2021 Hyundai Kona vs 2022 Kia Seltos

The 2021 Hyundai Kona was a small SUV that combined a playful and unique exterior design with a more subdued rear style. Its front featured a busy arrangement of lights and a grille that appealed to younger buyers. Inside, the Kona maintained a fun attitude with neat seat patterns and a well-organized layout. The interior was compact yet intuitive, with a high-mounted infotainment touchscreen and physical climate controls, offering a balance of simplicity and functionality.

In contrast, the 2022 Kia Seltos offered a more refined and spacious interior, positioned between the smaller Kia Soul and the larger Kia Sportage. It featured exposed stitching, gloss-black trim, and metallic accents, though the abundance of shiny hard plastic detracted from its overall appeal. The Seltos provided excellent build quality and a logical arrangement of controls, with a focus on practicality and style. Despite some design quirks, it was larger and more useful than many of its competitors, offering a more engaging driving experience.

The 2021 Hyundai Kona offered two powertrain options: a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, and a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine producing 195 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque. The base engine was paired with a six-speed automatic transmission, while the turbocharged engine came with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive was standard on lower trims, with all-wheel drive available as an option. The Kona delivered a confident and agile driving experience, with fuel consumption ratings of 8.6/7.0/7.9 L/100 km city/highway/combined for the base engine with FWD.

The 2022 Kia Seltos featured a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with 146 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, paired with a continuously variable transmission. The SX trim offered a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine with 175 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque, paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The Seltos provided a more engaging drive with its turbo-DCT combination, offering driving modes like Normal, Sport, and Smart. The AWD system included a Lock function for power distribution, and the Seltos returned a fuel consumption rating of 8.7 L/100 km in combined driving. However, its suspension tuning was less appealing, with noticeable body motion and less bump isolation.

The 2021 Hyundai Kona provided decent headroom and legroom for front-seat passengers, with a simple and intuitive layout. The rear seats offered good headroom but limited legroom, and the cargo space was smaller compared to competitors. The rear seats could fold to increase cargo capacity, and small-item storage was generous and conveniently located.

The 2022 Kia Seltos excelled in form and function, offering a roomy interior with easy access and comfortable seating. The front seats were adjustable, and heated front seats were standard on most trims. The rear seat provided ample legroom and footroom, with additional features like rear air conditioning vents and a centre armrest. The Seltos offered generous cargo space, with 752 litres behind the back seat and 1,778 litres with the rear seat folded down, along with practical storage solutions.

The 2021 Hyundai Kona came equipped with an eight-inch infotainment system touchscreen, Bluetooth, six speakers, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Higher trims offered a 10.25-inch touchscreen, SiriusXM radio, navigation, and a Harman Kardon audio system. The infotainment system was user-friendly, with colourful and responsive software.

The 2022 Kia Seltos featured a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system on higher trims, paired with a Bose premium sound system. It included Bluetooth, navigation, connected services, satellite radio, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, though the latter required a cable connection. The system was intuitive, with physical controls for easy access, but lacked a native conversational voice recognition system.

The 2021 Hyundai Kona earned a Top Safety Pick from the IIHS and a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA. It came standard with forward-collision avoidance assist, pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, and cruise control. Optional safety features included lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, and a head-up display.

The 2022 Kia Seltos was equipped with numerous safety features, including blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, forward-collision avoidance, and lane-keeping assist. The Seltos SX offered adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability and Highway Driving Assist. It received a Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS and a four-star overall rating from the NHTSA.