2022 Kia Seltos Becomes One With the Dark Side

 

We'll stop saying good things about Kia as soon as the brand stops making fantastic vehicles. Until then, the South Korean automaker is the juggernaut that seemingly cannot be stopped. The Telluride, Sorento, K5, Stinger, and Soul are all great to drive, easy to live with, and solid values. Predictably, the Seltos follows that trend. Despite arriving on our shores last year, Kia's little SUV gets a number of small but noteworthy updates for 2022.

Of note, all 2022 Seltos models now come standard with forward collision avoidance with pedestrian detection, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, and automatic high beam headlights. When we tested the Seltos against the Mazda CX-30 and Chevy Trailblazer, we were surprised at just how smart Kia's lane keep assist system is—it's so good, in fact, it all but mimics a lane centering system.

In addition to a load of new safety goodies, the Seltos also moves to the dark side. Not necessarily because it wants to rule the galaxy, but more because it's gained a taste for some dark accents. The Nightfall Edition is new for 2022 and brings special 18-inch matte-black wheels, a black grille, roof rails, and side sills. Nightfall Edition models also come exclusively with all-wheel drive, get a flat-bottom steering wheel, and the option to add a purple-hued (or Plum) interior.

Along with welcoming the latest iteration of Kia's badge, the cheapest Seltos also sees its cost of entry rise by $500 for 2022. The base all-wheel-drive Kia Seltos LX starts at $23,665, while the front-drive S starts at $23,865 (plan on dropping an extra $1,500 to add AWD to the S). The prior Turbo trim, however, gets the ax for 2022, as it's effectively replaced by the Nightfall Edition. The Seltos EX, Nightfall Edition, and top-of-the-line SX trims, meanwhile, each start at $26,965, $27,865, and $29,165, respectively.

The addition of more active safety features, new badges, and a slick Nightfall Edition trim arguably make the 2022 Seltos an even better value and looker than its 2021 counterpart—a model we already thought was a good value and looker in the first place.