Compared: 2024 Honda HR-V vs. 2024 Kia Seltos
These two small subcompact crossovers trade features for frugality.
Honda | Kia
QuickTakes:
The subcompact crossover market is ripe with choices these days, with offerings from the most luxurious brands down to entry-level nameplates. These little runabouts give drivers a bit more space while maintaining a small footprint and tons of maneuverability. The 2024 Kia Seltos slots in just above the teeny-tiny Soul and is well matched to another popular offering, the 2024 Honda HR-V.
Honda
You'll Spend Less for an HR-V
Offered only in three trims, the Honda starts at $25,000 for a front-wheel-drive base LX trim. The high end of the FWD HR-V is $29,000 for an EX-L. Regardless of trim, all-wheel drive costs an additional $1,500. All HR-V trims get 158 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque.
Kia
The Seltos is a bit more expensive, and though all-wheel drive is standard on most of the five trims, the base trim at $26,000 offers only 146 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque. However, top trims get a turbocharged mill pushing out 195 horsepower and an equal amount of torque. At the top end you'll fork over about $31,000 for a loaded SX trim.
Honda
The Seltos Has Better Utility and Efficiency
The Seltos does better on fuel economy, however. In front-wheel drive with a continuously variable transmission (CVT), it can eke out 28/34/31 mpg city/highway/combined, while the HR-V only manages 26/32/28 mpg, also with a CVT. Even in all-wheel drive the Seltos takes the cake at 27/31/29 mpg in most trims, compared with the 25/30/27 mpg of the HR-V. However, if you go for the heavier X-Line or SX trims with the eight-speed automatic transmission on the Seltos, your fuel economy drops to 25/27/26 mpg.
Kia
The HR-V is about 7 inches longer than the Seltos, yet it still manages to lose the cargo capacity contest. With 62.8 cubic-feet of space with the rear seats folded down, the Kia can easily bring home your Ikea furniture or take your luggage-laden pal to the airport.
The Honda clocks in at just 55.1 cu-ft. The numbers are a bit more evenly matched when the rear seats are folded up, 26.6 and 24.4 cu-ft respectively, but the Seltos still beats the HR-V overall.
Honda
Where's My Adaptive Cruise Control?
A robust set of features might be on your list of non-negotiables, and here the Seltos does it much better — mostly. The base model gets an 8.0-inch touchscreen, while upper trims go big with a 10.3-inch screen. The HR-V is stuck with a 7.0-inch screen, although the top trim brings the size up to 9.0 inches.
Kia
The Honda Sensing suite of driver's aids is standard across all HR-V trims, but blind-spot monitoring is optional on just two trim levels. The good news is that adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow is standard.
The Seltos brings blind-spot monitoring in on the lower trims, but only the very top trim is also equipped with adaptive cruise control. Most trims have to make do with regular cruise control.
All vehicle pricing includes MSRP plus destination charges (set at the time of publication), and will be rounded to the nearest thousand.
