Compare the2023 Kia SeltosVS 2023 Lincoln Corsair

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 Corsair doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Seltos’ standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The Corsair doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

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

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 Lincoln Corsair:

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

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 front crash prevention system, and its headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Seltos its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2019, a rating granted to only 134 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Corsair is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2019.

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 Corsair’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Seltos 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Lincoln covers the Corsair. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Corsair ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

There are over 13 percent more Kia dealers than there are Lincoln dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Seltos’ warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Lincoln vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 11 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lincoln is ranked 10th.

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 Lincoln vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 35 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lincoln is ranked 13th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Lincoln vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 1 place higher in reliability than Lincoln.

As tested in Motor Trend the Seltos Nightfall/SX 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Lincoln Corsair turbo 4 cyl.:

On the EPA test cycle the Seltos gets better mileage than the Corsair running its gasoline engine:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Seltos uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Corsair with the 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder engine requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Seltos has 2.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Corsair Grand Touring’s standard fuel tank (13.2 vs. 11.1 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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 Corsair doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The Seltos stops much shorter than the Corsair:

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 Corsair Standard’s standard 60 series tires.

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

The Seltos SX handles at .84 G’s, while the Corsair Reserve AWD pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Seltos S AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the Corsair Standard AWD (26.7 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .67 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Seltos’ turning circle is 2.3 feet tighter than the Corsair’s (34.8 feet vs. 37.1 feet).

The Kia Seltos may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 750 to 1100 pounds less than the Lincoln Corsair.

The Seltos is 9.4 inches shorter than the Corsair, making the Seltos easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Seltos is 5.4 inches narrower on average than the Corsair, making the Seltos easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

The Seltos has .5 inches more front headroom and 2 inches more rear hip room than the Corsair.

The Seltos has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Corsair with its rear seat folded (62.8 vs. 57.6 cubic feet).

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 Corsair doesn’t offer a locking fuel/charge port door.

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 Corsair’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Poor.”

The Seltos will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Seltos will retain 49.25% to 49.41% of its original price after five years, while the Corsair only retains 47.08% to 47.36%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Kia Seltos will be $10714 to $13766 less than for the Lincoln Corsair.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Kia Seltos and the Lincoln Corsair, based on reliability, safety and performance.