The details help make the difference. . . .
By Gary S. Vasilash
When you get beyond the big things—like exterior design, where Kia is consistently doing a superb job—the little touches that are immensely important, odd though that may sound.
Consider: You like the exterior design of something. Its appeal draws you in. You take a quick spin with the salesperson likely riding shotgun, telling you all about what a magnificent choice you are making. You think everything is in order. You like the placement of things and are pleased to see levers and buttons to control things like the cabin temperature and audio volume.
You buy it. And then you have to live with it. You see things there—or not—that hadn’t originally occurred to you. Some of those make you happy. Some of them make you miffed.
But you have those car payments to make, so. . . .
Details, details. . .
It is absolutely great when you get a new vehicle and discover nice touches.
Like consider this from 2027 Kia Seltos X-Line SX AWD:
Yes, just a headrest. But when have you seen a headrest design quite as stylish as that?
Or this:
Yes, just the driver-side door handle. But while these are often not much more than a lever in many vehicles, note how the design of this in the Kia indicates thought for something someone uses every day. And further, it is clever that the buttons for seat heating and ventilation, as well as the heated steering wheel and seat memory are integrated into this one area. This is a case where space utilization is maximized without sacrificing functionality.
Yes, affordable
Realize that this is a small crossover. The vehicle in question here has the top-of-the-line trim, and yet it has a starting MSRP of just $32,790.
(While “just” seems a little strange for something that costs more than $30,000, there aren’t a whole lot of vehicles available for less than $30K—although of the five trims for the Seltos, the X-Line SX is the only one over $30K, and the entry, the LX, starts at $24,990.)
The X-Line SX exterior styling, with its angular surfaces, indicates that this is meant to be something that’s robust. Don’t get me wrong: this is not Jeep territory (though I think that Jeep designers ought to be spending some time examining the Seltos exterior), but there is a feature called “Multi-Terrain AWD” mode, which adjusts torque distribution to the front and rear axles depending on snow, mud or sand conditions, and there is 8.1 inches of ground clearance. But let’s face it: unless one has to drive over, say, a bumpy field to get to the soccer pitch, odds are even the X-Line SX isn’t going anywhere near serious conditions. Odds are people will be more inclined to use the “Sport” setting if anything other than, well, normal.
It has a 1.6-lter four-cylinder turbocharged engine that produces 190 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque. It is mated to an eight-speed automatic. It returns a reasonable 24/30/26 mpg (city/highway/combined), which is in keeping with the category (e.g., the Mazda CX-30 AWD with a 2.5-liter turbo four gets 22/30/25 mpg).
Of course a big issue for someone looking at a subcompact crossover is whether or not people are going to fit into it. And stuff, too.
As for the people part, the Seltos has passenger volume of 103.5 cu-ft. And for stuff: with the second row in the upright and locked position there are 27.8 cubic feet for cargo; with that seatback folded there is a capacious 64.2 cubic feet.
And that, too, makes a big difference.
