Kia Seltos 1.5CRDi EX+ Karoo Adventure Road-Trip Review

The Kia Seltos was launched in 2020 in a segment that is probably the most cutthroat in South Africa. Mzansi’s people want comfort, ride height, and space from their cars, but they also want fuel efficiency, value for money, and good looks. (We also compared the Seltos to the Peugeot 2008 and T-Roc here with regard to value - and the Seltos won!) And a bonus would be a car that can handle South Africa’s best and worst gravel roads and potholes. Can the existing Seltos do all that, or would you need a large, burly 4x4 instead? We loaded our luggage into a red Kia Seltos 1.5CRDi EX+ at Cape Town International Airport and set off into the depths of the Karoo to find out.

Styling

With Danie Botha, an accomplished journalist, photographer, and tour guide, leading the way in his seven-seat, four-wheel-drive Kia Sorento, we quickly left the well-travelled N2 to traverse Bain's Kloof Pass, then on to Ceres, Prince Alfred Hamlet, and the stark beauty of the Koue Bokkeveld, where we crossed the Katbakkies Pass into the Tankwa Karoo and stopped to take in the first of many breathtaking views. It also allowed me to view our Seltos in natural light instead of the dim UV light of the airport parking lot.

The Katbakkies Pass where we stretched our legs and took in the view.

 

The Seltos is certainly handsome, looking more suited to stylish urban commutes than the rough and dusty stuff that was in store for it, but I was pretty sure Kia wouldn’t make us drive a route the Seltos couldn’t handle. I also noticed the stock-standard 17-inch highway terrain tyres, and having driven through the Tankwa two years ago in a Ford Raptor, I had to admit I was a little bit concerned - the Tankwa has a nasty habit of eating normal tyres for breakfast. Oh well, I’m sure there’d be more than one spare wheel, I thought,  and the Seltos’ spare is full-sized, not a Marie biscuit. The Seltos also has a decent 190 mm of ground clearance, so I’m sure we’d be fine! 

Those are stock-standard 17-inch wheels—would they survive the small, jagged rocks of the Tankwa?

Interior, space, and comfort

Our diesel EX+ model is one of the higher-specced models in the lineup, with stitched-effect leather seats (below is the entry-level EX model, but the layout is the same), a large touchscreen in the middle, and an assortment of comfort and convenience features (view the entire Seltos spec sheet here).

I plugged my iPhone in to access Apple CarPlay since the radio had nothing but noise on offer, and with the chilled-out sounds of my 70s roadtrip playlist on Spotify, we watched the landscape change from green, lush, and mountainous to a flatter, rockier, and shrubbier one.

In the early afternoon, we stopped at the Tankwa Padstal, where I ordered a vegan burger, which turned out to be surprisingly tasty. My glutes had been subjected to many hours of sitting but weren’t numb, thanks to the comfortable passenger seat.

It's a pleasant walk to the "crashed spaceship" near the Tankwa Padstal, if you need to digest that UFO burger.

 

“You really want to go Sutherland?” the padstal lady behind the counter asked Danie with raised eyebrows, looking concerned. “You know we’ve had some rain here, right?" The road is not in the best shape... lots of mud!”

The Seltos models still look relatively clean on this photo, while the Sorento on the far right is sporting a light sprinkling of dust.

 

 

The surface of the R356 is not known for being tyre-friendly, but its beauty makes it well worth it.

 

I don’t exactly know what the rainfall pattern is in the Tankwa, but it looked greener than I had ever seen before. We were going to drive the gravel R356 to Sutherland to visit SALT, or the South African Large Telescope, but apparently this road had seen plenty of action, which left it in a sorry state. My co-driver, Jim, handed me the keys, and we made haste at first. But the R356 does not allow for speed, not if you want to keep your tyres in one piece or if you want to take in the breathtaking Tankwa scenery. I was so relieved when the Sutherland sign post appeared so we could get off the sharp, rocky surface, and it wasn't particularly muddy.

 

 

After an insightful visit to SALT (see above) at Sutherland, where astronomers and engineers explained the inner workings of the mammoth telescope, we had a breathtaking drive to RoggeCloof Private Sutherland Estate at sunset, replete with pronking Springboks.

A chilly RoggeCloof, where cheetah, stars and wine are in abundance.

The Seltos in EX+ trim has two USB ports onboard, one in front and one in the back, keeping our devices charged and ready for video clips and photos at all times. When we stopped at our contemporary cabins and I opened the Seltos’ boot lid, I remembered how large the cargo area is, making my one overnight bag seem small—the Seltos has one of the bigger boots in the segment at 433 litres, not to mention how generous the legroom is on row two!

On the way back I hopped into a car with some colleagues. This is how much 3 journalists (2 male, one female) pack on 2-day adventure trips!

Drive and performance

There were so many spots where photos just had to be taken - here we are en route to Matjiesfontein.

Day two was supposed to be an early start, but I suspect that some members of our group had spent a late night gazing at stars through the reserve’s own telescope and enjoying the fruits of the local vineyard, and breakfast was a little later than we had planned. There was plenty of driving to be done on day 2, but it would be slow-going as Kia had at least two mountain passes (such as Seweweekspoort) along some stunning unpaved roads planned for us, and yet again, it was meant to be enjoyed, not just flashed past in a cloud of dust. 

The Seltos’ ride quality is one of its strong suits; it may be a family softroader with pliant suspension for a smooth ride, but it’s also fun to drive and very responsive and controlled when you’re zipping up a mountain pass or two or taking a corner just a little too fast by mistake. Power is fed to the front wheels via a smooth-shifting 6-speed automatic gearbox, and the lag-less 1.5-litre turbodiesel (with 86 kW and 250 Nm) has decent low-down torque. As for rattles and squeaks - there were none to be heard, even on the most corrugated surfaces, a testament to its solid build quality.

 

After a coffee stop at Matjiesfontein and more scenic dirt roads, the Seltos’ off-road prowess was also tested to its limits as we made our way down the somewhat treacherous road (see below) to Bosch Luys Kloof Private Nature Reserve, where we’d be having lunch. Once again, the gravel road was strewn with sharp and slippery rocks, but did the trio of Seltos models flinch? Not once! 

The scenic drive down Bosch Luys Kloof served up more sharp rocks and hairpin bends for us.

Safety features

 

Driving on gravel roads (like Seweweekspoort above) is fun, but also pose some serious risks, so having stability control as a standard feature helps you stay in control of the car by preventing it from slipping. Unfortunately, this feature is only available in EX+ models, and this model is quite a bit more expensive than the other diesels, so I would definitely look for a pre-owned 1.5 CRDi EX+ model on AutoTrader to have this all-important feature onboard. 

Fortunately, even in base spec, the Seltos is equipped ABS, brake assist, six airbags, a touchscreen, a heated rear screen, auto-dimming interior mirrors, electrically adjustable exterior mirrors, Isofix, daytime running lamps, automatic headlamps, and front fog lamps, along with park distance control in the rear and a rearview camera, to name a few features. Android Auto and the aforementioned Apple CarPlay mean that Siri or your Google Assistant take care of composing WhatsApp messages and such, if you have cell reception, of course.

Fuel consumption 

Our final leg of the 2-day Kia Tsamaya adventure was from Bosch Luys Kloof to Barrydale via spectacular Seweweekspoort, and from a fuel-efficiency perspective, things were looking good. We started at an average of about 5.8 litres per 100 km on day one and brought it down as low as 5.4 litres per 100 km on the slow gravel sections, but after chasing Danie in his Sorento, it went up to  6.4 litres per 100 km on day 2, which is still rather good.  According to Kia, one 50-litre tank of diesel will allow for around 880 km—exactly what you need when you don't want to stress too much about finding a service station.

Pricing

Our test model, the Seltos 1.5CRDi EX+, retails for R502 995, but it is the most expensive diesel variant. 

The most affordable diesel Seltos, the 1.5CRDI EX, is fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox and is even more frugal than the automatic models. It is priced at R466 995 - but sadly, it has no stability control. There are also 1.6-litre, naturally aspirated petrol model to choose from. 

This is what the complete Seltos lineup looks like:

Petrol-powered competitors in this segment include the Toyota Corolla Cross, Suzuki Vitara, Volkswagen T-Roc, BAIC Beijing X55, Hyundai Creta, new Renault Capture, Toyota C-HR and Subaru XV, as well as the Haval Jolion and Chery Tiggo 7 Pro. If you’re after a diesel model, the Renault Duster would be its fiercest rival, but it doesn’t have nearly as much legroom for passengers in the second row. Find out which one has the best infotainment system here between the Seltos, T-Cross and Creta.

Verdict

When we arrived at our final destination, the Karoo Art Hotel in Barrydale at the foot of the breathtaking Tradouws Pass, we had spent about 10 hours happily travelling in the Seltos. Tucking into the most magnificent milkshakes at Diesel and Créme, we were tired but content.

Our two-day adventure across the Karoo demonstrated that you can take a car like the Seltos almost anywhere -  you don’t need to buy a bakkie or a large, four-wheel-driven SUV to take you there, unless you plan on doing serious bundu-bashing. 

The Karoo Art Hotel in Barrydale is an affordable, stylish boutique hotel which is as cosy as it is characterful.

I would advise that you invest in a decent car jack kit if you do decide to take the road less travelled in a small crossover, as most come from the factory with a flimsy-ish one that doesn’t work properly or may make the job more challenging than it needs to be. I would also suggest checking how easy it would be to remove the spare wheel from the boot, just in case.

The dusty interior of our test car after 2 days of dirt-road driving!

Am I seeing the Seltos in a different light? Yes. It’s not just a glamorous city slicker or school runner - it can do so much more!

ENDS