Compare the2024 Subaru ImprezaVS 2024 Kia Seltos

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Impreza have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Kia Seltos doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Subaru Impreza 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 Impreza 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 Impreza. But it costs extra on the Seltos.

Both the Impreza and the Seltos have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The Subaru Impreza achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Seltos has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

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

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 Impreza’s reliability 18 points higher than the Seltos.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 4 places higher in reliability than Kia.

The Impreza’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.

As tested in Motor Trend the Impreza RS 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder is faster than the Kia Seltos 4 cyl.:

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Impreza lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Seltos doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

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

Regardless of its engine, the Impreza’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. Kia only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the Seltos 2.0.

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

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

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

The Impreza’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Seltos are solid, not vented.

In an emergency stopping situation, many drivers don’t press the brakes with enough force to stop the vehicle in the shortest distance. The Impreza has standard Brake Assist to detect emergency braking situations (by how hard and how quickly the brake pedal is pressed) and then automatically apply maximum braking immediately in order to help prevent a collision. The Seltos doesn’t offer a brake assist feature.

The Impreza Sport/RS’ tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Seltos AWD X-Line/SX’s 45 series tires.

For superior ride and handling, the Subaru Impreza 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 Impreza has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Impreza 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 Impreza’s wheelbase is 1.6 inches longer than on the Seltos (105.1 inches vs. 103.5 inches).

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

The Impreza has 1.5 inches more front legroom, 1.6 inches more front hip room, 1.3 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear hip room and .6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Seltos.

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Impreza easier. The Impreza’s trunk lift-over height is 26 inches, while the Seltos’ liftover is 29.4 inches.

The engine in the Impreza 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.

The Impreza’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch. The Seltos has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The Impreza’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.

The Impreza’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Seltos’ standard projector halogen headlights and light instantly. LED lights also last over twenty times longer than halogen.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Impreza 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 Impreza’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.

The Impreza’s standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Seltos doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

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