Kia Seltos

Kia Seltos 1.6 (SP2; South Korea)

The SP2 Seltos debuted in South Korea in 18 July 2019.[28] Positioned above the Stonic, it is offered with two engine options, the 1.6-litre Gamma turbo petrol engine which runs on maximum of 177 PS (130 kW; 175 hp) and 27 kg⋅m (265 N⋅m; 195 lbf⋅ft) of torque with a claimed fuel efficiency of 13 km/l (31 mpg_‑US), and the other is a 1.6-litre U-Line diesel engine is equipped with maximum of 136 PS (134 hp; 100 kW) and 32.6 kg⋅m (320 N⋅m; 236 lbf⋅ft) of torque with a claimed fuel economy of 18 km/l (42 mpg_‑US). Both engines are equipped with a 7-speed dual clutch transmission. It is also available with an all-wheel drive option.[29]

Several driving assist functions including forward collision-avoidance assist, lane following assist, lane keeping assist, driver attention warning and high beam assist is available as standard for all trims.[30]

Kia Seltos 1.6 SX Turbo AWD (SP2; United States)

Launched for the 2021 model year, the Seltos for the U.S. and Canada sports a distinct front bumper to maximize the front approaching angle to qualify as a light truck in the EPA classification which subject to more laxed fuel economy standards. Trim levels for the 2021 Seltos are LX, S, S Turbo, EX, and SX Turbo.

The North American Kia Seltos has two engine options. The first is a naturally-aspirated 2.0-liter with 149 PS (110 kW; 147 hp) and 18.3 kg⋅m (179 N⋅m; 132 lb⋅ft) of torque. This engine is standard on the LX, S and EX and is accompanied by Kia's Intelligent Variable Transmission, or IVT.[31]

The second option is a 1.6-liter turbo engine that produces 177 PS (130 kW; 175 hp) and 27 kg⋅m (265 N⋅m; 195 lb⋅ft) of torque. It is standard on the Seltos SX and optional on the S, and comes with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. All-wheel drive is available for the Seltos and has similar mechanical components as the larger Telluride.[31]

This Seltos model is not sold in Mexico, as the SP2i Seltos is instead offered in the country.[32]

The Australian bound Seltos launched in October 2019 as Kia's entrant into the market's ever-growing small SUV category. There are five grades which consist of S, Sport, Sport+, Sport+ AWD, and GT-Line. Engine choice for lower end variants consist of the 'Nu' 2.0-litre petrol engine mated to a CVT, while higher end AWD models are powered by the 'Gamma' 1.6-litre T-GDi engine with a 7-speed DCT.

A total of 2,048 Seltos models were registered in 2019 since its launch in October.

In September 2020, Kia Australia issued a recall on 2,465 units of the Seltos sold between 25 October 2019 and 25 August 2020. The affected units are to be fitted with an anti-theft locking mechanism in the steering wheel column shaft to meet Australian design rules.[33] The Seltos was the 25th highest selling vehicle in Australia in 2020.[34]

The SP2 model is also offered in the Philippines[35] and Russia.[36]

Kia Seltos SP2 NHTSA crash test ratings (2020):[37]

Frontal Driver:
Frontal Passenger:
Side Driver:
Side Rear Passenger:
Rollover:

The SP2 Seltos received a five-star rating from ANCAP,[38] and four-star from NHTSA.

Kia Seltos 1.5 HTX (SP2i; India)

Kia Seltos 1.4 EXP (SP2i; Indonesia)

The SP2i Seltos is shorter by 60 mm in length and 20 mm in wheelbase compared to the SP2. Visually, the front hood is also made distinct as it ends directly before the grill which created a clamshell hood, whereas the global Seltos ends before the Kia logo, creating a gap line that interrupts the front end design. The bonnet region is also shorter and the rear bumper sticks out less. Together with the Chinese version badged as the Kia KX3 (coded as SP2c), the SP2i Seltos has a different interior dashboard layout with a high-mounted head unit that is also designed to look integrated with the speedometer.

The SP2i model is not offered in all-wheel-drive as the K2 platform that it is based on does not support an all-wheel-drive drivetrain.

The Seltos is the first product of Kia Motor India following its entry in the country.[4] The crossover was unveiled in New Delhi, India on June 20, 2019.[2] By the time of its launch on August 22, 2019, Kia had received 50,000+ bookings for Seltos.[43] Later the Seltos emerged as the best-selling SUV in the country by delivering 12,854 units in October 2019.[44] As of 1 April 2020, the Seltos sales crossed the 80,000 mark in India.[45]

Three engines were offered in India, two being petrol engines and one diesel engine. The petrol engines are the 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine that makes 115 PS (85 kW; 113 hp) paired with 6-speed manual transmission or IVT, and a 1.4-liter Kappa turbo engine that produces 140 PS (103 kW; 138 hp) paired with 6-speed manual transmission or a 7-speed DCT. The diesel engine is a 1.5-litre U-Line unit that produces 115 PS (85 kW; 113 hp) paired with 6-speed manual transmission or 6-speed torque converter automatic. The Seltos is offered in two sub-models, Tech Line and GT Line.

The Indian-built Seltos is exported to several regions which mostly are emerging markets including South Africa, Southeast Asia (except the Philippines), Latin America, Middle East and other South Asian markets.[46] It is also assembled by kits in Vietnam starting from July 2020.[47]

Under the Global NCAP crash test, the driver's chest was considered marginal, the vehicle had limited protection to the head and neck of a three-year-old child and it does not offer standard 3-point belts in all seating positions and has no ISOFIX anchorages standard.[48]

Kia Seltos SP2i RHD (2020)

Global NCAP scores[49]
Overall stars
Adult occupant	8.03/17.00
Child occupant	15.00/49.00
Bodyshell integrity	Unstable

Kia KX3 (SP2c; China)

In September 2019, the Seltos was unveiled at the Chengdu Motor Show as the second-generation Kia KX3. Coded internally as SP2c, the car debuted in the Chinese market in December 2019.[1] The KX3 has a 2,650 mm (104.3 in) wheelbase, longer than any other versions of the Seltos.