Is Kia Seltos better than Ford Ecosport or vice versa?
Now that the 2022 Kia Seltos is landing in showrooms across the United States, we thought it might be a good idea to look at some of the vehicles in the compact crossover segment to see which models might give the Seltos a run for its money.
There are a few models out there that are already performing well in the segment, with the Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-3, Ford EcoSport, Buick Encore GX, Chevrolet Trailblazer, Hyundai Kona all considered to be serious competition.
There are several reasons why the compact crossover segment is booming right now. The low starting price is attractive to many, as is the fuel economy, passenger and cargo space, and the availability of AWD.
The 2022 Kia Seltos delivers all of those things and more, but how does it measure up against the Ford Ecosport? Let’s take a closer look.
Kia Seltos vs. Ford Ecosport
Availability in the USA
The 2022 Kia Seltos is the new kid on the block, as it is still arriving at dealerships across the country as we speak. The Ford Ecosport is a bit of a “veteran” in the segment, as it has been on the market since 2018.
Engine options
Both the Seltos and the Ecosport come with a pair of different engine options. The Seltos has a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine that delivers 147 HP as the base, while also offering a more powerful 2.0-liter 4-cylinder turbo engine that cranks out 175 HP.
The base engine on the Ecosport is a 1.0-liter 3-cylinder unit that delivers 123 HP. There is the option to upgrade to a more powerful 2.0-liter 4-ylinder than deliver 166 HP.
Fuel economy
- Ford Ecosport 27 mpg city / 29 mpg highway
- Kia Seltos 29 mpg city / 31 mpg highway
As you can see from the numbers above, the Ford Ecosport with the base engine gets 27/29 mpg city/highway, which is less than the 29/31 mpg that Kia Seltos delivers.
MSRP (base & range topping)
- Ford Ecosport cost ($20,485 – $27,715)
- Kia Seltos cost ($21,990 – 27,890)
While the starting price of the 2022 Kia Seltos is a little more than the Ecosport, it is worth noting that you can get AWD at no extra cost. The base Ecosport comes with front wheel drive, but by the time you pay to upgrade to AWD, the starting prices of both vehicles are almost the same.
Warranty
The Ecosport comes with a 3-year/36,000-mile warranty and a 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty. The basic warranty on the Seltos is for 5-years/60,000-miles, as well as a 10-year/100,000-mile warranty.
You cannot deny that Kia still has the very best warranty in the automotive business.
And the winner is…The 2022 Kia Seltos
The Kia Seltos 2022 has been designed to be a vehicle that you can’t help but notice. It looks great, is affordable, offers various exterior color combinations and a ton of space for families and their gear. The addition of AWD makes it a great value proposition.
We are not suggesting that the Ford Ecosport is a terrible vehicle, but when you do a side by side comparison with the Seltos, you see that it falls short in most departments.
As it stands right now, the Kia Seltos is the better option than Ford Ecosport. If you are in the market for a compact SUV, we suggest that you compare all other with the Seltos, as it looks set to lead the category.
I like the Kia Seltos also because it looks like a truck and not a heighten car like the Ford.
I like crossovers when they look like trucks and not cars.