Compare the2023 Kia Seltos VS 2022 Jeep Compass

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Seltos are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Compass doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Seltos S Turbo/EX/SX has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Avoidance Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Compass doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Seltos’ driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Compass doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Seltos and the Compass have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

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

	Seltos	Compass
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	129	196
Neck Injury Risk	24%	41%
Neck Stress	237 lbs.	445 lbs.
Neck Compression	23 lbs.	38 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.8 inches
Neck Stress	127 lbs.	235 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	144/44 lbs.	299/387 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 Kia Seltos is safer than the Jeep Compass:

	Seltos	Compass
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	754 lbs.	928 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	225	355
Spine Acceleration	33 G’s	39 G’s
Hip Force	433 lbs.	663 lbs.

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

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Seltos, with its four-star roll-over rating, is 3.3% to 5.5% less likely to roll over than the Compass, which received a three-star rating.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Seltos the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 141 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Compass last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

The Seltos comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Compass’ 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Seltos 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Jeep covers the Compass. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Compass ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 2 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is rated lower.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 56 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is ranked 19th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 4 places higher in reliability than Jeep.

The Seltos Nightfall/SX’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder produces 23 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 172) than the Compass’ 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Seltos 4 cyl. is faster than the Jeep Compass:

	Seltos	Compass
Zero to 60 MPH	8.3 sec	10.5 sec
Quarter Mile	16.5 sec	17.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	85.5 MPH	76.1 MPH

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

			MPG
Seltos
	FWD	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	29 city/35 hwy
	AWD	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/31 hwy
		1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/30 hwy
Compass
	FWD	2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	22 city/31 hwy
	AWD	2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	22 city/30 hwy

The Seltos has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Compass doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Seltos offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Compass doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The Seltos stops much shorter than the Compass:

	Seltos	Compass
60 to 0 MPH	115 feet	144 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	133 feet	151 feet	Consumer Reports

The Seltos’ standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Compass Sport’s standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Seltos has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Compass Sport.

The Seltos has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Compass’ suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Seltos is .7 inches wider in the front and 1.6 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Compass.

The Seltos S AWD handles at .85 G’s, while the Compass Trailhawk pulls only .73 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Seltos S AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.9 seconds quicker than the Compass Trailhawk (26.7 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 29.6 seconds @ .53 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Seltos’ turning circle is .5 feet tighter than the Compass Trailhawk’s (34.8 feet vs. 35.3 feet). The Seltos’ turning circle is 1.5 feet tighter than the Compass’ (34.8 feet vs. 36.3 feet).

The Kia Seltos may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 300 pounds less than the Jeep Compass.

The Seltos has .8 inches more front headroom and 3.6 inches more rear hip room than the Compass.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Seltos’ rear seats recline. The Compass’ rear seats don’t recline.

The front step up height for the Seltos is 1.4 inches lower than the Compass (18” vs. 19.4”). The Seltos’ rear step up height is 2.9 inches lower than the Compass’ (17.8” vs. 20.7”).

The Seltos has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Compass with its rear seat folded (62.8 vs. 59.8 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Seltos easier. The Seltos’ cargo hatch lift-over height is 29.4 inches, while the Compass’ liftover is 31.1 inches.

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

	Seltos	Compass
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	32.7”/62.4”	32.4”/65.7”
Max Width	52.3”	53.8”
Min Width	41.6”	38.1”
Height	32.5”	29.6”

The Seltos has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Compass doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

Consumer Reports rated the Seltos’ headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Compass’ headlights, which were rated “Good.”

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Seltos’ available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Compass’ headlights are rated “Marginal” to “Poor.”

The Seltos has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The Compass has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the Latitude/Trailhawk/Limited.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Kia Seltos will be $2743 to $2880 less than for the Jeep Compass.