Kia Seltos vs Ssangyong Torres

What's the difference?

Kia’s updated Seltos is more expensive than the previous version but it's better as well.

The entry grade no longer has hubcaps and gets alloy wheels, all grades have directional air vents in the second row, the jerky dual-clutch auto is gone and an excellent regular eight-speed auto has arrived, plus there’s more safety tech and modern displays screens.

What hasn’t changed is the Seltos’s size. It’s a big, small SUV, that’s easy to park in tight spaces but roomy inside even for tall, awkward humans like me. 

The sweet spot in the range is the Sport+ with the 1.6-litre engine, if only it had the LED headlights that only come on the GT-Line.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.

The KGM SsangYong Torres Adventure feels fresh-faced and offers competitive pricing and ongoing costs. Some of the technology could use a little tweaking but the cabin is practical and you get a fair amount of luxury features for its price tag. Value is assured and this is one to consider.

This updated Seltos has had a few styling tweaks, too. The grille is taller and  there’s a new headlight design which on the GT-Line is stunning with its LED running lights.

The rear of the Seltos has been restyled as well, with a new tail-light design and again on the GT-Line there’s an LED strip which runs between them.

The Seltos is pretty big for a small SUV. At 4.4m long it’s bigger than a Hyundai Kona and a Honda HR-V and about the same size as a Nissan Qashqai and Corolla Cross.

What’s good about that is you’re getting more space inside with a package that’s still smallish on the outside.

If you think the Seltos’ look is familiar, then I agree. The Honda HR-V and Haval Jolion have very similar tail-light designs and the profile follows many of the same styling cues of the Toyota Corolla Cross.

To my eyes, though, I think the Seltos is the more refined looking of its peers with a more modern and interesting interior.

Speaking of which, keep in mind that the top-of-the-range GT-Line’s cabin is far more fancy than the interior of the entry grade S. The GT-line’s large double digital displays are impressive and the buttons around the shifter for seat heating and ventilation are replaced with blank plastic panels in the S. 

Hard plastic armrests were another of my gripes about the previous entry grade Seltos, too.

Still all cabins have a premium look even if the feel isn’t luxurious throughout on all grades. 

Despite sharing similar underpinnings to the Korando, the Torres is its own model when it comes to design.

It seems to borrow from a few different sources and there are some Kia Sportage and Land Rover Defender elements that are easy to see once you start looking closely.

It's refreshing to see such a bold and personality-rich design in this segment but there is a tendency to favour form over function.

There are handles on the bonnet which serve no purpose, a fake ‘wheel cover’ design on the rear (which is annoyingly off-centre) and a bunch of fake vents scattered across the car.

It looks like an SUV you would take off road but if this was a movie, it would be the actor instead of the stunt double.

Head inside and you'll find a gorgeous cabin with copper accent panels, thick soft-touchpoints and black synthetic leather trims.

The dashboard features contrasting stitching in copper and is headlined by a massive display panel that houses the dual 12.3-inch technology panels that look awesome.

Despite still featuring a few notes of harder plastics, the cabin still feels high-end and well-built. Although it has the largest steering wheel I’ve seen in the segment.

Some small SUVs are seriously small, which might be fine for some, but if you’re hoping to also have enough space for passengers in the back seats, and a boot which can carry plenty of luggage then the Seltos is a good choice.

Even at 191cm tall I had more than enough room to sit behind my driving position with good headroom back there, too.

Cabin storage is also good with door pockets front and rear, and a deep centre console box. As for cupholders there are two up front on all grades, while the Sport+ and GT-Line get two more in the second row fold-down armrest.

Boot capacity depends on if you’ve requested a full-sized spare wheel or the space-saver spare. With the space-saver you’ll have more room at 469 litres, while the full-sized wheel under the boot floor will leave you with 433 litres. That’s still decent for the class.

The new Seltos has directional air vents for back seat passengers which is a win (motoring journalists had been complaining about the lack of them for years) and there are also two USB ports (Type-C) for the second row along with another two for those in the front, plus a 12V outlet.

The cabin of the Torres almost defies its mid-size tag because there is oodles of space for taller occupants. Both rows feature excellent access with the 195mm ground clearance and wide door apertures. My eight-year-old son loved his view this week and didn’t have any issue climbing in and out.

Despite lacking lumbar support, seat comfort is best in the front and fatigue doesn't set in too quickly on longer journeys. The rear row offers plenty of under-bum padding but the backs are decidedly flat, expect a bit of movement from passengers in corners.

There are lots of storage options with a glovebox that can house a manual, mid-sized middle console, shelf underneath the centre console, six drink bottle holders, four cup holders and a phone tray.

The boot has a great luggage capacity of up to 703L when all seats are in use and the rear row has a 60/40 split to open up storage options if you need to.

The touchscreen multimedia system is a bit too simple in terms of its information and customisation. It's responsive but functionality isn't always the best. Music playing over Bluetooth hardly ever connects automatically, you have to select the Bluetooth function which is annoying while on the go. The radio is pretty crappy as it rarely picks up any stations and when it does there is a lot of static.

You do get wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with the CarPlay easy enough to connect to.

Charging options are good with four USB-C ports and two 12-volt sockets, one of which is located in the boot. But you do miss out on a wireless charging pad in this grade.

The rear row features enough amenities to keep occupants happy, like the charging options, directional air vents, armrest and map pockets but my son said it was hard to position the air vents to blow air directly on to him.

There are three variants available for the Torres. All figures below are quoted as drive-away pricing, including its rivals.

The base grade ELX starts at a low $38,000, then you move up to the model on test for this review, which is the Adventure and it is priced from $43,000. The top-grade Ultimate model is only a little more expensive at $47,000.

Compared to its rivals, the Adventure is positioned towards the bottom end of the market with the closest rival, the Kia Sportage SX+ sitting at $46,476. Then comes the Hyundai Tucson Elite at $48,531 and the Toyota RAV4 XSE sits at the top at $54,337.

All Torres grades are well-specified but the Adventure gets solid standard equipment like synthetic leather upholstery, a heated steering wheel and front seats, dual 12.3-inch touchscreen multimedia system and instrument cluster, wired Apple CarPlay/ Android Auto, four USB-C ports, two 12-volt sockets, 18-inch alloys and a temporary spare tyre.

Practicality is ensured with the dual-zone climate control, auto start/stop, keyless entry and start, reversing camera, rain-sensing wipers, LED headlights, LED daytime running lights, extendable sun visors, and powered tailgate.

You miss out on electric front seats but honestly, in terms of value, the Torres Adventure nails it.

The Seltos range has two engines to choose from: a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine making 110kW/180Nm and a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine producing even more grunt at 146kW/265Nm.

The 2.0-litre engine comes with a CVT which is a type of automatic transmission and the 1.6-litre engine has an eight-speed auto.

CVT stands for Continuously Variable Transmission and some people (me included) find the droning they cause the engine to make to be annoying. They also come with a feeling of less acceleration. 

The good news is the eight-speed auto that comes with the 1.6-litre is a great transmission with smooth shifts and a sporty nature that matches the punchy engine. 

This eight-speed auto is welcome because it also replaces the jerky dual-clutch transmission that had been paired with the 1.6-litre engine in the previous Seltos.   

All-wheel drive is only available with the 1.6-litre engine while front-wheel drive comes solely with the 2.0-litre.

So, if you’re after great acceleration and better traction then the 1.6-litre is the way to go. If you’re not after a sporty driving experience then the 2.0-litre engine will suit you, and it costs less.

All Torres models share the same 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine but the Adventure model is a front-wheel drive, and the only grade that has an all-wheel drive is the Ultimate.

This is surprising as the Adventure moniker would suggest AWD capability ... so you could actually go adventuring.

The Torres offers up to 120kW of power and 280Nm of torque, and features a smooth six-speed auto transmission which is enough to ensure that it is is a pleasant open-roader.

The smaller engine actually uses more fuel, but not a great deal more. Kia says the 1.6-litre engine with all-wheel drive uses 7.4L/100km after a combination of open and urban roads. The 2.0-litre engine according to Kia will use half a litre less at 6.9L/100km.  

Both engines only need 'standard' 91 RON petrol, too - that’s the cheap one.

Where is the hybrid variant? Good question. The answer is, there isn’t one. And neither is one coming, I’ve asked. That’s disappointing considering the Corolla Cross comes with a hybrid version of each grade in its line-up.

It’s for this reason the Seltos range scores a lower mark for fuel efficiency.

The official combined fuel cycle figure is 7.4L/100km and based on its 50L fuel tank, you should see a theoretical driving range of up to 676km. That’s not the best range we’ve seen in this segment but it’s still respectable for the odd longer road trip.

After doing a good mix of open-road and urban driving this week, I’ve managed a real world usage of  7.7L which is a great result overall.

The Kia Seltos has two personalities. The laid back Seltos with a 2.0-litre engine and the enthusiastic sporty Seltos with the 1.6-litre engine.

Regardless of which Seltos you pick, the ride is comfortable, the handling is good, and the steering is excellent. 

Kia says it's worked to make the Seltos’s cabin more insulated from road noise, but having driven it on country roads for hours I think it could do with more sound dampening.

If you’re considering the Sport+ grade and are not sure if the $3500 premium for the 1.6-litre engine is worth it, my answer would be absolutely, if you can afford it.

That 1.6-litre turbo petrol is a great engine and the new eight-speed transmission is excellent. Even as a daily driver I think anybody would enjoy driving this version of the Seltos more, and for those who like sporty driving then it’s definitely the powerplant for you.

When it comes to power and its delivery, the Torres is willing but never spritely. It’s a bit sluggish off the mark and the auto-stop/start feature doesn't help but there is a decent well of power to dip into once you get going, making this a solid open-roader.

The steering can feel a bit wishy-washy on a winding road but there’s surprisingly not that much roll. Suspension is good without feeling floaty and you’re not bothered by the bigger bumps.

Visibility is good most of the time but occasionally the passenger side A-pillar can hinder, at least from my driving position. The back window is a smidge too small for my liking, especially on an SUV of this size.

The Torres doesn’t feel too big to park and the reversing camera is clear and features dynamic guidelines but all SUVs should have a 360-degree system, considering their bulk.

The Torres is so new that it hasn't been tested with ANCAP yet and is thus, unrated but it has eight airbags, including a front centre airbag.

Standard equipment includes blind-spot monitoring, driver attention alert, safe exit warning, tyre pressure monitoring, forward collision warning, front fog lights, LED DRLs, rear cross-traffic alert, lane keeping/departure aids, reversing camera, front/rear parking sensors and cruise control.

Note - it's not adaptive cruise control. Sometimes adaptive cruise control systems can be all over the place with when they 'slow' down and how they function in the real world. The system in the Torres is old-school but steady to use and operate.

Curiously, despite having both functions, you have to choose whether the lane keeping aid or lane departure warning is active.

The Torres has two ISOFIX child seat mounts and three top-tethers. The back seat is wide enough to accommodate three child seats if they're not too large.

The Torres has AEB but it's operational parameters haven't been assessed yet.

The Seltos is covered by Kia’s seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. 

Servicing differs between the two engines.

A Seltos with a 1.6-litre engine needs to be serviced every 12 months or 10,000km and over seven years the average service cost comes to $497 per year.

A Seltos with the 2.0-litre engine needs to be serviced every 12 months or 15,000km and over seven years the average service costs comes to $434 per year.

Capped price servicing is good, but the prices can get higher than $600 for some visits.

The Torres comes with a seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty which is great for the class and a seven-year capped-price servicing program for $2678, at an average of $383 per service, which is very reasonable.

Intervals are good at every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.