Compare the2022 Subaru CrosstrekVS 2022 Kia Seltos

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Subaru Crosstrek has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Seltos doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Crosstrek has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Seltos doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Crosstrek. But it costs extra on the Seltos.

Both the Crosstrek and the Seltos have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, rearview cameras, available crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Subaru Crosstrek is safer than the Kia Seltos:

	Crosstrek	Seltos
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	122	405
Neck Compression	52 lbs.	171 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Subaru Crosstrek is safer than the Kia Seltos:

	Crosstrek	Seltos
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.7 inches	1.2 inches
Hip Force	346 lbs.	428 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	58 G’s	70 G’s
Hip Force	428 lbs.	754 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	201	225

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

The Crosstrek’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Seltos runs out after 100,000 miles.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Crosstrek’s reliability 33 points higher than the Seltos.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 7 places higher in reliability than Kia.

Engine

The Crosstrek’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 6 more horsepower (152 vs. 146) and 13 lbs.-ft. more torque (145 vs. 132) than the Seltos’ standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Crosstrek Sport/Limited’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 7 more horsepower (182 vs. 175) than the Seltos Nightfall/SX’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Crosstrek Sport/Limited 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder is faster than the Kia Seltos 4 cyl. (automatics tested):

	Crosstrek	Seltos
Zero to 60 MPH	7.8 sec	8.3 sec
Quarter Mile	16 sec	16.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	87.7 MPH	85.5 MPH

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Crosstrek lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability without compromising ground clearance. The Seltos doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Crosstrek gets better mileage than the Seltos:

			MPG
Crosstrek
AWD	Auto	2.0 DOHC flat-4	28 city/33 hwy
		2.5 DOHC flat-4	27 city/34 hwy
Seltos
AWD	Auto	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/31 hwy
		1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/30 hwy

Both the Crosstrek CVT and the Seltos have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stop lights and heavy traffic. All Crosstrek CVTs have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

The Crosstrek has 3.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Seltos (16.6 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Subaru Crosstrek higher (7 out of 10) than the Kia Seltos (5). This means the Crosstrek produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Seltos every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Crosstrek’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the Seltos:

	Crosstrek	Seltos
Front Rotors	11.6 inches	11 inches
Rear Rotors	10.8 inches	10.3 inches

The Crosstrek stops shorter than the Seltos:

	Crosstrek	Seltos
60 to 0 MPH	125 feet	128 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Crosstrek has larger tires than the Seltos (225/60R17 vs. 215/55R17).

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Subaru Crosstrek has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Seltos 4x2 has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Crosstrek has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Crosstrek flat and controlled during cornering. The Seltos 4x2 suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Crosstrek’s wheelbase is 1.4 inches longer than on the Seltos (104.9 inches vs. 103.5 inches).

The Crosstrek Premium handles at .81 G’s, while the Seltos S pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Crosstrek Premium executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.5 seconds quicker than the Seltos S (27.3 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 28.8 seconds @ .56 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Crosstrek has a 1.4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Seltos (8.7 vs. 7.3 inches), allowing the Crosstrek to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

The Crosstrek has 1.7 inches more front legroom, 1.6 inches more front hip room, 1.2 inches more front shoulder room, 2.4 inches more rear hip room and .9 inches more rear shoulder room than the Seltos.

Cargo Capacity

The Crosstrek’s cargo area is larger than the Seltos’ in almost every dimension:

	Crosstrek	Seltos
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	32.3”/64.2”	32.7”/62.4”
Max Width	53”	52.3”
Min Width	43”	41.6”
Height	30”	32.5”

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Crosstrek. The Seltos doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The Crosstrek has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The Seltos has no towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Crosstrek is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Seltos. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

A maintenance reminder system is standard on the Crosstrek to save the owner time and money by calculating maintenance intervals for oil changes and tire rotation, vehicle inspection based on odometer mileage. This takes the guesswork out of keeping your vehicle in top condition and helps it last longer. Kia doesn’t offer a maintenance reminder on the Seltos.

Ergonomics

The Crosstrek’s front power windows open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Seltos’ standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Crosstrek’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Crosstrek Base). The Seltos doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Crosstrek Limited has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Seltos doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Crosstrek’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Seltos offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Crosstrek owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Crosstrek will cost $490 less than the Seltos over a five-year period.

The Crosstrek will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Crosstrek will retain 62.13% to 65.32% of its original price after five years, while the Seltos only retains 47.95% to 49.69%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Subaru Crosstrek will be $2180 to $4645 less than for the Kia Seltos.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Subaru Crosstrek, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Kia Seltos isn't recommended.

The Subaru Crosstrek outsold the Kia Seltos by over two to one during the 2021 model year.