Kia has officially revealed the second-generation Seltos, its redesigned compact SUV that will go on sale in India this month, with Korea, North America, Europe and China set to follow in 2026. The overhauled model arrives over six years after the original debuted in 2019 – it was later facelifted in 2022.
Measuring 4,430 mm long, 1,830 mm wide, 1,600 mm tall and with a wheelbase of 2,690 mm, the new Seltos is noticeably bigger than its predecessor and built on the K3 platform that is also used by the current Kona as well as some Hyundai models like the second-generation Kona. For context, the Seltos is occupies a larger footprint than both the Proton X50 and Honda HR-V.
The latest Seltos adopts the brand’s ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy and features a boxy body not unlike recent offerings like the EV3 and Telluride. At the front, you’ll find a wide grille with Kia’s ‘Star Map’ lighting signature, while along the sides are flush door handles, diagonal character lines, strong shoulders and a “floating roof” thanks to partially blacked-out C-pillars.
At the rear, vertical taillights emphasise the SUVs width and stance, accompanied by a light bar running across the tailgate. With the X-Line design package, the Seltos gets dark gun metal finishes and rugged-looking lower garnishes, while the GT-Line is for a sportier aesthetic with body-coloured accents. Three standout colours being introduced with the debut at Iceberg Green, Gravity Gray and a matte Magma Red.
Moving inside, the Seltos once again follows recent Kia models by having triple displays on the dashboard, with one being the 12.3-inch instrument cluster, another for climate controls and a central 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen. You still get physical controls beneath the middle air vents, while further down are USB-C ports and a long centre console with a wireless charging pad.
The steering wheel is from the Telluride, as is the gear selector stalk (shift-by-wire system) coming off the column that also integrates the engine start button. Kia touts features such as a wide panoramic sunroof, customisable 64-colour ambient lighting, premium audio systems from Harman Kardon or Bose, Kia Connect, digital key support, an AI assistant, over-the-air (OTA) software upgrades as well as second-row seats that recline by up to 24 degrees (12 degrees forward and backward).
Other features include wheel sizes ranging from 16 to 18 inches, a 12-inch windshield-projected head-up display, driver’s relaxation comfort seat, a foldable dual-level cargo board and AddGear accessories for improved practicality – the boot space is 536 litres.
The SUV also gets a suite of driver assistance systems such as Highway Driving Assist 2 (HDA 2), Lane Following Assist 2 (LFA 2), Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist 2 (FCA 2), Safe Exit Warning (SEW), Surround View Monitor (SVM), Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist-Reverse (PCA-R) and Parking Distance Warning-Front/Side/Reverse (PDW-F/S/R).
At launch, the Seltos will be offered with two Smartstream petrol engines, the first being a 1.6 litre turbocharged-direct injection inline-four that serves up 180 PS and 265 Nm of torque and is paired with either a seven-speed dual-clutch or six-speed manual transmission.
The same engine also comes in high output guise with 193 PS and 265 Nm that is mated exclusively to an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The second option is a 2.0 Nu naturally-aspirated inline-four unit with 149 PS and 179 Nm, although Kia didn’t explicitly mention what transmission this is paired with – CVT and six-speed dual-clutch were also listed in the spec sheet. In 2026, a hybrid variant will be introduced with vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality as well as Kia’s Smart Regenerative Braking System 3.0
Front- and all-wheel drive are available depending on the powertrain configuration, with the latter gaining terrain modes like Snow, Mud and Sand to complement the regular drive modes (Eco, Normal and Sport). The Seltos gets MacPherson struts at the front, while the rear gets either a torsion beam or multi-link suspension.
The previous Seltos was previously launched here in pre-facelift form in January 2021 but quietly went away. There were plans to bring it back in locally-assembled (CKD) form when Kia partnered with Bermaz Auto, although that didn’t happen. With the reveal of the new Seltos, could the redesigned SUV make its way to Malaysia under the principal?
