The 2024 Kia Seltos’ revised styling and new options look promising.
The 2024 Kia Seltos has been refreshed, and there’s more on the menu than simply the normal exterior tweaks. Under the hood, the 1.6-liter turbo GDI I-4 gets a power bump, and the interior gets an intriguing optional panoramic display that combines the infotainment and dash screens into one large, contemporary-looking unit. However, it does return with Kia’s continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT, which Kia refers to as the Intelligent Variable Transmission) on some versions, which we’re hopeful will be better than it was for its 2023 model year.
The Kia Seltos is a rather good looking entry-level crossover and builds upon some of the great ideas from its bigger siblings like giving owners lots of features and cargo room. Unfortunately, the 2023 Seltos was held back by its overuse of plastic in the cabin, a jerky CVT, and a four-star crash test rating by the NHTSA. Strangely enough, its sister vehicle—the Hyundai Kona—managed a five-star rating, and the safety ratings deficit was enough to knock the Seltos down to number four in our list of best Subcompact SUVs (whereas the Kona is rated second, but outside of its safety rating garnered largely the same pros and cons).
The Seltos’ interior and exterior updates certainly look promising. It also gets the X-Line treatment, which is new for 2024. While the standard 2.0-liter returns with that (hopefully improved) CVT, the Gamma 1.6-liter I-4 has been revised to churn out 20 more horsepower, now coming in at 195 hp. It’s mated to a new eight-speed automatic transmission that can be used with the Seltos’ available on-demand AWD.
While the standard dash makes due with a 4.2-inch digital gauge, the optional panoramic display combines the 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster 10.25-inch infotainment screen to create massive display that appears to be a single unit. This along with a new dash trim line gives the Seltos’ interior the a horizontal design theme that echoes with the exterior styling changes. Other interior features include four USB ports (two up front, two for the rear passengers) while the SX with the Sunroof Package gets a powered liftgate and ventilated front seats as optional interior bits. Owners can also utilize Kia’s optional Kia Connect features like the digital key and OTA functionality updates on the map and infotainment display.
The refresh of the body allowed Kia to implement some new lighting features that tie the front LED projection lights in with the updated grille. That grille also has an available LED lighting treatment—which Kia is calling the “Star Map”—across the majority of its span, just coming short in the center to match the protruding feature of the upper and lower grille trim. The rear tail lights now have a light bar that spans across the full liftgate and features additional lighting for backup lighting. The lower bumper reflectors also match the new lighting design of the nose. New “geometric shapes are now available on the LS, S, EX and SX trim wheels while a new color, Pluton Blue and seen in these images from Kia, join Fusion Black and Valais Green for 2024. The 2024 Seltos is also the latest vehicle to get an X-Line trim, which adds on exterior upgrades such as a gunmetal finished grille, unique 18-inch wheels, black roof rack, gloss black door garnishes, and “X-Line” badging.
Safety features include Kia’s suite of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) like forward collision warning (with pedestrian and cyclist detection), Intelligent Speed Limit Assist, High Beam Assist, Lane Following Assist, and Kia’s Driver Attention Warning as standard. Expect to hear more about the 2024 Kia Seltos—including pricing—early next year. It’s expected to land in your Kia dealer’s showroom by the first half of 2023.
