2027 Kia Seltos

SUV · 1.6L Turbo GDI I4 · AWD

78/100

AutoVault's overall score, weighted for what a suv is actually for — performance, technology, comfort, reliability, safety and value.

Specifications

Engine	1.6L Turbo GDI I4
Horsepower	190 hp
Torque	195 lb-ft
0–60 mph	8.1 sec
Top speed	112 mph
Drivetrain	AWD
Seats	5
Combined MPG	27 mpg (24 city / 30 hwy)
Range	343 miles
MSRP	$34,285
Body style	SUV

The verdict

What's good

The new generation finally gives rear passengers room the old car never had
Kia's long warranty still outlasts almost everything else parked next to it
The range-topper drops the continuously variable gearbox the rest of the line uses for a conventional automatic, which makes the drivetrain far less vocal when you ask for speed
Styling borrows enough from the big three-row Kia to read as a proper family car rather than a starter one

What's not

The turbo engine is locked to the most expensive trim, so getting it means buying everything else too
At this price the money reaches into larger, more practical Kias in the same showroom
Even the turbocharged version is unhurried by the standards of the class, so the badge on the tailgate promises more than the stopwatch delivers
A redesigned model in its first year carries the usual risk of running changes and early recalls

The engine

Smartstream

1.6L Turbo I4

A small turbocharged four that trades the base engine's unhurried smoothness for genuine mid-range urgency, and pairs with a conventional stepped automatic rather than the continuously variable box the rest of the range uses.

Part of the Smartstream family shared across Hyundai, Kia and Genesis, built to cover everything from commuter crossovers to warm hatchbacks; in the Seltos it is reserved for the single range-topping all-wheel-drive trim.

The turbo engine is the only one in the range with an eight-speed automatic; every other Seltos uses a continuously variable transmission.
Ordering the turbo also adds a couple of hundred pounds over the all-wheel-drive four-cylinder, which quietly eats into the power advantage on the road.
The two engines are built on opposite philosophies: the volume car is an Atkinson-cycle, port-injected unit running a very high compression ratio for economy, while the turbo uses direct injection and a much lower ratio for boost.
Output rose by fifteen horsepower over the outgoing turbo Seltos while torque stayed exactly where it was.

See the rest in AutoVault

The six sub-scores behind the 78 — performance, tech, comfort, reliability, safety and value
Market value today and year-by-year value history
All 8 trims with pricing
Studio renders of the exterior, rear and interior, every car in the same light
Side-by-side comparison with up to four cars

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