Common new-car transaction costs are nonetheless sky-high, however there are a number of small entry-level crossovers that search to maximise bang on 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 inform you, however the refreshed 2024 Seltos has all the precise stuff for the job.

From the entrance, the 2024 Seltos does 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 much more trendy. 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 means 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 includes 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. Positive, the turbo engine’s newfound energy is each instantly noticeable and far appreciated, however it’s the brand new transmission’s extra polished conduct 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 gas financial system. With the 1.6-liter and all-wheel drive (front-drive is just supplied on 2.0-liter models), 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 town determine stays at 25.

The 2024 Seltos’s suspension stays unchanged, which is sweet, as a result of we dig the trip simply as a lot as we did again once we reviewed a 2021 mannequin. Physique motions are properly managed, and brake-based torque vectoring provides 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 price range crossover, with solely just a little 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 just a little 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 all the time joyful 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 alternative for younger patrons 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 components ought to solely increase its attraction. It is quieter, it is loaded with extra expertise, and splurging for the sooner 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 healthier positioned to place up a superb struggle.

Senior Editor

Vehicles 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 minimize his tooth writing freelance journal options, and now he has a decade of full-time assessment expertise underneath his belt. A Chicagoan by delivery, he has been a Detroit resident since 2015. Possibly sooner or later he’ll do one thing about that half-finished engineering diploma.