5 things we know about the future Kia compact SUV.
Over the past couple of weeks, Kia has delivered some sketches that tease their new global small crossover. While the official unveiling is still a way off, we now know exactly how the new vehicle will look.
The image comes courtesy of Autoblog, who snapped the new model at what appears to be a US-based marketing photoshoot.
It now looks as though the vehicle will be called the Steltos, which is a bit of a surprise given that many in the industry believed that Kia were going to call this model the Tusker.
The new crossover will officially be unveiled this coming summer, but listed below are 5 things we already know about the new Kia Seltos.
KiA Seltos size
The Compact SUV will have space for 5 people. The actual dimensions are not yet known, but what we do know is that the Seltos will slot between the Soul and the Sportage in the Kia crossover segment.
Kia Seltos AWD
During this particular shoot, the Seltos was captured from every angle imaginable, allowing us to see many of the design details. One thing that really jumped out was the badging on the vehicle, one of which revealed this to be a 4WD model. That would suggest that there will be an AWD version coming, too.
Availability in US
There is absolutely no doubt that the Seltos will land in the US this summer, although the official release date is yet to be announced.
Competitors
Kia will be taking the Seltos and placing it in perhaps the most competitive segment in the market. It will go up against the likes of the Hyundai Kona, Mazda CX-3, Subaru XV, Nissan Qashqai, and Honda HR-V.
Engines specs
The size of the Seltos would seem to make it a perfect pairing for the naturally aspirated 2.0-liter and turbocharged 1.6-liter engines found in both the Soul and the Forte.
This unit cranks out 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, while the turbo version delivers 201 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. If this is the case, expect the 2.0-liter unit to be mated to a CVT transmission, while the turbo will have the dual-clutch transmission.
