New Kia Seltos to arrive this year exclusively as a hybrid
The Kia Seltos is about the same size as a Niro, but should have a lower starting price...
On sale Autumn Price from £28,000 (est)
No Norwegian or Swedish kitchen would be complete without a cheese planer. In Japan there’s a mind-boggling array of Kit Kat flavours to choose from, including cherry blossom and sweet potato. And if you visit India or Mexico you’re more likely to see something called a Kia Seltos than a Sportage.
Yes, even in our highly globalised world, there are plenty of products that are only found in certain countries. But Kia has just announced that the upcoming second-generation Seltos will be sold much more widely than the original – including in the UK.
Like the recently facelifted Kia Sportage, this new SUV features a huge front grille that runs almost the full width of the car, but here the headlights are hidden within it – only becoming obvious when lit – and the grille doesn’t quite stretch to the vertical daytime running lights.
You also get slim vertical lights at the rear of the Seltos, which are connected at the top by a horizontal lightbar. And there's a break toward the top of the rear pillars that creates a floating roof effect, reminiscent of the Kia EV3's design.
The Seltos measures 4430mm from nose to tail, meaning it’s sized midway between the Kia Stonic and the Sportage, and is about the same length as a Kia Niro. However, while there are many versions of the latter to choose from (it comes in hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric forms), the Seltos will only be available as a full hybrid in the UK.
Its hybrid set-up will combine a 1.6-litre petrol engine with a small battery and electric motor, with a total output of 152bhp in two-wheel-drive form. For more power, you can opt for a four-wheel-drive version, which offers 176bhp. Both versions will feature vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality, which will allow you to power external devices with the car's battery.
Inside, meanwhile, the Seltos has twin 12.3in screens: one that displays your instrumentation and the other a touchscreen for infotainment. It’s the same arrangement that you get in the Sportage, where we’ve found the touchscreen responds quickly to inputs, but some of the icons are on the small side. There's also a smaller 5.3in climate display for temperature controls.
Remote software updates should keep the system up to date. Plus, the Seltos will be available with a head-up display that projects important information – such as your speed – onto the windscreen, and a digital key that allows you to access the car via your phone.
As for practicality, we’re yet to sit in the Seltos, but it has a 536-litre boot, which compares favourably with the luggage space offered by rivals such as the Hyundai Kona (466 litres) and Skoda Karoq (521 litres). A foldable false boot floor should boost flexibility. And Kia will offer a range of ‘AddGear’ attachable storage accessories designed to keep everyday clutter neatly organised.
UK specifications have yet to be confirmed, but in Europe, the Seltos will be available with a choice of three trim levels. Pricing is still to be confirmed but, given those conventional petrol engines under the bonnet, we’d expect the Seltos to be available for less than the Niro (which starts at £30,795).
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