2021 Kia Seltos

The 2021 Kia Seltos has a well-made, good-looking cabin, though it's filled with lots of hard plastic surfaces. Passenger space and cargo volume are both excellent for the class, and the infotainment technology is user-friendly.

• While fit and finish are commendable, a glossy sheen to the dashboard and upper door panels, as well as plenty of hard plastics throughout, are evidence of the Seltos's budget price. But ample soft-touch points and thoughtful detailing across the cockpit work well to enhance the atmosphere." -- Car and Driver
• Overall, materials and fit and finish look good, though there is quite a bit of plastic even in SX models." -- Kelley Blue Book
• "Nearly everything inside is made of hard plastic, but nothing is blatantly cheap. The buttons and switches feel good, there are plenty of interesting textures and build quality is excellent." -- CNET

Seating

The Seltos has spacious, comfortable seating for five. Even tall passengers should have enough head- and legroom in the second row. Cloth upholstery, a six-way manually adjustable driver's seat, a four-way manually adjustable front passenger seat, and a reclining rear seat are standard.

Optional seating features include partial synthetic leather upholstery, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, synthetic leather upholstery, a 10-way power-adjustable driver's seat, and heated front seats. For installing child safety seats, there are two complete sets of LATCH connectors for the rear outboard seats.

• "The front seats offer decent adjustment ranges and were reasonably comfortable for the duration of our time behind the wheel, while the back bench has plenty of standard leg- and headroom along with the added bonus of standard reclining rear seat backs. Those aren't a given in this size of SUV. Even with the rear bench in its most upright setting, a 6-foot-2 driver could sit behind his preferred front seat position." -- Autoblog
• "Inside, the Seltos has supportive front seats, excellent outward vision, and a reclining rear seat with legroom for six-footers." -- Car and Driver
• "This vehicle's back seat is huge, with plenty of room for legs and heads. Front or rear, 6-foot-tall folks should have no trouble fitting in the Seltos." -- CNET

Interior Features

The Kia Seltos comes standard with an 8-inch touch-screen infotainment system, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, a six-speaker stereo, Bluetooth, and a USB port. An optional infotainment system includes a 10.25-inch touch screen, an eight-speaker Bose premium stereo, and satellite radio.

Both infotainment setups are generally straightforward and include clearly labeled physical buttons that are easy to reach. Some critics wish the larger screen had crisper graphics, though.

Other optional features include a sunroof, two additional USB ports, wireless device charging, proximity keyless entry, push-button start, automatic climate control, and a 7-inch digital instrument display.

A rearview camera is standard, as is a rear-seat reminder that alerts you to check the back seat before exiting the vehicle. Available driver assistance features include forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, driver attention monitoring, automatic high-beam headlights, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, lane centering assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, speed limit recognition, and adaptive cruise control.

See 2021 Kia Seltos specs »

• The infotainment system is easy to use and pretty quick to respond, but I wish it had better graphics." -- Motor Trend
• "The 10.25-inch touchscreen works well, requiring a firmer than average press to select menu options, giving the advantage of fewer accidental selections. And Korean ergonomics remain class-leading among today’s cars. There are plenty of buttons and knobs to work with, and the screen itself is bright and easy to read." -- Autoweek
• "The tech showpiece — as in the Telluride — is a 10.25-inch touchscreen in the SX powered by Kia’s UVO multimedia and connectivity system that I like a lot. It sits high on the dashboard with a good sightline that’s still close enough for easy touch. It has navigation, impressive graphics, simple menus, and essential physical knobs and shortcut buttons. It makes effective use of all that real estate with a well-designed split screen that allows easy content switching." -- Cars.com

Cargo

The Seltos has 26.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind its rear seat and 62.8 cubic feet with the second row folded down. Those are the highest values among subcompact SUVs. The cargo hold is wide and open, and it can allow for storage of large, bulky items.

• "Buyers who worry that a subcompact won't offer enough cargo room have not met the Seltos. The load area is square and starts below the rear seatbacks, so even carry-on luggage standing upright likely won't impede rear visibility. A false cargo floor can be repositioned to allow for a nearly flat load surface with the rear seats folded." -- Edmunds
• "Longer than most of its competitors, it also has a useful cargo compartment behind the rear seat." -- The Detroit Free Press
• "It might be small, but it hides an impressive amount of cargo capacity. There’s 26.6 cubic feet behind the second row with a wide rear opening and low load floor that makes stowing large items easier. It that’s not enough, the rear seats split-fold 60/40 to increase cargo capacity up to 62.8 cubic feet." -- Boston Globe