Here’s your Trivial Pursuit question of the day. What’s the meaning of the word Seltos, as in the Kia Seltos, as in Kia’s brand-new, adorable compact SUV? 

Surprisingly, it’s not the usual alphabet soup of letters conjured-up by some overpaid advertising agency. Like Camaro. Or Camry.

No, the word Seltos comes from Greek mythology, and is derived from Celtos, the son of mighty Hercules and Princess Celtine.

Seems Kia wasn’t totally happy with the ancient Greek connection so  changed the initial “C” to an “S”, supposedly to signify speed and sportiness. 

I know, too much information? Let’s quickly move on.

Here before you is the second-generation Seltos. The first was introduced back in 2020 as Kia’s smallest, “starter” SUV, slotting neatly between the Soul and Sportage. 

While the original Seltos had all the visual drama of a cube of tofu, this latest, new-for-2027 version is the real deal. Looking like a scaled-down version of Kia’s latest Telluride SUV, it’s a little longer, wider, taller and boxier than the original Seltos.

What hasn’t changed is the Seltos’ terrific value. The base LX starts at just $26,485 and goes up through S, EX, X-Line S, topping out with the X-Line SX at $34,285.

I’ve just spent a week piloting the all-bells-and-whistles 2027 X-Line SX AWD – a mouthful, I know – that came with a $37,250 all-in sticker. Maria Carey pays more than that on shoes. 

While the base LX is certainly a great deal, the X-Line is definitely worth the splurge. For starters, it looks urban-tough, with its big, glossy-black wheel arches and lower side skirts. Funky 19-inch black alloys too, and a bold, squared-off black grille with vertical amber LED running lights. 

The jury’s still out on our test car’s love-it-or-hate-it, muddy-brown paint, that Kia politely calls Terrain Brown. That said, it does go with the Seltos’ plough-through-the-mud, off-roading image. 

Climb aboard and this new Seltos gets a nice makeover. Across the dash is a single, thin-panel 12.3-inch digital display in front of the driver that flows into a 12.3-inch central touchscreen.

What I love here is that Kia has stuck with proper switches and buttons for the main controls, like a/c, audio, and drive modes, rather than integrate  them on the screens. They also stuck with a big, he-man shift lever rather than using annoying buttons or flaps to select gears.   

The entire cabin is also impressive in that those bigger exterior dimensions make the Seltos even more capable of accommodating up to five and their “stuff”. The rear seat legroom is now positively generous. 

And while the only interior color choice you get with the X-Line is black, the seats are trimmed in upscale, looks-like-leather SynTex with nice contrast stitching. Love that funky new  “squircle” steering wheel with its easy to use controls. 

Maybe the best interior feature? The standard, and huge, panoramic glass roof with power sunshade, that floods the cabin with light.

One more reason for opting for the X-Line Seltos is what’s under the hood. 

While the entry models come with a 2.0-liter, naturally-aspirated four-cylinder producing a lackluster 147 hp, the X-Line gets a turbocharged 1.6-liter “four” making 190 hp.

While it may not seem like a big jump in horseys, on the road it is. That turbo boost gives the Seltos stronger acceleration, and more mid-range thrust for safer passing and freeway-merging. 

No, we’re not talking sportscar performance here – the Seltos is more a cruiser than a bruiser. Click a stopwatch and 0-to-60 mph gets covered in a so-so 8.5 seconds. But with Sport mode engaged, this little Kia never feels slow or sluggish. 

It didn’t help that in its transition from Seltos 1 to Seltos 2, the trucklette packed-on close to 400 extra pounds. Where was Ozempic when you needed it?

But the extra poundage does add to the Kia’s feeling of solidity and stability on the road. And the ride smoothness is best-in-class compared to rivals like Chevy’s Trax, Mazda’s CX-30 and the VW Taos.

I’m a big fan of this latest Seltos, It just feels so much more refined, upscale and pleasing to drive than its price tag would suggest. 

I’m sure Princess Celtine would have given it two thumbs up.