2022 Kia Seltos

2022 is a carry-over powertrain year in the first-generation (SP2) Seltos: the volume LX/S/EX trims keep the 146-hp 2.0L four with IVT, and the 175-hp 1.6T remains the upgrade. 146 hp sits below the floor of the SUV band.

The volume 2.0L makes 132 lb-ft, peaking at 4,500 rpm — barely above the bottom of the SUV band. Unchanged from 2021.

With an unchanged powertrain, published tests of the 2.0L/IVT Seltos range from about 8.3 s (FWD) to ~9.5 s (AWD); ~9.0 s is a fair midpoint for the volume AWD configuration.

The 2.0L is quiet at cruise but turns buzzy and strained when revved for passing. The 1.6T is punchy with modest lag but, with the S Turbo dropped for 2022, is confined to the top of the range.

Kia's IVT with simulated steps feels more natural than a typical CVT in daily driving but drones under hard throttle; the turbo's 7-speed DCT shifts quickly once moving but can be hesitant at parking-lot speeds.

Kia publishes no US trailer-weight rating for the 2022 Seltos and offers no factory tow package, so it scores as not tow-capable.

AWD is standard on LX, EX, Nightfall and SX Turbo and available on the S, with a driver-selectable AWD Lock mode and multi-link rear suspension on AWD cars — broader availability than most subcompact rivals.

About 7.2 inches of ground clearance and AWD Lock help on snow and gravel, but there is no low range, locker or underbody protection; the 2022 Nightfall Edition adds rugged-look roof rails and sills only (X-Line arrived with the 2024 facelift).

Two gas engines — the 2.0L with IVT and the 1.6T with a 7-speed DCT — and no hybrid, PHEV or EV variant in the US.

The volume 2.0L AWD configuration is EPA-rated 29 mpg combined; the FWD S reaches 31 and the turbo drops to 27. Mid-pack for a non-hybrid subcompact SUV.

EPA city rating for the 2.0L AWD volume configuration; competitive among gas subcompact SUVs.

EPA highway rating for the 2.0L AWD volume configuration; the 2022 FWD S rises to 35 mpg highway (from 34 in 2021).

Computed from the 13.2-gallon tank and the 29 mpg EPA combined rating of the 2.0L AWD volume configuration; the small tank caps range.

EPA's published annual fuel cost for the 2.0L AWD volume configuration at its standard 15,000 mi/yr assumption and current regular-fuel price.

Both 2022 powertrains, including the 1.6L turbo, run on regular unleaded with no premium requirement anywhere in the lineup.

The 2022 Seltos carries a 4-star NHTSA overall rating, held back by a 4-star frontal result and a 4-star rollover rating; the 5-star overall arrived only with the 2024 facelift.

The 2022 Seltos is an IIHS Top Safety Pick and rates Good in every crashworthiness test, including the original side test; it misses TSP+ because only the SX Turbo's headlights qualify.

New for 2022, Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with pedestrian detection, Lane Keeping Assist, Lane Following Assist, Driver Attention Warning and High Beam Assist are standard on every trim including the LX, but blind-spot and rear cross-traffic systems start at EX and adaptive cruise is SX-only.

IIHS rates both the now-standard camera system and the SX's optional system Superior in vehicle-to-vehicle and daytime pedestrian front crash prevention, avoiding collisions at 12 and 25 mph; there is no nighttime pedestrian result to support the top band.

Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist (with active braking) and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist start at the EX trim, leaving the LX and S without them; Safe Exit Assist is SX-only.

Lane Keeping Assist plus Lane Following Assist centering became standard on every trim for 2022, which is generous for the class; Kia's system is generally reviewed as smooth if occasionally hesitant on faded markings.

Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go and Highway Driving Assist are confined to the top SX trim; LX, S, EX and Nightfall buyers — the bulk of sales — get conventional cruise only.

No hands-free highway driving system is offered on any 2022 Seltos; Highway Driving Assist on the SX requires hands on the wheel.

Only the SX Turbo's LED reflector headlights rate Good; the halogen projectors on the LX, S, EX and Nightfall — the volume trims — rate Poor. High Beam Assist is standard on all trims.

The boxy, upright body and large glass area give good natural sightlines for the class, with a standard rear-view camera, but no surround-view camera is offered on the pre-facelift model.

IIHS rates LATCH ease of use Acceptable, with complete LATCH sets in two rear positions and a tether-only center seat; the rear seat is roomy for a subcompact but too narrow for three child seats across.

Two-row, five-seat layout on every 2022 trim; no larger seating option in the US.

Generous front headroom for a subcompact SUV on the no-sunroof volume S trim.

Average front legroom; TTAC still found the front row roomy for the Seltos's size.

Upright roofline gives good rear headroom for the class, and the sunroof does not cut into it.

Rear legroom is a standout for a subcompact SUV; reviewers say six-footers fit comfortably.

There is no third row on any 2022 Seltos, so this item sits in the low band.

Class-leading for a subcompact SUV, but the band spans every SUV, so the score is low.

Strong for the size class but small against the whole SUV band.

Practical everyday storage with a dual-level cargo floor and tiered console trays. Nothing innovative, and there is no household outlet.

Seats are comfortable enough and the rear bench is adult-friendly, but the S trim has a manual driver's seat and limited lower-back support on long drives.

Reviewers split: TTAC calls the ride controlled and comfortable, while other tests of the same first-gen chassis report too much body motion and sharp impacts coming through the structure.

Road and engine noise are noticeable at highway speed. The 2022 car predates the 2023 noise-reduction updates, including the acoustic windshield.

For 2022, automatic climate control is standard from the S trim up. Heated front seats arrive on the EX, and ventilated seats and a heated wheel are limited to top trims.

The 2022 LX with standard AWD is the entry point at launch. Kia raised both the trim prices and the destination charge to $1,295 during the model year, so later 2022 window stickers start at $23,885.

We treat the S AWD (2.0L, IVT) as the volume configuration. Kia does not publish its trim mix, so the volume-trim choice is our estimate; later-2022 pricing puts the same car at $25,585.

CarEdge puts five-year Seltos maintenance at about $2,600, and we add roughly $1,500 for unscheduled repairs and wear items. The 2022 carries over the same simple 2.0L MPI engine in volume trims, and the 5yr/60k basic warranty covers most failures in that window.

KBB/CarEdge data show the 2022 retained about 72% after three years, helped by the 2021–23 used-car price spike. Extending its typical decline to five years and blending with CarEdge's model-level projection (48% retained) gives about 55%.

Kia's 5-year/60,000-mile limited basic warranty applies to the 2022 Seltos, two years longer than the 3yr/36k mainstream norm.

The 10-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty matches the best in the segment. It covers the original owner only; later owners get 5yr/60k.

Kia includes no complimentary scheduled maintenance for 2022, trailing ToyotaCare (2yr/25k) and Hyundai's 3yr/36k. Buyers get 5-year/60,000-mile roadside assistance and a UVO link connected-services trial on equipped trims, which puts it in the 'basic roadside only' band.

$25,365 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (55% retained, or about $13,951) leaves about $11,414 in depreciation. Add the projected $4,100 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $15,514 in total.

The sources disagree sharply on the 2022. J.D. Power rates its Quality & Reliability 83/100 ('Great'), while Consumer Reports gives it a 1/5 predicted reliability and expects it to be 'much less reliable than the average new car'. With mixed signals that strong, and the year covered by the piston-ring engine recall, the score sits in the lower half of the average band, below the 2021 and 2023.

In the J.D. Power VDS and IQS studies around 2021–2022, Kia sat in the upper half of mainstream brands, and Consumer Reports' brand rankings put it upper-mid-pack. That is good, but not consistently top-5.

The 2022 has one NHTSA campaign, but it is serious: the piston-oil-ring recall on the 2.0L engine, where a mis-manufactured ring can cause engine damage, stall or fire. It escapes the 2021-only heat-treatment campaign and the 2023–2024 ISG oil-pump park-outside recall. The engine issue is still repeated across the generation, so the score stays near the bottom of the typical band.

The volume engine is the 2.0L Nu/Smartstream with IVT, the family behind the Seltos/Soul piston-ring oil-consumption recalls, and the 2022 falls inside the affected range. The optional 1.6T uses a 7-speed DCT, which has a mixed reputation. Kia's 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty and the recall's engine-replacement remedy offset some of the risk.

This is the pre-refresh cabin, with an 8-inch screen on most trims and a 10.25-inch screen only on the SX. Reviewers praise the logical layout but note widespread hard plastics, which is competitive for a subcompact SUV but not class-leading.

Reviewers describe the Korean-built Seltos as solidly assembled, with no widespread rattle or panel-gap complaints. J.D. Power's 83/100 quality rating supports good initial quality, though owner reviews carry scattered complaints.

Kia has roughly 750–800 US dealers, so coverage is nationwide. Service satisfaction is about the mass-market average in J.D. Power's CSI.

The Seltos shares its platform and engines with the high-volume Kia Soul and Hyundai Kona, so parts are plentiful and repair costs are typical of the mainstream segment. Aftermarket support is moderate.

For 2022, Kia made the 10.25-inch screen standard on every trim except the LX, so it is on the volume S.

The wide screen is clear and quick, and it keeps physical volume and tuning knobs plus simple climate controls that reviewers praise.

Only the base LX's 8-inch unit runs CarPlay/Android Auto wirelessly. The 10.25-inch system on the volume S and above needs a USB cable.

On the volume trim the 10.25-inch unit adds native navigation, satellite radio and UVO, with basic Bluetooth voice recognition. That is functional, but most owners will use phone projection.

The base 6-speaker system is adequate. Bose premium audio with mood lighting is limited to the SX.

Volume trims use analog gauges with a small 3.5-inch display. Only the SX gets a 7-inch TFT supervision cluster, and no full-digital cluster was offered before the 2024 refresh.

There are no over-the-air vehicle updates. Map and software updates for the head unit come by USB download from update.kia.com.

UVO link is now standard from the S trim up, with remote lock, locate and vehicle status. There is no digital key, and remote climate start depends on trim.

There are USB-A ports in the front and rear, but no USB-C or AC outlet. Wireless charging is limited to upper trims.

Remote start on the key fob became standard on S and up for 2022. Smart key with push-button start is on mid trims, and there is no phone-as-key.

A rear camera is standard, and rear cross-traffic alert starts at the EX. No surround-view camera is offered on the 2022 US car.

No head-up display is offered on any 2022 US Seltos trim.

Generous rear legroom and headroom plus a class-leading 26.6 cu ft cargo hold make light family duty easy. LATCH access is only Acceptable.

The 2022 car adds standard pedestrian AEB, lane-keeping and lane-following assist on every trim, and IIHS crash tests are Good. Blind-spot and cross-traffic alerts skip the volume S, halogen headlights rate Poor, and NHTSA gives it 4 stars.

Adults fit in back and the cargo hold is large for the class. Road noise, a lack of rear amenities and a modest 2.0L engine limit long trips.

Easy to drive with good visibility, a smooth IVT on the volume 2.0L, and standard Lane Following Assist for 2022. The base engine strains when merging.

29 mpg combined on regular fuel is average for an AWD subcompact SUV. Hybrid rivals do far better.

A compact footprint and a tight 34.8-ft turning circle make it easy in the city. Only a rear camera is offered, with no surround view or front sensors.

There is no US tow rating, and the 146-hp base engine is meant for commuting. The useful cargo bay is the only work asset.

Kia's long powertrain warranty is a plus, but this is a light-duty commuter crossover with cloth/SynTex interiors and no fleet record.

Roof rails and an adjustable cargo floor are the only provisions. There is no outlet, no factory hitch and no upfit ecosystem.

About 380 miles of range and decent seats, but highway noise is noticeable and adaptive cruise with Highway Driving Assist is SX-only.

AWD is standard on most trims and adds a center-lock mode. With 7.3 in of ground clearance and roof rails it handles gravel roads and trailheads, but it can't tow.

Cargo space is near the top of the subcompact class, with a split-fold bench, a two-level floor and roof rails. There is no factory hitch.

Secure and nimble enough around town, but unremarkable and prone to body motion on rough roads. It sits mid-pack behind the Mazda CX-30.

Steering is accurate with a secure on-center feel but gives little feedback.

Brakes feel predictable, but instrumented stops are longer than several rivals.

The volume 2.0L IVT is smooth but slow, at about 9 s to 60 mph. The 1.6T on Nightfall/SX is punchier, but its DCT can hesitate at low speed.

The base engine gets buzzy under hard acceleration, and there is noticeable engine and road noise at speed.

A very tight turning circle for an SUV.

Upright seating, good visibility and a sensible layout of physical controls. The volume S has a manual driver's seat, with a power seat from the EX up.

The volume 2.0L is a pleasant appliance. Only the 1.6T Nightfall/SX adds some verve, and the Mazda CX-30 is the class benchmark for driving fun.

The 2022 LX starts at $23,665 with standard AWD, which most subcompact rivals charge extra for, plus an 8-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and forward-collision avoidance with lane keeping. Heated seats, the 10.25-inch navigation screen and the turbo engine still wait for higher trims.

One of the strongest content-per-dollar cases in the class: standard AWD from about $23,700 and the 175-hp turbo four in the SX at roughly $29,000 delivered, backed by the segment's longest powertrain warranty. The weak spots are the 146-hp base engine and that the 2022 dropped the cheaper S Turbo, pushing turbo access up to the $27,000+ Nightfall Edition.

Six configurations (LX, S FWD, S AWD, EX, Nightfall Edition, SX) span about $5,500 from base to loaded, with a FWD/AWD choice on the S. The gaps are that the turbo is limited to the two top trims and front-drive exists only on the S.

US sales slipped about 10% to roughly 46,000 units in 2022 from about 51,000 in 2021, largely due to supply constraints rather than demand. That is a steady mid-pack figure, well behind subcompact leaders like the Crosstrek, HR-V and Kona.

Kia's image was rising in 2022 on the Telluride, EV6 and record 2021 sales, so the badge no longer drags on the model. It still trails Toyota, Honda and Subaru on long-term reputation, and the 2022 anti-theft publicity around ignition-key Kia models hit the brand that year.

The 2022 model year sold at the peak of the chip-shortage inventory crunch, when mainstream subcompacts routinely went at or above MSRP and Kia raised prices and destination mid-year. Factory cash was scarce, leaving buyers little room to negotiate.

2022 was only the second US model year of the first-generation (SP2) Seltos, with a Nightfall Edition and new Kia badging the main changes. The platform and tech were current, though the 2024 facelift (new 195-hp turbo, dual 10.25-inch screens) came two years later.

Reviewers praised its roominess, tech and value while faulting the sluggish base engine. US News ranked it #4 among subcompact SUVs for 2022; it was a frequent podium finisher but rarely the outright class pick, with no 10Best or NACTOY-level award.