15 March, 2024
The Editor of BizNews recently took the sleek and dynamic Kia Seltos <LINK> for a spin and what can we say, we’re proud of this innovative SUV. If you have even one doubt in your mind about moving over to Kia, <LINK>, we recommend reading the review to help sway you in the right direction.
I have to comment that the build quality Kia is putting out these days is noteworthy. The Seltos is demonstrably quiet on the open road and the ride is well balanced between comfort and handling. It feels mini SUV like despite being a 4 door hatchback with a crossover body shape classification. Potholes and poor road surfaces are not a problem for the Seltos perhaps surprisingly so as to its ability to deal with them. As occupants of the Seltos, the work being done by the car on the outside will remain largely hidden to you.
Whilst on the topic this build quality extends to an interior that is simple, clean and comfortable. The quilted leather seats look amazing – but at R507k for this EX+ version perhaps climate control could have been included. That said though the aircon is fast and effective.
A fully functional steering wheel works well and dispatches with the need to manually access any of the primary functions of the onboard computer. The Seltos wirelessly AAACPs itself for you but having to use its voice recognition when in Android Auto mode does present challenges and perhaps avoid this might be the best advice.
The sound system is acceptable without being exceptional if one is listening critically. The aforementioned cabin insulation certainly helps you enjoy the music by not having to crank it to 100 dB+ in order to get over tyre noise and road roar. In this case these tyres are 215/60’s on 17″ mag rims and this is as it should be. Nothing untoward or odd here and they fits the style of the vehicle perfectly. You do also get a full size in the boot – which itself is mid sized at around 430l, but relatively easy to access from a flat load bay which I like and of course you can drop the rear seats in the usual 60/40 split.
Where does this leave us? The easy to drive and easy to live with Seltos is perhaps a good example of where the car market is going. Today we have Chinese competitors in the space where the Koreans used to be – competing on price and the toys list in order to gain market share and establish themselves. The likes of Kia have progressed forwards in building refinement, high quality assembly and fewer toys in the cabin may be a small price to pay for a proven product with longevity now no longer in question.
It is the brand maturation process and there is nothing bad about it. The Seltos is an extremely solid offering as a result and Kia are, and rightly so, proud of it.
Read our latest articles for tips and advice