo by Brady Holt

7. Smooth Ride and Easy to Drive

Perhaps the biggest upgrade to the new 2027 Seltos is its smoother ride. Few subcompact crossovers ride well, and the old Seltos was no exception. It wasn’t dreadful, but it was on the bumpy and tinny side. The newer Seltos feels more solid while also absorbing bumps much better, despite our test car’s big 19-inch wheels. It was quiet, too, though we suspect the base engine would make more noise than our tested turbo (we’ll talk about engines soon).

Since the new Seltos is bigger, heavier, and more softly sprung, it’s less playfully sporty than the old model. We don’t think many people will mind. It was still perfectly happy both on rural mountain roads and squeezing into tight parking spaces in town. Push it hard, and you’ll find that the steering loses precision as you approach its handling limits. But drive it normally, and it’s comfortable and agreeable. It’s one more argument against paying extra for a bigger SUV – especially if you like small cars. 

2027 Kia Seltos X-Line SX ・ Photo by Brady Holt

8. Good Gas Mileage, With a Hybrid on the Way

The 2027 Kia Seltos gets an EPA-estimated 28 mpg in the city, 33 mpg on the highway, and 30 mpg combined with its base engine and front-wheel drive. (AWD costs about 2 mpg.) That engine is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 147 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque, paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission. It’s shared with the previous-generation Seltos and the Kia K4 compact sedan. That’s not a lot of power in the bigger, heavier 2027 Seltos, especially if you try to load it up with people, cargo, or a trailer. Expect it to be agreeable around town, but accelerating at higher speeds will take patience and make more noise. 

We were glad to have the SX model’s turbo engine for our mountain driving with a full car. It’s still no speed demon, but the 1.6-liter four-cylinder turbo makes a healthier 190 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque. It’s paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission that occasionally shifted jerkily at low speeds. (This powertrain also carries over from last year.) EPA ratings are 24 mpg in the city, 30 mpg on the highway, and 26 mpg overall, and we averaged 31 mpg despite all the weight of passengers and luggage. 

Still, we’re most excited about the upcoming Seltos Hybrid, due in late 2026. Its 1.6-liter hybrid engine pairs with electric motors to save on gas, especially at low speeds where gas engines are least efficient. We expect it will average around 40 mpg – all while likely being quicker than the base engine. 

2027 Kia Seltos X-Line SX ・ Photo by Brady Holt

9. Advantages Over Every Competitor

The 2027 Kia Seltos is a well-rounded crossover facing a host of strong competitors. But it has advantages over any of them. 

When you’re looking for simple, budget-friendly transportation, you can consider the Nissan Kicks, the Chevrolet Trax and Trailblazer, and the Chevys’ Buick counterparts (the Envista and Encore GX). But they’re missing the Seltos’s extra comfort and premium amenities. 

If you love the Seltos’s cushy seats and smooth ride, you can consider the powerful, fun-to-drive Volkswagen Taos or the off-road-capable Subaru Crosstrek. But neither has a luxuriously built or high-tech cabin, and both cost more than the Kia. 

The Seltos Hybrid faces two close rivals – gas-electric versions of the Crosstrek and the Toyota Corolla Cross. Neither challenges the Kia for luxury, but we’ll see how they compare in driving manners, fuel economy, and pricing. 

Rounding out the subcompact crossover field, the Hyundai Kona is a mechanical cousin to the Seltos, but with less cushy comfort and the opposite of Kia’s blocky styling aesthetic. The Honda HR-V is roomy and well-finished, with super-easy controls, but it has few high-end features or design flourishes. The Mazda CX-30 is upscale and well-priced but tight on space. 

2025 Volkswagen Taos SE ・ Photo by Brady Holt

10. The Biggest Little SUV You Can Buy

Overall, the 2027 Kia Seltos brings the style, comfort, and amenities of a flagship SUV, along with the maneuverability, easy-to-park dimensions, decent gas mileage, and reasonable price of an entry-level model. Its roomy interior, smooth ride, and overall appeal can appeal to many folks who'd otherwise need a bigger, more expensive SUV. The Seltos is the biggest little SUV you can buy. 

The base engine is its biggest liability. It’s not far off the Honda HR-V or Nissan Kicks, but plenty of rivals are notably quicker. And in the otherwise upscale, class-above Seltos, this engine reminds you that you’ve economized. We’re looking forward to the hybrid. But for now, if you can handle being a little patient to get up to speed, the Seltos has a lot going for it – even if you don’t pay up for the turbo model. 

2027 Kia Seltos X-Line SX ・ Photo by Brady Holt