- 2 days ago
The all-new Kia Seltos arrives in Europe as a compact crossover that looks almost like a Niro on paper but aims much higher in everyday practicality. Marek puts the 180 hp 1.6 T-GDI with DCT under the microscope, measuring the boot, checking rear-seat space, and testing whether Kia’s new Star Map design language really marks a fresh direction for the brand.
From the hidden rear wiper and X-Line styling to the surprisingly roomy cabin, this review covers the details that matter: real-world luggage space, physical buttons, recycled materials, rear comfort, and the quirks of the dashboard layout. It also digs into the drivetrain behavior, where the gearbox and throttle mapping make smooth pull-offs harder than they should be, plus a strange Start-Stop-related glitch that resets the screens and wireless charger.
If you’re researching the Kia Seltos, compact SUV review, C-crossover test drive, or a practical alternative to the Niro, XCeed, and Sportage, this deep-dive gives you the full picture. It is especially useful for anyone comparing petrol crossover reviews, European car tests, and real-world family car practicality.
SEO: Kia Seltos review, Kia Seltos Europe, compact SUV test drive, C-crossover review, 1.6 T-GDI DCT, boot space test, rear seat space, real-world car review, family crossover, automotive review and comparison.
From the hidden rear wiper and X-Line styling to the surprisingly roomy cabin, this review covers the details that matter: real-world luggage space, physical buttons, recycled materials, rear comfort, and the quirks of the dashboard layout. It also digs into the drivetrain behavior, where the gearbox and throttle mapping make smooth pull-offs harder than they should be, plus a strange Start-Stop-related glitch that resets the screens and wireless charger.
If you’re researching the Kia Seltos, compact SUV review, C-crossover test drive, or a practical alternative to the Niro, XCeed, and Sportage, this deep-dive gives you the full picture. It is especially useful for anyone comparing petrol crossover reviews, European car tests, and real-world family car practicality.
SEO: Kia Seltos review, Kia Seltos Europe, compact SUV test drive, C-crossover review, 1.6 T-GDI DCT, boot space test, rear seat space, real-world car review, family crossover, automotive review and comparison.
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MotorTranscript
00:00what is it it has dimensions like a b crossover it is classified as a c crossover
00:05it's got boot space like an suv and it's not an ev
00:11this is the kia celtos it's new to europe but for the rest of the world it's the second
00:15generation of a crossover which theoretically could replace at least the xc than the nero
00:20but for now it is offered alongside them so is the celtos worth your time and money
00:27and why watch this to find out
00:34everything i said in the intro is true as far as dimensions are concerned the celtos is practically
00:38like the nero and the x seed is only slightly smaller but both the nero and the x seed have
00:45recently undergone facelifts so for now they're not going anywhere the nero is supposedly a b
00:52crossover and the x seed is based on the seed making it a compact crossover the celtos
00:57is also a c crossover and as kia claims it it applies the design language of electric
01:03models to cars with conventional power trains while retaining the suv stance okay enough marketing fluff
01:12moving on the celtos is 443 centimeters long 183 centimeters wide 160 centimeters tall and has a
01:22wheelbase of 269 centimeters literally a nero well plus or minus one or two centimeters in each direction
01:31but in terms of appearance the celtos is on a new level i'd even go as far as to say
01:36it sets the
01:37direction for the future of kia electric vehicles rather than merely imitating them the lighting
01:42signature at the front and in the rear is called the star map so no more tiger nose the front
01:48and the
01:48rear clean and smooth i appreciate that the rear wiper is hidden under the roof spoiler rather than
01:54cluttering the boot lid on the side we have high gloss wheel arch and silk covers but silver accents are
02:01also incorporated into the sills which in the x-line version tested here are intended to give the celtos a
02:08more rugged look and yes the celtos can also be ordered with all-wheel drive this is something kia
02:16lacked as everything below the sportage was only front wheel drive depending on the trim level more
02:23or less plastic elements will be shiny and the lower front end will have a different look
02:30as usual i'm not a fan of retractable door handles but kia insists on them so i just won't blob
02:37any more
02:37about them and just peek inside the boot which kia claims has a capacity of 536 liters at least that's
02:43what it said in the launch presentation and that's like sportage territory however according to the
02:50local specifications for poland the boot volume is more realistic 483 liters i checked the boot dimensions
02:58and yeah the boot is about 90 centimeters deep by the floor 106 centimeters wide with the floor in its
03:07upper position we have 40 centimeters and you can drop it 10 centimeters so then it's 50 to the parcel
03:14shelf this gives us approximately 450 liters assuming the second row backrests are in the most upright
03:22position but even in its lowest position there is still some space under the floor where you can find
03:29among other things a space saver spare tire with the spare wheel well boot space should add up to about
03:36483 liters the specification doesn't mention whether all-wheel drive affects boot capacity it's also not
03:43clear what the boot capacity will be in the hybrid version this one will go on sale in the fourth
03:49quarter of
03:502026 the hybrid version will offer a v2l feature that means the ability to power external devices from the
04:01traction battery using a 230 volt outlet now i don't expect the output to be high or long as traction
04:08batteries in regular hybrid vehicles have limited capacity but if you need to quickly power up some small
04:16electronics or appliances it will be possible the boot features tie downs that can be moved around to
04:24secure the cargo as needed we've seen these in several other kia evs now the parcel shelf doesn't
04:31fit under the floor unfortunately but it can be secured behind the second row backrests when carrying
04:37something taller in the boot and now three average suitcases test the floor is in its lower position the
04:45celtus boot is quite wide but also rather flat this limits our options when it comes to stacking
04:52luggage however some of the pieces can be put on the long side what fits is more than you'll be
04:58allowed
04:59to take on a plane for free anyway
05:11the long wheelbase for a c-segment car also means plenty of legroom i'm 175 centimeters tall the driver
05:18seat is set to my driving position and i have plenty of legroom there is also good headroom and that's
05:26even
05:37the backrest angle is adjustable so assuming the boot isn't completely full you can take a knob
05:43comfortably just be careful with your shins as the backs of the front backrests are hard plastic the
05:50middle seat is more suitable for petite people partly because of the large tunnel running through
05:56the middle there are air conditioning vents usb-c ports are located in the front backrests a feature
06:03increasingly common in kias heated rear side seats are standard on higher trims and can be optioned
06:10on mid-tier models the door pockets are spacious there are cup holders in the armrest behind the armrest
06:18is a small ski hatch the rear backrests split 40 60 the doors cover the sills from behind the wheel
06:27you
06:27can see the new ish kia dashboard layout it features a wide display divided into three parts the digital
06:35gauges in front of the driver the infotainment here in the center and a panel with additional ac climate
06:42control settings between them basic settings like temperature fan speed or mode are accessible through
06:50physical buttons which are below the central display the steering wheel buttons are normal physical the door
06:59buttons are physical the buttons above my left knee are physical the buttons here are physical and no piano
07:08black other car makers should take notice buttons and no piano black this is how it's done
07:20i just can't get used to this gear selector joystick many times instead of p for park here i pressed
07:28the
07:28engine start stop button turning the ignition off but that's just me
07:35the wireless charger works most of the time but something else doesn't which i'll explain when we
07:41go for a drive next are the buttons for automatic parking brake start and stop system parking sensors
07:48and cameras the cup holders are large the storage compartment under the armrest is average and so is
07:55the glove box however the door pockets are spacious kia is very proud of adding ambient lighting in this
08:03segment and it is a nice touch however i'm more impressed with the materials used throughout the
08:08cabin a touch of recycling that doesn't look cheap some european car makers should really take notice because
08:15if the chinese brands don't run them over hyundai and kia will
08:20so
08:22so
08:48after a recent test of the kia k4 wagon i read some comments that kia should
08:53offer a hybrid powertrain the celtos will be available as a hybrid and that's a good thing
09:00because what kia is doing with the drivetrain programming for the european market reminds me of
09:06volkswagen from about 10 years ago when they were desperately trying to cut emissions for real
09:13not just with software during tests
09:17the result is that when pulling away i have to press the accelerator hard to get the car to get
09:24going at all if i don't do this the transmission will shift up around 2000 rpm meanwhile there seems to
09:31be no power whatsoever below 3000 rpm so between 2 and 3000 rpm i have to push hard and nothing
09:40happens
09:41until suddenly the boost kicks in yo and the car jerks forward
09:47and i just wanted to pull away from traffic lights before the guy behind me jumps on the horn because
09:55the light turned green an hour ago currently the celtos is only available with a 1.6 liter 180 horsepower
10:02engine so
10:04it should have some oomph
10:10and actually it does kind of while kia promises 0 to 100 kilometers time of 8.8 seconds i got
10:188.3 in sport
10:19mode and 8.4 in normal mode during the test acceleration run you can hear there is not much happening
10:46things aren't much better when you want to overtake slam the accelerator and the gearbox starts thinking if
10:53and when it should downshift by the time it drops a gear or two the once huge gap is now
11:00way too tight and
11:01either you'll cut someone off or you'll have to wait for another opportunity
11:08theoretically you can just drive in sport mode all the time but the 180 horsepower 1.6 tdg
11:14tgd who invented tgdi engine isn't particularly efficient driving carefully i got it down to about
11:23eight liters per 100 kilometers but when i started driving normally the fuel consumption quickly climbed
11:29to around 10 liters and stayed there the celtos desperately needs a hybrid and i recommend you wait
11:36until the end of the year try both power trains and only then make the final decision
11:46speaking of hybrids the celtos can be equipped with all-wheel drive this applies to the ice model
11:51as well as to the hybrid in case of the latter it's e-wheel drive meaning the rear axle is
11:58powered
11:58by an electric motor kia is using e-wheel drive for the first time but it's something we know from
12:04other brands for example toyota the celtos will also be the first kia hybrid model to feature
12:11intelligent regenerative braking 3.0 this means the car can automatically adjust its speed and
12:17regenerative braking force based on the road and situation ahead
12:24other than that the celtos is a decent car it has decent visibility
12:28maneuvers well it has decent brakes and decent suspension i suspect i'd seriously consider one
12:35with the hybrid drivetrain
12:40speaking of maneuvering let's see how the celtos reverses into my driveway i live on a one-way street
12:46which is four meters wide my gate is three meters wide the celtos reverses into the driveway without a
12:52problem the only thing that could stop me is the system detecting objects behind me which could trigger
12:57emergency braking fortunately my gate is wide enough or the system isn't particularly sensitive
13:05bonus points for the 360 camera but points off for the misleading parking lines i can reverse park
13:13into my driveway without the camera in the middle of the night but when parking in unfamiliar places
13:18i wanted to rely on the parking lines displayed on the screen and i always parked at an angle so
13:25i had to correct
13:29that the the next to the driver's engine that you can't seeglicher and you can see that some of the
13:30était the traffic Därft available.
13:30of the dicks the engine for driving the other car is there that you can't see how the dicks
13:30r p.m. and i don't know why here we can see that there are two areas for improvement first
13:32soundproofing
13:33at highway speeds the interior does get a bit noisy kia doesn't mention acoustic windows in the specifications so it
13:41probably has standard ones
13:44maybe the hybrid will get it maybe the hybrid will get better soundproofing
13:53the second issue seems to be a problem with the 12 volt battery charging i don't know if this is
13:59an issue specific to this particular car or a broader problem but when the engine shuts off
14:05at a stop and then turns on again the infotainment screen goes blank for a split second wireless phone
14:10charging disconnects and the media playback begins the car is new and has about 2 000 kilometers
14:17on the clock so unless the battery was bad from the factory i suspect an alternator issue
14:32prices of the kia celtos started 34 190 euro that's just around the price of a hybrid nero and a
14:39base
14:39sportage this test car with options cost 43 000 340 euro the kia celtos looks interesting it has a
14:51spacious interior and it's practical however i find the current powertrain software configuration
14:56unacceptable also the start and stop system issue needs addressing i suspect a hybrid drivetrain
15:03will solve both problems but then the price might become an obstacle and what do you think of the
15:09kia celtos let me know in the comment section below if you like my sarcastic down-to-earth and
15:17possibly mildly amusing car reviews join me every friday 3 pm central european time and don't forget
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15:30and i will see you in the next one
15:33you