Kia, having teased us with a few occluded images last week, has revealed the new Seltos compact SUV in full this week, and this Seltos is Ireland-bound.
Has the Seltos been on sale here before?
No, previously the Seltos was sold only in East Asian and American markets, but this time it's a proper global vehicle, and we've had confirmation that it will come to Ireland. It will most likely be a more affordable alternative to the current Niro and EV3.
What does the Seltos look like?
It's very much a car in the current Kia styling idiom, with clean, uncluttered lines, upright LED headlights and a side profile reminiscent of the EV5 and EV9.
Is the Seltos an electric car?
No. It's being launched with a choice of two turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engines and a 2.0-litre version. Of the three engines, it's the 'High Output' 1.6 that's the most powerful, with 193hp, so it's likely that the 149hp 2.0-litre won't be putting in an appearance here. The Seltos comes with a choice of a six-speed manual gearbox or an eight-speed automatic.
How big is the Seltos?
It's fairly compact at 4.4 metres long, 1.8 metres wide and 1.6 metres high. There's a very useful 536-litre boot, too.
What's it like inside?
Very much in the current Kia style, with a sweep of big conjoined 12.3-inch touchscreens behind the chunky steering wheel, and — thankfully — a smattering of physical buttons and switches too. Basically, the cabin looks as if it's been lifted from the Kia EV3 — no bad thing — and so it inherits that car's column-mounted drive selector (for automatic versions), which opens up way more storage space on the centre console. The rear seats recline, too, which will help with comfort on long journeys. There's quite a lot of high-tech stuff as well, including a head-up display, lane-keeping steering and adaptive cruise control. You can also have a 64-colour ambient lighting setup and a Harmon/Kardon stereo.
When can I have one?
Kia has said that the Seltos will roll out in European markets 'throughout 2026' so we shouldn't have to wait too long. As for Irish pricing, nothing's been decided yet, but it should slot in just beneath the EV3 in the Kia lineup.