Kia Seltos vs Hyundai Tucson Hybrid

The 2022 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid showcased a bold new design, featuring sharp, angular cues across its fascia and sides. It was longer and wider than its predecessor, making it unmistakable from the 2021 model. The grille, shared with the Santa Cruz, blended seamlessly with the LED headlights, creating a dramatic, futuristic look. The base-level Blue trim had 17-inch wheels, while the SEL Convenience trim added a panoramic sunroof and a hands-free smart tailgate. Inside, the Tucson offered heated front seats, cloth upholstery, and an eight-way power driver seat on the Blue trim. The SEL Convenience trim added a 10.25-inch digital driver information display, wireless device charging, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. The Limited trim upgraded to 64-color ambient lighting, a heated steering wheel, and ventilated front seats.

The 2022 Kia Seltos positioned itself between the smaller Soul and the larger Sportage, offering five trim levels: LX, S, EX, Nightfall Edition, and SX. The Nightfall Edition, our test vehicle, featured matte-black 18-inch alloy wheels, a turbocharged engine, a dual-clutch transmission, and a black grille. Inside, the Seltos displayed a stylish interior with a contrast-color dashboard panel, exposed stitching, and metallic accents. However, the abundance of hard plastic made the interior look cheap. The controls were logically arranged, with knobs for commonly adjusted features and buttons with a matte-black finish. The infotainment system had a purple accent color, which was not to everyone's taste. Despite these quirks, the Seltos was larger, more useful, and more refined than many of its direct rivals.

The 2022 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid impressed with its 1.6-liter turbo-four engine, producing 180 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. Combined with an electric motor, the system's total output was 226 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. The Tucson Hybrid felt noticeably quicker than its gas-powered counterpart. The steering was responsive, and the six-speed automatic transmission managed everything admirably. The suspension soaked up road imperfections without feeling bouncy, keeping the vehicle balanced through corners. The EPA rated the Tucson Hybrid at 37 mpg city, 36 highway, and 37 combined, with the Blue trim level achieving 38 mpg across the board. The upcoming plug-in hybrid Tucson promised even better efficiency with an 80 MPGe rating and 33 miles of all-electric range.

The 2022 Kia Seltos offered two engine options: a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 146 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, and a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with 175 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque. The turbo-four paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, making the Seltos more engaging to drive. The Seltos had Normal, Sport, and Smart driving modes, with Smart mode balancing fuel efficiency and responsiveness. The EPA rated the Seltos Nightfall Edition at 27 mpg in combined driving, which matched our test results. The AWD system had a Lock function for even power distribution at lower speeds, but the Seltos' ground clearance of 7.3 inches was less than class leaders. The suspension tuning was the least appealing aspect, with the vehicle exhibiting lateral rocking motions and feeling bouncy on undulating roads. Despite these issues, the Seltos felt lively in urban environments and had excellent outward visibility.

The 2022 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid offered impressive cargo space, with 38.8 cubic feet in the trunk and 74.5 cubic feet with the rear seat folded down. This was more than the Mazda CX-5 and Toyota RAV4. The Tucson also provided over 41 inches of front and rear legroom, with rear seats that reclined. The cargo floor had a dual-level system, and the doors had angled bottle holders. The front seats had two cupholders in the center console, and the rear seat had a fold-down center armrest with two cupholders. The Limited trim's ambient lighting system added flair to the cabin.

The 2022 Kia Seltos excelled in form and function, offering a roomy interior with easy entry and exit. The Nightfall Edition had a six-way manually adjustable driver’s seat and a tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel. The front passenger’s seat was not height-adjustable but provided proper leg support. The Nightfall Edition featured cloth upholstery with Sofino simulated leather bolsters, a single-zone automatic climate control system, and heated front seats. The rear seat had generous legroom and footroom, with rear air conditioning vents, a USB charging port, and a center armrest with cupholders. Cargo space measured 26.6 cubic feet behind the back seat and 62.8 cubic feet with the rear seat folded down, with plastic grocery sack hooks to prevent items from rolling around.

The 2022 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid featured a 10.25-inch touchscreen in the Limited trim, which looked great with the native software but only utilized about 8 inches for Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. The larger screen required a wired connection, while the smaller 8-inch screen in the Blue and SEL Convenience trims offered wireless connectivity. The touch-capacitive buttons for the infotainment and HVAC controls were frustrating, but the steering-wheel controls helped mitigate this issue. The Tucson provided plenty of USB ports, including two for rear-seat passengers, and our test vehicle had a Bose premium stereo.

The 2022 Kia Seltos expanded the availability of its 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system to the S trim level, with the system standard on the EX, Nightfall Edition, and SX trims. The SX trim paired the system with a Bose premium sound system. The infotainment system included Bluetooth for two devices simultaneously, a navigation system, connected services, satellite radio, and a six-speaker stereo. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto required a wired connection with the 10.25-inch system, while the standard 8-inch system in the LX and S trims offered wireless connectivity. The system was intuitive to use, with a volume knob, a tuning knob, and physical buttons for primary functions. However, the voice recognition system was frustrating, and we recommended using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto for better results.

The 2022 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid came with a comprehensive suite of safety features, including automatic emergency braking, pedestrian and cyclist detection, blind-spot collision avoidance, rear cross-traffic alert, a driver-attention monitor, lane-keeping and lane-following assist, safe-exit warning, and rear occupant alert. The Limited trim added a surround-view monitor, highway-driving assist with adaptive cruise control, navigation, a blind-spot view monitor, and remote smart park assist. The blind-spot view monitor displayed a video feed of the blind spots on the driver information display, while the remote smart park assist allowed the vehicle to be moved remotely using the key fob. The IIHS awarded the Tucson a Top Safety Pick+ rating.

The 2022 Kia Seltos was equipped with numerous driving assistance systems, including forward-collision avoidance, pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping and lane-centering assist, automatic high-beam headlights, and a Rear Occupant Alert system. The EX trim added blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, while the SX trim included adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability, Highway Driving Assist, and Safe Exit Assist. The lane-centering assist technology was accurate and refined, making it more likely to be used. The Seltos also offered safety-related functions through its connected services platform, including 911 Connect and features for parents of teen drivers. The IIHS gave the Seltos SX a Top Safety Pick rating, while the NHTSA awarded the Seltos an overall rating of four stars.