Kia Seltos 2020 review: Sport+ snapshot

The second-from-top model in the range - and the variant with the most appeal in the Kia Seltos 2020 line-up - is the Sport+.

The Seltos Sport+ is available with the choice of two powertrains. The 2.0-litre front-wheel drive model costs $32,990 drive-away, while the 1.6 turbo all-wheel drive version is $36,490 drive-away.

The 2.0-litre four-cylinder ‘Atkinson cycle’ petrol engine produces 110kW of power (at 6200rpm) and 180Nm of torque (at 4500rpm), and it employs a CVT (continuously variable transmission) automatic, and is front-wheel drive. Fuel use is claimed at 6.8 litres per 100 kilometres for this version.

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Explore the 2020 Kia Seltos Range

Kia Seltos 2022 review: S Kia Seltos 2021 review: Sport with Safety Pack Kia Seltos 2020 review: GT Line Kia Seltos 2020 review: S Kia Seltos 2020 review: Sport+ AWD Kia Seltos 2020 review: GT Line snapshot Kia Seltos 2020 review: Sport+ snapshot Kia Seltos 2020 review: Sport snapshot Kia Seltos 2020 review: S snapshot

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The 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder with 130kW of power (at 6000rpm) and 265Nm of torque (from 1500-4500rpm), and is paired exclusively to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. It has claimed fuel use of 7.6L/100km.

Towing capacity for the Seltos is 600 kilograms for an unbraked trailer for both 2WD and AWD models, while braked trailer capacity is 1100kg for the 2WD and 1250kg for the AWD.

The Sport+ model is attractively specified. It runs on 17-inch alloy wheels, smart key entry and push-button start, cloth and faux-leather seating, LED interior lighting, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, heated/folding side mirrors, a reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, a cargo cover, a 10.25-inch touchscreen with sat nav (including SUNA live traffic and 10 years of map updates), a second USB port, and single-zone climate control. It still runs halogen front fog-lights, and is fitted with a full-size spare, auto up/down driver’s window, auto window defogging, and ‘solar windows’.

Part of the reason we think this is the pick of the range is that it offers better safety as standard. It runs a camera-based low-speed auto emergency braking (AEB) with car and pedestrian detection, plus the higher-spec AEB with adaptive cruise control and cyclist detection, which will likely score it a five-star ANCAP rating (though it hasn’t been tested at the time of writing).

This model also gets lane keeping assist, driver attention warning, blind spot monitoring with merge intervention, rear cross-traffic alert with auto braking, and six airbags.