Kia wants the new Seltos to be fancy. The company’s smallest model with all-wheel drive is brand-new. It’s also larger than before, and it gets the same nose as the rough-and-tumble face of the just-revealed Telluride.
If the old one was cheap and cheerful, the 2027 Kia Seltos is affordable and a little angry — in design, at least.
2027 Kia Seltos Will Be Larger Inside and Out
The company calls the design “Relentless Innovator,” meaning “harmonizing rugged SUV strength with refined modernity.” To us, it’s more about angles, cladding, and that Telluride nose working to try and make the new Seltos look tougher than it is.
Kia doesn’t have to try to make it look bigger. The 2027 Seltos has a wheelbase more than 2 inches longer and is nearly 2 inches longer overall.
It can hold 19.3 cubic feet with the rear seats up now, up from 17.3 cubic feet before. With the seats folded flat, it’ll hold almost 33 cubic feet more cargo than the current model.
More high-strength steel and thicker glass are meant to make the Seltos a more enjoyable place to ride. The former makes the vehicle stiffer so the suspension can better do its job, while thicker glass should help keep out road noise — something the Seltos could use.
Hybrid Coming, But Not Yet
The 2027 Kia Seltos will offer three different engine choices, plus a hybrid that will show up a year later. This is a global model, and Kia didn’t say which versions would go on sale in the U.S., but we can guess.
For a start, the basic 2.0L four makes 147 horsepower. That’s a carryover of the one in the current Seltos. The new model will also have two versions of a 1.6L turbo four, one with 177 horsepower, the other with 190. Expect the latter one here, combined with an eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive.
Upgraded Tech for New Model
The 2027 Kia Seltos doesn’t break ground in new tech, but it does update almost everything from the prior model. It adds Kia’s latest safety systems like Highway Driving Assist 2, Lane Following Assist 2, and more. The new model will also add an AI assistant for more “conversational” interactions with your car.
Inside, it’s typical of other modern Kias, with two 12.3-inch screens in one bezel and the new retro-look steering wheel start it off. The climate control system is mostly physical buttons, as well.
The interior photos show a console-mount gearshift, but Kia didn’t show that one during its presentation. Instead, the company hyped a different console with a column shifter and more space for your phone and a larger cupholder area. Expect that one on U.S.-bound models, with the console shifter intended for markets where Kia will sell a stick-shift version of the 1.6T.
Expect the 2027 Kia Seltos in Mid-2026
Kia will start production of the new Seltos this month in India. Other factories will come online next year, and the plan is to launch the 2027 Kia Seltos in the U.S. sometime in mid-2026. We’ll get an X-Line trim, but it will be cosmetic, not performance-enhancing.
The company wasn’t ready to announce pricing, but said that it expected the Seltos to remain competitive. The current Seltos has an MSRP starting at $23,690 and climbing to $31,390.
