Common new-car transaction costs are nonetheless sky-high, however there are a number of small entry-level crossovers that search to maximise bang to your buck. The Kia Seltos has shined on this spot, with gross sales up 30 p.c 12 months over 12 months and a shopping for cohort that is among the many youngest within the section. Interesting to the youths is not straightforward, as anybody making TikToks can let you know, however the refreshed 2024 Seltos has all the suitable stuff for the job.

From the entrance, the 2024 Seltos would not look a lot totally different, though the grille is wider, the headlights are altered, and there is some beefier-looking trim on the backside. The rear options a way more intensive glow-up, with new taillights that look way more fashionable. If you wish to take it a step additional, the brand new X-Line mannequin—which replaces the Dusk Version—gussies up the Seltos with a particular grille, totally different wheels, a black roof rack, and gloss-black trim.

Probably the most notable change comes by the use of the turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder within the X-Line and SX trims. Horsepower is up by 20, to 195 horses, whereas torque stays unchanged at 195 pound-feet. This all new engine encompasses a smaller bore and longer stroke than the earlier 1.6-liter and is provided with a bigger turbocharger, revised camshafts, new injectors, and tweaks to thermal administration and the cylinder head. (The two.0-liter inline-four on decrease trims stays unchanged, delivering the identical 146 horsepower and 132 pound-feet.)

Kia additionally ditched the Seltos 1.6-liter’s seven-speed dual-clutch computerized transmission in favor of a extra conventional eight-speed with a superb ol’ torque converter. Certain, the turbo engine’s newfound energy is each instantly noticeable and far appreciated, but it surely’s the brand new transmission’s extra polished habits that makes the largest distinction within the Seltos’s on-road demeanor. Taking off and stopping are each a lot smoother.

Nonetheless, this new powertrain does decrease EPA-estimated gasoline financial system. With the 1.6-liter and all-wheel drive (front-drive is barely supplied on 2.0-liter items), the feds have the 2024 Seltos pegged at 27 mpg freeway, 3 mpg decrease than the 2023 mannequin. Mixed financial system is down from 27 mpg to 26, whereas the town determine stays at 25.

The 2024 Seltos’s suspension stays unchanged, which is nice, as a result of we dig the experience simply as a lot as we did again when we reviewed a 2021 model. Physique motions are properly managed, and brake-based torque vectoring offers this little ute loads of composure in additional aggressive maneuvers. Acoustic entrance glass—new final 12 months and nonetheless a welcome addition—retains the cabin surprisingly quiet for a funds crossover, with solely a little bit little bit of wind noise from across the aspect mirrors. The steering is exact sufficient to keep away from spoiling the suspension’s enjoyable, and the pedals are loads straightforward to modulate.

In case your commute is extra stop-and-go than switchbacks, the 2024 Seltos’s revised cabin ought to make these doldrums a little bit extra nice. A brand new single-piece body surrounds and visually combines the infotainment display and gauge cluster; all however the base LX are handled to a pair of 10.3-inch shows. Bodily controls stay for each local weather management and infotainment, which we’re at all times completely happy to see. A pair of USB ports is now customary within the again, whereas smartphone mirroring nonetheless requires a wired connection. On the protection entrance, bike owner detection is now included throughout the lineup as a part of the Seltos’s forward-collision-warning tech.

Regardless of these modifications, the refreshed Seltos stays an reasonably priced selection for younger consumers and rising households. The bottom LX pairs the two.0-liter engine and all-wheel drive (sure, it is customary on the underside rung) for $25,715. The $26,315 S and $27,115 EX trims are supplied with front-wheel drive; including all-wheel drive bumps these costs by $1500 and $2200, respectively. In order for you the efficiency of the turbocharged 1.6-liter, the X-Line will set you again $30,015, whereas the SX with all its bells and whistles is the dearest Seltos at $31,315.

The 2024 Kia Seltos’s refined formulation ought to solely enhance its enchantment. It is quieter, it is loaded with extra know-how, and splurging for the quicker one feels extra rewarding than earlier than. With rivals such because the Chevrolet Trax selecting up some steam this 12 months, Kia’s entry-level crossover is best positioned to place up a superb battle.

Senior Editor

Automobiles are Andrew Krok’s jam, together with boysenberry. After graduating with a level in English from the College of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2009, Andrew reduce his enamel writing freelance journal options, and now he has a decade of full-time evaluation expertise below his belt. A Chicagoan by start, he has been a Detroit resident since 2015. Possibly someday he’ll do one thing about that half-finished engineering diploma.