The 2027 Kia Seltos X-Line Is a Baby Telluride That Loves Sand Mode
At the Texas Auto Writers Association’s Texas Truck Rodeo, Holli, Tucker, and I spent the day speed dating new vehicles on the off-road rally course. We had already taken the course in the 2027 Kia Telluride X-Pro, so next up was its little sibling, the 2027 Kia Seltos X-Line SX AWD.
I was very excited about this one. I did a quick drive of a Seltos I borrowed from a dealership, but I never got to take it off-road. Here is how Kia’s most affordable crossover handled the dirt at Eagles Canyon Raceway.
The Baby Telluride
Before we hit the course, I made Holli get out in the heat and look at the Seltos parked next to the Telluride. Her take? It looks very similar to the Telluride, just smaller. I call it the baby Telluride, and I think Kia’s design team absolutely knocked the styling out of the park on this compact crossover.
The all-new Seltos gets a boxier, more rugged look, and the X-Line adds a turbocharged engine and multi-terrain all-wheel drive (AWD). Tucker asked if this thing is meant to go off-road. It has off-road modes, so let’s find out.
Sand Mode on the Rally Course
Since this is an AWD Kia, you get terrain modes right on the steering wheel. I put it in Sand mode, hoping it would let us have a little more fun and get a little bit sideways. I also left traction control on, so it would step in and cut the power if we started doing anything super crazy.
Unlike the Telluride X-Pro, the Seltos wears more on-road-focused tires, and there was a lot of rock and gravel on this course. I didn’t want to tear them up, so I wasn’t going super crazy. Still, it was more than capable through the big sweeping corners. The Kia rep had driven it right before us, and I told him his products are really good in Sand mode out here; he can now confirm.
A Smooth Ride on Broken Ground
Holli’s first impression was that the ride was pretty smooth. I noticed it too. If we had been in a car, we would not have been talking so naturally. The Seltos soaked it up quite well, and I am very impressed with the overall suspension.
Tucker liked it from the back seat, too. When I asked how his wobbly head was doing, he gave it one word: smooth.
Plenty of Power for a Compact Crossover
The X-Line gets a turbocharged four-cylinder engine making 190 horsepower, and I was very pleased with the power and the transmission. There are no paddle shifters, so I didn’t bother with manual mode. We weren’t doing what the guys on the racetrack next door were doing, and we didn’t need to. For the record, the X-Line SX AWD is rated at 24 MPG city, 30 MPG highway, and 26 MPG combined.
Not a Trail Rig, and That’s OK
This is not the obstacle course machine that the Jeep Wrangler or Gladiator on site would be. The Seltos is the kind of vehicle that will take you out to your land or your campsite, down a dirt road.
Would I spend the money on one and take it off-road? Probably not. I would most likely be a pavement princess in it, and with these on-road tires, it would look really good doing it.
Holli Guessed the Price
This is the top trim of Kia’s most affordable crossover, so I asked Holli to guess the price. She took inventory: heated and ventilated seats, a heated steering wheel, two-person memory seats, dual 12.3-inch screens with Apple CarPlay, a very comfortable ride, and good storage throughout. Her guess was $42,000.
She overshot it. Our tester came in at $37,205, and the Seltos lineup starts at just $24,990. Knowing that, Holli said she likes it. You can build your own on Kia.com.
No Gloss Black Anywhere
I asked Tucker if he was paying a penalty for not being in the Telluride. “Not really,” he said, and he had plenty of legroom. Kia claims best-in-class interior and cargo space for the Seltos.
You know what else we really like about this interior? There is not a stitch of gloss black to be found, unless you count the screen, and you can’t. Well done there, Kia. You still get physical buttons for redundant controls, and a smaller screen on the passenger side can populate its info over onto the big screen. It is a very usable, very user-friendly cabin.
Final Thoughts
All the way around, I am very happy with our experience in the Seltos. It is the entry-level crossover from Kia, but it doesn’t feel like it, and it proved more than capable on the dirt. This was just a speed date, so a full review will have to wait. To catch the drive and our future Seltos coverage, subscribe to GT: Garage Talk® on YouTube, and sign up for our weekly newsletter at GTGarageTalk.com.
