It was in 2020 when Kia launched the Seltos in the Philippines. I remember thinking at the time that Kia had arrived and had its tech eye on the future. There was no doubt they had big aspirations for their vehicles — after all, it was going to compete in the fast-growing and lucrative compact crossover segment.

Recently, I had the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a Kia Seltos 1.4 Turbo. Again, I was glad I was able to take the Seltos for a spin.

As soon as the Seltos arrived and before I took it for a drive to nearby Tagaytay to get my fix of a good merienda, I gave it a once over.

I liked the creature comfort features I spied inside. A dual LCD screen for the gauge cluster and infotainment screen, wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless charging, powered driver’s seat, ventilated front seats, dual climate control with rear vents, ambient lighting, and of course, a panoramic sunroof. In short, Kia’s now using the Chinese SUV playbook, but keeping their premium pricing.

Have a seat

As I sat in the driver’s seat, I noticed that there’s an interior build quality that is comfy and cool to the eyes — the Seltos nailed the interiors. I was sure that my drive was going to be fun.

The bolstered seats and well-positioned controls all scream ease-of-use. The new climate control switch and the other switches are within reach of a small driver like me. More plus points to the real, tactile buttons. There are also physical switches for the volume and tuner. Cool. Real cool.

The large 10.25-inch infotainment system itself is also easy to navigate and use with a relatively flat menu structure. Unlike other Kia models, though, all functions, even driving-related ones, are centralized here as opposed to being split with the multi-function display in the gauge cluster. It can create moments of confusion, such as when trying to activate or deactivate the lane keep assist (accessible via the steering wheel controls). Pressing down the “OK” button doesn’t do anything in the gauge cluster, but brings up the Driving Assistance menu on the center screen. It’s a small issue, all things considered.

Inside, too

Despite the modest exterior footprint, the Seltos is also quite large inside with generous levels of head, shoulder, and legroom. And with this update, the rear occupants now get a center armrest and three-point seatbelts to go with the reclinable seatbacks.

Before I started the engine, I got out of the car from the front seat and gave the outside another once over.

This Kia Seletos opted for a dual engine offering. The base trims get a normally-aspirated 1.5-liter mated to an IVT (a CVT with a built-in step logic to mimic a traditional automatic). The turbocharged 1.4-liter is mated to a 7-speed dual clutch. Now, before you get a mental image of this powertrain behaving like a hot or warm hatch-cum-SUV, it’s not.

Kia says the Seltos SX with its three driving modes (and three traction modes) does the century sprint in 9.7 seconds. That figure is, subjectively, doable for as long as you drive with your right foot firmly planted down. The transmission takes a split-second or two to adjust to what the driver needs or wants at that particular moment, a safety feature? Perhaps.

Sometimes, merging onto the highway sometimes is like rolling the dice: you’ll find yourself either enjoying the wide, fat torque band or getting no pull whatsoever. Perhaps the main thing going in the turbocharged engine’s favor is fuel economy. The average city/highway fuel economy reading is 9.9 km/L (average speed of 18 km/h). Oh, and at least it can run on 91 octane fuel.