2027 Kia Seltos First Look - Kia's Baby Telluride Gets A Hybrid Reboot
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Date: 2025-12-12
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Comments and reviews: 20
124thDragoon
Kia/Hyundai's insistence of completely changing their design language every couple years is irksome to me. And while I don't hate the revised frontend on this Seltos, I am far from loving it. Divorced headlights and headlamps integrated into the grille are really hard to properly pull off, imo. The accent lights outboard of the headlights are pretty ugly - I'd rather they be vertically symmetrical, or a different shape entirely. The rear end, though attractive at first glance, screams typical Hyundai/Kia penny pinching on activatable lighting elements, where the taillights are shared with the turn signals, or the turn signals are horrifically low, or the lighting elements are oddly low quality. Or a combination of all of these. Finally, while I love some of the interior choices (that green and grey is gorgeous, I also have to remind myself of the actual build quality these typically ship with from Kia. They look really great in still photos, but in person they're incredibly cheap feeling.
As for the drivetrain, I honestly don't care what they choose, as long as it's actually reliable. It's a Hyundai/Kia product after all. Since it's definitely going to be a low-displacement, direct injected turbocharged engine, how terrible is the carbon buildup How bad's the oil dilution Did Kia properly clean the oil galleries of metal filings this time Did they choose proper piston ring tension Did they 'cheat' and choose a ridiculously thin oil to win points with the EPA, to the detriment of longevity How easy is it to replace all of the filters Do I have to disassemble part of the dash to do basic maintenance You know, the stuff that Toyota, for example, gets right 99. 9% of the time.
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Kia/Hyundai's insistence of completely changing their design language every couple years is irksome to me. And while I don't hate the revised frontend on this Seltos, I am far from loving it. Divorced headlights and headlamps integrated into the grille are really hard to properly pull off, imo. The accent lights outboard of the headlights are pretty ugly - I'd rather they be vertically symmetrical, or a different shape entirely. The rear end, though attractive at first glance, screams typical Hyundai/Kia penny pinching on activatable lighting elements, where the taillights are shared with the turn signals, or the turn signals are horrifically low, or the lighting elements are oddly low quality. Or a combination of all of these. Finally, while I love some of the interior choices (that green and grey is gorgeous, I also have to remind myself of the actual build quality these typically ship with from Kia. They look really great in still photos, but in person they're incredibly cheap feeling.
As for the drivetrain, I honestly don't care what they choose, as long as it's actually reliable. It's a Hyundai/Kia product after all. Since it's definitely going to be a low-displacement, direct injected turbocharged engine, how terrible is the carbon buildup How bad's the oil dilution Did Kia properly clean the oil galleries of metal filings this time Did they choose proper piston ring tension Did they 'cheat' and choose a ridiculously thin oil to win points with the EPA, to the detriment of longevity How easy is it to replace all of the filters Do I have to disassemble part of the dash to do basic maintenance You know, the stuff that Toyota, for example, gets right 99. 9% of the time.
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Zhenocnra
Agreed. Let's hope it has AWD in that hybrid drivetrain. Exterior and interior looks great as expected from Kia. Glad to see a number of physical buttons and the fact that the confusing/annoying switchable touch button panel is NOT in the Seltos. I hope this spreads even further throughout their line up. That switchable HVAC/infotainment button panel is something that I really do not like in Kia products. I would prefer more physical dedicated buttons rather than less but this is a good compromise of physical buttons.
Uncovered exterior side door sills translates into dirty legs or pants if you live in/drive through a dirty roads which I really don't like to see in SUV/CUV's but it's a gripe that can be somewhat forgiven given everything else that Kia is doing well.
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Agreed. Let's hope it has AWD in that hybrid drivetrain. Exterior and interior looks great as expected from Kia. Glad to see a number of physical buttons and the fact that the confusing/annoying switchable touch button panel is NOT in the Seltos. I hope this spreads even further throughout their line up. That switchable HVAC/infotainment button panel is something that I really do not like in Kia products. I would prefer more physical dedicated buttons rather than less but this is a good compromise of physical buttons.
Uncovered exterior side door sills translates into dirty legs or pants if you live in/drive through a dirty roads which I really don't like to see in SUV/CUV's but it's a gripe that can be somewhat forgiven given everything else that Kia is doing well.
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garyclark6747
I wish KIA would come off it and offer DRL’s that switch colors between the White and Amber. Darker paint looks better with Amber and lighter paint with White or a bling trim. I would be driving a Sportage if their other than black interiors weren’t trapped in that Dark Gray of the Hybrid or the X-line trims of the PHEV. That all dark accent of that upper trim was a deal breaker. Nice to see this brown/red interior over black but can they just put in a beige or the Sportage brown with less orange hue. 7: 40
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I wish KIA would come off it and offer DRL’s that switch colors between the White and Amber. Darker paint looks better with Amber and lighter paint with White or a bling trim. I would be driving a Sportage if their other than black interiors weren’t trapped in that Dark Gray of the Hybrid or the X-line trims of the PHEV. That all dark accent of that upper trim was a deal breaker. Nice to see this brown/red interior over black but can they just put in a beige or the Sportage brown with less orange hue. 7: 40
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andrewnicholas6373
I’ve been waiting for a true Corolla Cross competitor for a while now. The Crosstrek is bland to me. I wished for Hyundai to bring the regular Kona hybrid to the US instead of just the EV. And Honda has no interest in a HR-V hybrid in the US as well. Currently I have a 23 Elantra hybrid and love it. This Seltos looks beautiful and will be my next purchase. Toyota better watch out for this one I think it has the possibility to smash the Corolla Cross sales.
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I’ve been waiting for a true Corolla Cross competitor for a while now. The Crosstrek is bland to me. I wished for Hyundai to bring the regular Kona hybrid to the US instead of just the EV. And Honda has no interest in a HR-V hybrid in the US as well. Currently I have a 23 Elantra hybrid and love it. This Seltos looks beautiful and will be my next purchase. Toyota better watch out for this one I think it has the possibility to smash the Corolla Cross sales.
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MyMovie5858
Hyundai/Kia SUV lineup is becoming less interesting with each generation. It almost seems that they are just scaling up and down the design and powertrain to fill all the mainstream market segments. Models such as Selto and Sportage used to have their own unique identity, but now, they are just like any other Kia corporate SUV, s just with a different size. Just my 2 cents.
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Hyundai/Kia SUV lineup is becoming less interesting with each generation. It almost seems that they are just scaling up and down the design and powertrain to fill all the mainstream market segments. Models such as Selto and Sportage used to have their own unique identity, but now, they are just like any other Kia corporate SUV, s just with a different size. Just my 2 cents.
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alex_on_autos
I’ve been saying it a lot lately and I will say it again; Hyundai motor company is absolutely killing it with their design with their Genesis, Hyundai and Kia brands. They truly are the best looking vehicles on the market compared to anything at Porsche money (and below. Toyota, Honda, Chevy, Ford, BMW, Mercedes, etc. doesn’t even compare.
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I’ve been saying it a lot lately and I will say it again; Hyundai motor company is absolutely killing it with their design with their Genesis, Hyundai and Kia brands. They truly are the best looking vehicles on the market compared to anything at Porsche money (and below. Toyota, Honda, Chevy, Ford, BMW, Mercedes, etc. doesn’t even compare.
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alex_on_autos
That thing looks ugly. All of the new Hyundai's and Kia's look ugly, unreliable and paint that starts fading in 2-3 years in the sunbelt region of the U. S. And The Korean car brands don't hold up well over 100, 000s of miles unlike the Japanese car brands except Nissan when you want to keep the same car for a long time.
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That thing looks ugly. All of the new Hyundai's and Kia's look ugly, unreliable and paint that starts fading in 2-3 years in the sunbelt region of the U. S. And The Korean car brands don't hold up well over 100, 000s of miles unlike the Japanese car brands except Nissan when you want to keep the same car for a long time.
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acsmoothing2262
Definitely hoping for the more efficient drivetrain option in the Kia hybrid lineup shows up in this new Seltos. But is that capable of also being offered as AWD In markets outside the US, the current Kona hybrid only comes with FWD I think, and it’s based on the same platform as the new Seltos.
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Definitely hoping for the more efficient drivetrain option in the Kia hybrid lineup shows up in this new Seltos. But is that capable of also being offered as AWD In markets outside the US, the current Kona hybrid only comes with FWD I think, and it’s based on the same platform as the new Seltos.
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alex_on_autos
Exceptional review, Alex--as always. I, for one, hope for the larger ( Sportage set up ) hybrid option ( vs. Elantra style) --- cake and eat it too performance w/ more towing. A sure winner. A garage with an E9 and Seltos would be fun. Mini me on steroids to cover all drive requirements.
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Exceptional review, Alex--as always. I, for one, hope for the larger ( Sportage set up ) hybrid option ( vs. Elantra style) --- cake and eat it too performance w/ more towing. A sure winner. A garage with an E9 and Seltos would be fun. Mini me on steroids to cover all drive requirements.
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fleecystheking
So Kia will release a new’ Seltos with the old’ CCNC infotainment platform in the next year Considering they have basically stopped updating CCNC in meaningful ways this past year and that the PLEOS platform has been showing up in the Kia PV5 already, this is a weird situation.
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So Kia will release a new’ Seltos with the old’ CCNC infotainment platform in the next year Considering they have basically stopped updating CCNC in meaningful ways this past year and that the PLEOS platform has been showing up in the Kia PV5 already, this is a weird situation.
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tonyw2167
Toyota Corolla Cross is the only subcompact SUV offering hybrid powertrain in America until the Subaru Crosstrek rolls out the hybrid lately but with so so fuel economy. This new Kia Seltos with the Telluride vibe and optional hybrid powertrain is going to sell like hotcakes.
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Toyota Corolla Cross is the only subcompact SUV offering hybrid powertrain in America until the Subaru Crosstrek rolls out the hybrid lately but with so so fuel economy. This new Kia Seltos with the Telluride vibe and optional hybrid powertrain is going to sell like hotcakes.
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scittw22
I briefly had a '24 Seltos and hated it. Trim pieces kept falling off. It had the dual clutch and handled like a teenager learning to drive stick. That's the fastest I ever got rid of a car. Here's hoping for buyers that this new one is radically different
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I briefly had a '24 Seltos and hated it. Trim pieces kept falling off. It had the dual clutch and handled like a teenager learning to drive stick. That's the fastest I ever got rid of a car. Here's hoping for buyers that this new one is radically different
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stephenwinter8892
Greetings from southern Ontario Canada I really enjoyed the video looking forward to seeing this 2027 kia seltos here it's been announced that it will have the hybrid engine option available from the other models in the hyundai/kia engine choices
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Greetings from southern Ontario Canada I really enjoyed the video looking forward to seeing this 2027 kia seltos here it's been announced that it will have the hybrid engine option available from the other models in the hyundai/kia engine choices
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papertiger795
I just bought a '26 Seltos with the brown Syntex seats and moonroof. I think I made the right call. The new interior doesn't do much for me at all, and the new grille design is only a slight improvement over what I have. I'm happy.
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I just bought a '26 Seltos with the brown Syntex seats and moonroof. I think I made the right call. The new interior doesn't do much for me at all, and the new grille design is only a slight improvement over what I have. I'm happy.
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Iwannadrive
I hope it doesn't take a year to come to market because I want one. Then again, the K4 Hatchback missed it's target on-sale date so I might was well cool my jets. Exterior is good looking but the interior is excellent.
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I hope it doesn't take a year to come to market because I want one. Then again, the K4 Hatchback missed it's target on-sale date so I might was well cool my jets. Exterior is good looking but the interior is excellent.
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henryg76
Love it. Looks like a Mini Telluride, I think that will make it more appealing compared to the previous model. It also seems more squared, it might attract some Kia Soul lovers now that it is gone from the US market.
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Love it. Looks like a Mini Telluride, I think that will make it more appealing compared to the previous model. It also seems more squared, it might attract some Kia Soul lovers now that it is gone from the US market.
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boci11
Kia latest design language looks Ai generated. or unfinished product from design studio.
Hybrid system in Kia Niro is okay except 7spd dsg gearbox has 3 clutches that need replacement after 100K miles!
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Kia latest design language looks Ai generated. or unfinished product from design studio.
Hybrid system in Kia Niro is okay except 7spd dsg gearbox has 3 clutches that need replacement after 100K miles!
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watchmeconquer9236
Kia makes amazing looking cars & the amenities are what attract people to them. Hopefully the quality is up to par though, I’ve witnessed many people complain about their cars falling apart
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Kia makes amazing looking cars & the amenities are what attract people to them. Hopefully the quality is up to par though, I’ve witnessed many people complain about their cars falling apart
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Molishious
Looks just like the Kia EV 5 to me. Kia should start making the EV 5 in the US instead of the EV 6 or in addition to. My Ioniq 5 has AI but it's not as good as just asking Siri, so not very useful.
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Looks just like the Kia EV 5 to me. Kia should start making the EV 5 in the US instead of the EV 6 or in addition to. My Ioniq 5 has AI but it's not as good as just asking Siri, so not very useful.
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Jgjginkg244
Would love to see EV.
0-60 in low 6 sec
300 mile range
Sub $35K
Exterior looks great
Interior/dashboard/infotainment should have the lasteat H/K like you see in new Elantra.
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Would love to see EV.
0-60 in low 6 sec
300 mile range
Sub $35K
Exterior looks great
Interior/dashboard/infotainment should have the lasteat H/K like you see in new Elantra.
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