The second-generation Kia Seltos arrives with a starting MSRP of $24,990 for the base LX front-wheel-drive model, a price that excludes the $1,495 destination charge. Kia dropped the numbers on Tuesday, and the range tops out at $32,790 for the X-Line SX with the turbocharged engine.
That’s a wide spread for a compact SUV, and it tells you exactly where Kia thinks this vehicle needs to compete. The sub-$25K entry point keeps budget shoppers in the tent, while a loaded turbo model pushing past $34K with destination starts bumping into territory occupied by the Hyundai Tucson, Toyota RAV4, and even Kia’s own Sportage.
The whole vehicle has been redesigned around one idea: make it feel like a Telluride that shrunk in the wash. Kia isn’t shy about the comparison. The cabin borrows design language from the three-row flagship, with soft-touch materials and a triple-screen dashboard layout — a 12.3-inch touchscreen, a 12.3-inch instrument cluster, and a 5-inch climate display panel.
That’s standard equipment across the lineup, which is genuinely aggressive packaging at this price.
The footprint grew meaningfully. Kia claims best-in-class passenger volume and class-leading maximum cargo room at 64.2 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. Those are numbers that would have been respectable in a compact SUV segment five years ago, which underscores how much the subcompact class has inflated.
Two powertrains anchor the lineup. The base 2.0-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder handles duty in the LX, S, and EX trims, while a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine powers the X-Line SX. All-wheel drive adds $1,700 to the standard trims, a reasonable ask. The turbo models with torque-vectoring multi-mode AWD represent the capability play, paired with up to 8.1 inches of ground clearance on X-Line variants.
The X-Line strategy deserves scrutiny. Kia is now offering the rugged-look treatment with both engine options — the X-Line S starts at $28,990 with the base engine, while the X-Line SX at $32,790 gets the turbo. Piano black fender flares, blacked-out trim, unique wheels — it’s the adventure-aesthetic formula every manufacturer runs these days, and Kia is leaning into it hard because the margins are better and Instagram doesn’t care about horsepower.
Standard advanced driver-assistance systems across all trims, plus available Surround View Monitor and Blind-Spot View Monitor, round out the tech package. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard, which has become table stakes but still isn’t universal at this price point.
The missing piece is the hybrid. Kia confirmed a Seltos HEV is coming later this year but held back pricing. That’s the model that could genuinely reshape the competitive picture, especially if Kia can keep it under $30K.
With fuel prices volatile and the EV transition stalling for budget-conscious buyers, an affordable hybrid compact SUV could be the real volume play.
For now, the gas-powered Seltos stands as Kia’s sharpest answer to a simple question: how much vehicle can you deliver for twenty-five grand? The answer appears to be quite a lot — a bigger body, a nicer cabin, and technology that would have been premium-tier three years ago. Whether dealers hold the line on that $24,990 sticker is, as always, another matter entirely.
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