Popular Kia Crossover Will Be Reborn In Just Over A Week

An all-new model with the styling of the Sportage and Sorento will drop later this month, and it's bringing one of our least-favorite electric vehicle features with it.

Star Map Lighting Comes To The Seltos
Kia's next Seltos will get the latest version of the brand's "Opposites United" design language. It will be similar to what we've seen recently on the latest version of the Carnival and Sorento, and while it will have the hard-angled "Star Map" lights, it won't be an oddball like the brand's sedans including the K4.

Some of the design is inspired by Kia's EVs instead of its gas models, the company says. That includes the flush door handles that pop out when you want to get in the car, or when you struggle with the fob to get them to pop out. That contrasts with the chunky fender and lower-body cladding, which is the designer's way of convincing you your new crossover is capable of fording every stream and crossing every mountain.

Kia says the new Seltos will offer more paint choices, along with the brand's rugged X-Line and sporty GT-Line grades. The return to brighter paints will probably go underused, but it's nice to see Kia bringing some back. When the Seltos first launched it was offered in a range of colorful choices, but over the years the number of options shrank and lost their flair.

The Korean company won't show us the inside until the full reveal December 10, but we can guess some of the changes based on Kia's other recent reveals. Expect two large screens sharing a bezel, likely 12.3-inch units at least on higher grades, like the Telluride's.

Seltos Could Get First Hybrid
We've also heard rumors that the next Seltos will offer a hybrid for the first time. The 139 horsepower system from the Kia Niro hybrid could be a possibility, with Kia's 1.6T system from the Sportage and its 232 horsepower a potentially more fun but less likely option. The current Seltos offers a 147-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder or a 190-horsepower 1.6-liter turbo-four.

The first-generation Kia Seltos was revealed in July 2019, and went on sale in the US in early 2020. Despite the unfortunately-timed launch, the Seltos has been a strong seller, posting around 60,000 units in the US the last three years. Kia also offers a version with a slightly shorter wheelbase and body that is built in India for emerging markets.

Kia updated the Seltos in 2022, upgrading the interior to a dual 10.25-inch display screen layout and updating its tech. The exterior styling was updated at the same time, but with Kia's constant flow of new shapes it already looks a generation out of date. Making a great design look old quickly and an ok design look ancient in a hurry is one of the perils of trying something unique, though the payoff on a new model can be worth it.