Kia Reveals Modestly Updated Seltos at LA Auto Show

Chris Teague
by Chris Teague

Kia’s had a great run the past few years. The Telluride was a hit when it landed, and the new EV6 is selling out all over the place, and the automaker has established itself as a forward-looking company that has outgrown its budget-friendly beginnings. Kia took the opportunity to unveil a revised Seltos crossover and brag about its recent accomplishments at this year’s LA Auto Show.


The Seltos got a modest makeover for the 2024 model year, which includes a new X-Line trim and improvements to its drivetrain, tech, and safety equipment. Kia revised its front fascia with a larger “tiger nose” grille and a new bumper shape. The vehicle is available with LED projection headlights and a “Star Map” pattern lighting system for the grille “so passersby and drivers will recognize the Seltos from a distance.” But beyond options for people irrationally excited about buying a Seltos, the crossover’s new look isn’t a radical departure from previous model years.


The new X-Line trim brings more rugged styling but no changes to the Seltos’ performance. It gets exclusive 18-inch wheels, gloss-black exterior trim, a unique grille, and X-Line badging. All trims get new geometric wheel designs for 2024, and Kia offers three new colors: Pluton Blue, Fusion Black, and Valais Green.


The same 2.0-liter and turbocharged 1.6-liter powertrain options remain, but the turbo mill got a 20-horsepower bump for the model year, bringing output to 195 ponies. It’s paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The base 2.0-liter comes with a CVT and makes 146 horsepower. Front-wheel drive is still standard, and Kia offers all-wheel drive.


Tech got a few modest improvements, including more USB ports and a power liftgate for the top SX trim. Kia also offers a new connected app suite that brings phone-as-a-key functionality and enables over-the-air updates for maps and infotainment features.


The Seltos also got three new ADAS features for 2024. Forward collision avoidance assist with pedestrian and cyclist detection, blind spot collision warnings, and intelligent speed limit assist are now part of its safety equipment.

[Image © 2022 Tim Healey/TTAC]

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Chris Teague
Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

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  • Jeff S Jeff S on Nov 18, 2022

    Kia and Hyundai are really upping their game. I like their products but I don't like their reliability. Both need to concentrate on their quality especially when it comes to their engines. Good styling but unreliable powertrains.


  • El scotto No rag-top, no rag-top(s) = not a prestigious car brand. Think it through. All of the high-end Germans and Lexus have rag-tops. Corvette is really its own brand.World-leading engines. AMG, M, S and well Lexus is third-world tough. GM makes one of the best V-8s in the world in Bowling Green. But nooooo, noooo, we're GM only Corvettes get Corvette engines. Balderdash! I say. Put Corvette engines in the top-tier Cadillacs. I know GM could make a world-class 3.5 liter V-6 but they don't or won't. In the interior everything that gets touched, including your butt, has to feel good. No exceptions.Some think that those who pay above MSRP and brag about it are idiots. Go the opposite direction, and offer an extended 10-year 100,000-mile factory warranty. At a reasonable price. That's Acura's current business model.
  • Carrera 2014 Toyota Corolla with 192,000 miles bought new. Oil changes every 5,000 miles, 1 coolant flush, and a bunch of air filters and in cabin air filters, and wipers. On my 4th set of tires.Original brake pads ( manual transmission), original spark plugs. Nothing else...it's a Toyota. Did most of oil changes either free at Toyota or myself. Also 3 batteries.2022 Acura TLX A-Spec AWD 13,000 miles now but bought new.Two oil changes...2006 Hyundai Elantra gifted from a colleague with 318,000 when I got it, and 335,000 now. It needed some TLC. A set of cheap Chinese tires ($275), AC compressor, evaporator, expansion valve package ( $290) , two TYC headlights $120, one battery ( $95), two oil changes, air filters, Denso alternator ( $185), coolant, and labor for AC job ( $200).
  • Mike-NB2 This is a mostly uninformed vote, but I'll go with the Mazda 3 too.I haven't driven a new Civic, so I can't say anything about it, but two weeks ago I had a 2023 Corolla as a rental. While I can understand why so many people buy these, I was surprised at how bad the CVT is. Many rentals I've driven have a CVT and while I know it has one and can tell, they aren't usually too bad. I'd never own a car with a CVT, but I can live with one as a rental. But the Corolla's CVT was terrible. It was like it screamed "CVT!" the whole time. On the highway with cruise control on, I could feel it adjusting to track the set speed. Passing on the highway (two-lane) was risky. The engine isn't under-powered, but the CVT makes it seem that way.A minor complaint is about the steering. It's waaaay over-assisted. At low speeds, it's like a 70s LTD with one-finger effort. Maybe that's deliberate though, given the Corolla's demographic.
  • Mike-NB2 2019 Ranger - 30,000 miles / 50,000 km. Nothing but oil changes. Original tires are being replaced a week from Wednesday. (Not all that mileage is on the original A/S tires. I put dedicated winter rims/tires on it every winter.)2024 - Golf R - 1700 miles / 2800 km. Not really broken in yet. Nothing but gas in the tank.
  • SaulTigh I've got a 2014 F150 with 87K on the clock and have spent exactly $4,180.77 in maintenance and repairs in that time. That's pretty hard to beat.Hard to say on my 2019 Mercedes, because I prepaid for three years of service (B,A,B) and am getting the last of those at the end of the month. Did just drop $1,700 on new Michelins for it at Tire Rack. Tires for the F150 late last year were under $700, so I'd say the Benz is roughly 2 to 3 times as pricy for anything over the Ford.I have the F150 serviced at a large independent shop, the Benz at the dealership.
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