Family CAR REVIEW: 2023 Kia Seltos

How big is the boot of the 2023 Kia Seltos?

The boot of the 2023 Kia Seltos is a good size and we could fit twelve shopping bags in the boot, the same as the Nissan Qashqai. That is comparable to the Mitsubishi ASX which will hold eleven shopping bags, the first-generarion Hyundai Kona which will hold nine and the second-generation Subaru XV which will hold ten shopping bags.

For families that have two young children, a twin side-by-side stroller fits with two shopping bags.

A double stroller fits with three shopping bags.

The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as Bub’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.

Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.

I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.

The single pram fits with four shopping bags beside it.

A compact stroller fits with eight shopping bags beside it.

You can fit a medium-size dog in the boot of the 2023 Kia Seltos.

The boot floor of the 2023 Kia Seltos is nice and flat and carpeted so it is comfortable for dogs and a good place for an emergency nappy change!

How good is storage inside the 2023 Kia Seltos?

Storage in the front of the 2023 Kia Seltos is good. There are two cup holders in the central console that will fit a reusable or disposable coffee cup and next to them is a small storage well good for the key.

The central console box is a fair size and the bottom is lined to prevent things sliding around and making a noise when driving.

There are two phone shelves in front of the gear lever; one in the top-spec 2023 Kia Seltos GT-Line tested here has a wireless phone charging mat and the other there are USB and USB-C sockets for charging and a 12V socket.

The glove box would fit my iPad and my wallet with the manual.

There is no glasses case in the ceiling of the Kia Seltos and the door bins in the front are a generous size and will fit my iPad and refillable water bottle. There are also little storage wells in the handles too.

In the back the door bins are smaller but will still hold a refillable water bottle.

There is a single map pocket on the back of the front passenger seat that will hold and conceal an iPad and there are two USB-C sockets and a phone tray in the back of the central console box.

There is a fold-down arm rest in the central seat back with two cup holders that will hold a reusable or disposable coffee cup.

How noisy is the 2023 Kia Seltos and how good is the media system in the 2023 Kia Seltos?

The 2023 Kia Seltos is still a particularly beepy little car! Even moreso than the one previously tested…

It beeps when you first get in, if you start the engine without your seat belt fastened, the lane departure warning is a beeping sound and if the cruise control allows the car to wonder even slightly over the speed limit is beeps (to tell itself off?). The Seltos also alerts you to school zones and pedestrian crossings coming up ahead, these are all safety-led warnings however they are very disturbing for passengers and sometimes frying for adult passengers too!

I did find the alerts useful when I drove somewhere new but found when it was in my day-to-day local driving they were irritating as I know where all the school zones, speed limits etc are located.

The 2023 Kia Seltos has a beautiful new wrap-around media and driver display panel. The media system is lovely and modern and intuitive and easy to use and navigate.

It has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so you can easily access your phone and Apps while driving.

There are some great features within the media system I like. Quiet Mode for example allows you to easily bring the sound to the front speakers when rear passengers fall asleep or are on their devices.

You can control the aircon easily through the media screen as well as the usual controls below.

The reversing camera is a lovely clear and large image…

… there is a button so you can turn the parking sensors off down in the central console easily…

… and another button to turn the rear camera on at any time while driving. This is fantastic for families that have child seats in the back row or if you had three tall rear passengers so you get a better view behind you.

The cruise control in the Seltos is quite accurate and the controls are easy to use and located on the right on the steering wheel.

The 2023 Kia Seltos is a great little family SUV to drive.

Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!

That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.

If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?

It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?

A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.

Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!

I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.

The indicator volume wasn't baby-waking in the 2023 Kia Seltos.

The doors and windows of the Seltos close quite gently, so they are not too baby waking.

With baby asleep you want to be able to get in and out without worrying the doors will be too noisy and wake Bub up! 

Road and engine noise are good in the 2023 Kia Seltos and aren't disturbing inside for passengers.

There is a seatbelt removal alarm and you can also lock the doors and windows from the driver's door control panel.

The screen in front of the driver tells you the distance to empty in km so you can plan your fuel stops for when the kids aren't with you!

How many child seats fit in the 2023 Kia Seltos?

There are top tether anchorages on the back of all three rear seats in the 2023 Kia Seltos, they are clearly labelled and easily accessible through the boot. They are within plastic guides and nice and easy to connect to.

There are ISO Fix in both the outer rear seats, they are not within plastic guides but are easy to connect to.

Space around the rear seats of the 2023 Kia Seltos starts to taper in at the window height. So I can fit three Infasecure child seats across the second row of seats if one is rear-facing and two are forward facing. There isn't enough room at shoulder height for three forward-facing child seats across.

I installed the Infasecure Achieve More forward-facing and the Infasecure Attain More forward and rear-facing.

With a rear-facing child seat installed in the second row, we could sit a 182cm driver in front of it. Posting Bub into their car seat is easy from outside and inside was fine in the Kia Seltos, the doorways are nice and large and headroom is good inside.

Australia being a country of weather extremes; blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!

There is plenty of room to feed Bub in the back seats if you only have one child seat installed.

How comfortable is the 2023 Kia Seltos? And How good is the Kia Seltos to drive?

The front seats of the 2023 Kia Seltos are comfortable and easily adjustable with controls on the side of the seat base.

The front seats have minimal fuss and stitching.

The seats are perforated because they are cooled and heated and so is the steering wheel, in the top-spec GT-Line model I tested, which were a lovely welcome features on the cold winter mornings I was driving it!

I found I couldn't have a ponytail in the 2023 Kia Seltos as the headrests are not adjustable.

I had spent hours styling my hair this morning to get this ponytail just right too… said no new mum ever!!!

For a parent travelling in the back with Bub, the seats are quite comfortable and minimal too. Legroom is good in the back and I had plenty of legroom behind a 182cm driver and I'm 162cm.

For the first year of my daughters life when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with them so it’s important to check the back seat comfort as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!

The steering wheel is fully adjustable in/out and up/down.

Across the front dashboard, there are four air conditioning vents, two in the centre below the media screen and one at each end of the dashboard.

The 2023 Kia Seltos has air vents in the back of the back which is a very welcome new addition for families.

The climate can be easily controlled through the media screen or the panel of buttons below the front central air vents.

When maneuvering or parking, the 2023 Kia Seltos was easy, it's a small car and visibility is great and the rearview camera is good.

One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and Bub has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually I dread parking new cars as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, but the Kia Seltos, is easy to park.

How safe is the 2023 Kia Seltos?

The Kia Seltos was given an updated five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2022, scoring a total of 85% or 32.5 out of 38 for adult occupancy. Broken down into 6.90 out of 8 for the full-width frontal crash test, 5.54 out of 8 for the frontal offset test. Full marks for the side impact test and 6.82 out of 8 for the pole test.

For Child Occupancy protection the Kia Seltos scored 40.9 out of 49 which is 83%. Broken down into 13.49 out of 16 for the dynamic front, 8/8 for dynamic side. Child restraint installation scored 11.43 out of 12 and onboard features score 8 out of 13.

ANCAP said of the testing:

In the frontal offset test, protection of the neck of the 10 year old child dummy was rated as POOR. Protection of the head and neck of the 6 year dummy was ADEQUATE, while the protection offered to all other critical body regions of both child dummies was GOOD.
In the side impact test, protection of all critical body regions was GOOD for both child dummies and maximum points were scored.
Installation of typical child restraints available in Australia and New Zealand showed most child restraints could be accommodated in most rear seating positions, however the Type A capsule could not be correctly installed in the rear outboard seating positions, and one of the selected booster seats could not be correctly installed in the centre rear seating position.
The Kia Seltos is fitted with lower ISOFix anchorages on the rear outboard seats and top tether anchorages for all rear seating positions.

As standard, all models of the Kia Seltos come with seat belt pre-tensioners in both the front seats NOT the rear seats, anti-lock braking system (ABS), autonomous emergency braking (AEB) for the city, Interurban and optional VRU, automatic headlights, automatic high beam, child presence alert, daytime running lights (DRL), electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), electronic stability control (ESC), emergency brake assist (EBA), emergency stop signal (ESS), fatigue reminder and fatigue detection, forward collision warning (FCW), hill launch assist, lane departure warning (LDW), lane keep assist (LKA), reversing collision avoidance camera, speed assistance auto/intelligent and manual speed limiter and speed sign recognition and warning, tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) all come as standard.

Adaptive cruise control (ACC), adaptive headlights, blind spot monitoring (BSM) and rear cross-traffic alert (RCTA are not available on the base variant but standard or optional on higher variants.

Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Bub’s asleep!