2027 Kia Seltos First Drive: Small SUV, Big Hybrid Opportunity

Sometimes, timing is everything. The end spot opens up at your favorite diner just as you approach. A corner booth becomes available, and you get the last slice of pie. In a way, the new 2027 Kia Seltos is like that, arriving at the perfect moment.

In a time where sky-high gas prices are pinching budgets, Kia’s updated Seltos is launching at a price well under $30,000 and with a fuel-efficient hybrid option to boot. The subcompact SUV will attempt to win over buyers with its attractive styling, space, and tech—hopefully before they default to the popular Honda HR-V and Subaru Crosstrek.

Because just as an HR-V owner may upgrade to a larger and more expensive Honda SUV after a few years, a Seltos driver may later do the same and take a long look at a Sportage or Telluride as their needs change. That’s why the 2027 Kia Seltos is so important to Kia: It represents the first chance to build brand loyalty that could last for years to come. We’ve just driven the 2027 Seltos and its all-new Seltos hybrid model in Korea—do Subaru and Honda have anything to worry about?

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Kia Does What Honda Doesn’t

In a segment with more than a dozen players, the 2027 Seltos offers a hybrid model alongside gas options. The Subaru Crosstrek and Toyota Corolla Cross are the only other subcompact SUVs with hybrid options on sale as of now, so a Seltos hybrid variant instantly expands the Kia’s appeal.

Kia still offers two gas-only powerplants for the Seltos, starting with a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated inline-four with about 147 hp as a base engine, mated to a CVT automatic. That’s standard on most trims with a choice of FWD or AWD. Go for a 2027 Seltos X-Line Turbo, and the carryover 1.6-liter turbo inline-four sits under the hood, connected to an eight-speed automatic. These powerplants offer more pep than some rivals, but Kia isn’t done yet.

The new 2027 Seltos hybrid, which is set to arrive later this year, broadens the lineup’s motivational offerings, with FWD and AWD options offering up to about 179 hp. Hybrid SUVs are often quicker than their gas equivalents and can save time by reducing how often you need to stop for fuel. As with Toyota’s hybrids, the 2027 Seltos hybrid in AWD form uses an e-AWD system, which means the added traction comes via a motor located at the rear axle.

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The 2027 Seltos Looks Good. How Does It Drive?

Our Korean drives focused on the 2027 Kia Seltos 1.6 turbo and hybrid models, and both felt responsive and quick—sometimes. Many subcompact SUVs can’t match that.

Dig deeper, though, and some cracks begin to show. With the hybrid, it’s not tough to catch its dual-clutch automatic transmission napping for a moment when you need a burst of acceleration. This may be inconsequential for drivers who never press the accelerator pedal more than halfway through its travel. But that—and the fact that you can feel it subtly shifting—is worth noting in our book.

The 2027 Seltos 1.6 turbo is a different story. Similar to the behavior of the mechanically related Hyundai Kona, the 2027 Seltos 1.6 is sometimes overeager, delivering more acceleration than you want. It’s subtle, but that trait may prove tiresome over time to more sensitive drivers.

Both the 2027 Seltos 1.6 and hybrid are decently quiet for a $25,000–$35,000 SUV at highway speeds, and the suspension handled road imperfections and the many speed bumps on Korean back roads just fine, although we thought the steering feel could use more feedback. Overall—with the one exception being powertrain smoothness—we found the driving experience to be sufficiently refined for a small SUV.

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A Cool Hybrid Feature

The steering wheel paddles on the 2027 Seltos hybrid serve dual functions: They serve as shift paddles in Sport mode and for regen braking in Eco. As with an electric car, turning on one of the three modes slows down the SUV at varying levels of intensity. None of them can bring you to a stop, but they can reduce the number of times you need to apply the brakes in traffic. It can be convenient and mildly entertaining once you try it out.

As for the brakes themselves, they feel mostly normal, and we mean that as a compliment. Occasionally, hybrids will have awkward-feeling brakes as you come to a stop, but that’s mostly a nonissue with the Seltos. The brakes pull a little too hard right before the car stops, but it’s subtle.

Gee-Whiz Tech That’s Useful

By now, we expect big driver and infotainment screens in new Kias, and the 2027 Seltos offers that, plus there’s a smaller HVAC screen in between on higher trims. That screen, which can adjust airflow and recirculated air, is partially obstructed by the steering wheel, but those controls aren’t used all the time, so we don’t see this as a huge issue.

Neither are we especially bothered by the limited functionality of the driver’s instrument panel display. It looks modern and gets the job done but could offer a full map view or a way to permanently display music info and album art. It’s hard to fault these limitations on an inexpensive SUV when its tech is already better than what you get on some rivals.

The 2027 Seltos also ups the ante with advanced driver assist technologies, including standard adaptive cruise control with an automatic lane change feature that activates when you turn on your signal. Paired with a lane centering feature, it can make highway journeys less stressful. We’re not sure how often these features will be used, but it supports the tech-forward vibe established by the SUV’s modern exterior.

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Inside, there’s a feeling of spaciousness that’s partly thanks to the open center console as well as a decent-sized back seat. Even the cargo area enhances this feeling with about 27.8 cubic feet of space with the rear seats up, a size that isn’t far off from a couple of entrants in the compact SUV class.

Our biggest interior complaint is with the drive stalk, which you twist forward or backward to enter Drive or Reverse. The functionality is intuitive, but I frequently bumped my right knee on the stalk because it extends a little low off the side of the steering column. I’m on the taller side, so this may not be an issue for many drivers depending on their seating position.

During our two days of driving, we came to love the two-tone interior combos offered for the Seltos. The outgoing model once offered a dark green interior, but we think these new color combos—dark gray or light brown over a light beige—may last longer in the Seltos lineup. We hope they make it to the U.S.-spec model.

What Could Stand in Kia’s Way

Powertrain smoothness on the 1.6 and the full-throttle responsiveness of the hybrid are the main needs-improvement areas for the new Seltos. Neither refinement issue will be a deal-breaker for most, but both are worth noting.

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Also, in a time of record-high gas prices, we suspect some may skip the uplevel gas 1.6 turbo for the hybrid or the base 2.0-liter. Although we don’t yet have EPA ratings yet for the new model, we know the outgoing SUV only managed 24/27 mpg city/highway in 1.6 AWD form. Over time, we could see Kia phasing out the 1.6 and simply offering the base 2.0 engine with the hybrid as an option. Low mpgs could be a real problem in a segment as price conscious as this one.

Finally, the auto-flush door handles on most trims aren’t as easy to use as normal pull-out handles. These protruding, sticklike handles do give the Seltos a future-leaning feel, though, as some EVs have similar handles.

Why Honda and Subaru Buyers Should Care About Seltos

Even on the base-model 2027 Seltos, every buyer gets a modern design with conventional proportions, one that can fool you into thinking this thing is a compact SUV until you park next to the larger Sportage. Every 2027 Seltos has a decent-size interior, a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, and adaptive cruise control that works fine in traffic.

We call this out because too often automakers focus too much on higher trims, but there’s value here down to the base Seltos LX trim.

Standing out is tough in this segment, but Kia has done enough right with the 2027 Seltos to boost its appeal. The timing is perfect. Finding an AWD SUV that starts under $30,000 these days isn’t as easy as it once was, but the Seltos checks that box as well as a few others. We can’t wait to drive it again in the U.S.

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