Hyundai Kona vs Kia Seltos

What's the difference?

Can Hyundai disrupt Toyota's hybrid dominance? You bet it can, with the Kona a small on the outside, big on the inside, hyper-efficient hybrid which will tick plenty of boxes.

This has been a tough test. On paper, these cars are closely matched, and while we'll call out an overall winner, it's not quite that simple.

The truth is, each car will ultimately suit a different buyer. An adventurous couple or a single person? The Subaru Crosstrek R is almost a no-brainer, with its all-wheel drive and superior ground clearance, as well as a very worthy slew of upgrades over its XV predecessor, especially if you don't need extra space.

If you're a value-conscious family buyer, however, it's hard to walk past the Kia Seltos Sport+. This car impresses with its huge cabin and storage space, bargain price and stellar ownership terms, but is let down by its so-so equipment list and plasticky cabin.

The car which I feel brings the best attributes to this test, though, is the Nissan Qasqhai ST-L. It lands in a nice middle ground between the two others, with a contemporary design, the most modern drive experience of our choices here, and a plush cabin.

While it's also the most expensive car on this test to buy and own, it's clear where your money is going with this one, and so, by a narrow margin, it's our winner.

Overall scores: 

Subaru Crosstrek R: 7.1

Nissan Qashqai ST-L: 7.9

Kia Seltos Sport+: 7.6

Design is subjective, I know. But this subject reckons the Kona looks fantastic. Mostly because it doesn't look like it's trying too hard.

Sure, the light bar at the front and rear are stand-outs, but beyond them, you've got a pretty understated and stylish SUV.

Even the cheapest Kona's carry a certain design flair, owing mostly to those twin light bars and 18-inch alloys, and there's clever EV-led cooling up front, with the plastic covers that sit where a slatted grille might usually open automatically when the engine bay needs extra cooling. So EV looks with ICE functionality. Clever.

Inside, design cues meet practicality perks in a cabin that leans a little too hard into hard plastics in places. The centre console, for example, is free of a traditional gear selector, with that function moved to a stalk behind the steering wheel, which does free up a heap of space between the front-seat riders.

Elsewhere, the twin-screen setup of the Kona Premium looks the business, and I'm always grateful for physical buttons or dials to control the twin-zone climate and other core functions.

With small SUVs beauty will always be in the eye of the beholder, as each offers a significantly different look and feel.

The Seltos gives off a complex, futuristic vibe, suiting its Korean origins, although it's let down by a lot of plastic cladding on the outside, and its dorky yellow-tinged halogen headlights dress down the otherwise-nice design.

The same vibe continues on the inside for better or worse, with a slick, modern design lifted by its neat digital suite, but let down by the abundance of hard plastics and more than a few cheap touches. In this sense, it is the least expensive-feeling car on this test.

The Subaru builds on the chunky off-road ready formula established by its XV predecessor. This time around, though, it looks more curvy and contemporary.

There's a lot of cool functional detailing in its bodywork, and the LEDs lift its presence on the road.

Inside it feels cosy and ready for action with its chunky steering wheel and seemingly hard-wearing cloth seat trim. The new portrait touchscreen, as part of a major digital overhaul, is welcome, but somehow the brand has managed to make this system too busy, with a lot going on, in terms of buttons and segmented display items.

At the top of the tree, the Nissan manages to look understated and classy, with a slick, coherent design language from the outside, consisting of clean integrated light fittings and tidy piano gloss highlight pieces, with a tasteful smattering of silver and chrome.

Little details like the Qashqai badges strewn about its bodywork are a clever attention-to-detail touch. To me it's the most consistent design on this test, and it feels it on the inside.

Unlike the other two cars on this test, there's little about it which tries to dazzle you with over-the-top tech, with the screens in this car feeling comparatively laid back but still functional.

It also has the nicest materials throughout the cabin, and arguably the most supportive seat trim (although the cloth material which runs down the centre of each seat feels a bit odd.)

Do we have a winner? Again it will depend on what you're looking for to a degree, but I think the Nissan looks and feels the nicest, inside and out.

This new Kona is 30mm taller and 145mm longer than the model it has replaced – now just over 4.3m long, 1.8m wide and close to 1.6m tall – with the packaging improvements felt most in the backseat.

I'm 175cm tall, and I have absolutely no problem sitting behind my own driving position, with ample legroom and headroom. Sure, three adults across the back won't be overly fun, but the Kona stretches the definition of "small SUV", and so this is about as good as you're going to find in this segment.

Elsewhere in the back, there are twin cupholders in the pull-down seat divider, bottle holders in each door, and big central air vents.

Connectivity is another Kona perk, with twin USB points in the rear, more connection points up front (including one that you can direct to Apple CarPlay, or just to charge, so your passenger can plug in without having their phone pop up on the central screen).

The boot opens to reveal 407 litres of storage space, growing to 1241 litres with the rear seats folded flats. Plus you can tailor the space with an adjustable floor height and shopping-bag hooks.

An SUV in this class needs to be practical, as most family buyers who don't want a big mid-sizer still need a small SUV to be up for all of their family challenges.

On this test, two SUVs perform, while one falls short.

Kicking off with our budget player, the Seltos Sport+, and things are very good. The front seat offers a commanding view of the road, with a great seating position, and the largest rear window of our choices here, handing it an automatic win for overall visibility from the driver's position.

It also offers plenty of room for someone 182cm tall like me, as well as good adjustability of both the seat and steering column, even if it's the only car without an electric driver's seat.

Like most Kia products, storage in the cabin is great, with a big bottle holder and map pocket combo in the door trim, a pair of large but non-variable bottle holders in the centre console, a two-tier shelf below the climate unit good for wallets and phones, and an additional tray behind the electronic parking brake good for the same sorts of objects.

While it scores USB-A, USB-C and a 12-volt connector up front, it is the only car with no wireless charging.

Thankfully, the software on its big multimedia screen is fast and slick and well laid out, and there is a sufficient number of buttons and dials for adjusting climate and volume functions for relatively distraction-free driving.

The back-seat in the Seltos is, by a close margin, the best on this test, with superior headroom compared to the Nissan and the Subaru, and good legroom, even behind my own driving position.

There's cheap plastic trim on the back of the driver's seat, to match the cheap plastic trim in the doors, lowering the ambiance of the space, but it's all hard wearing, which is good for those with kids.

Again, there's a bottle holder in the door on each side, and a further two small ones in the drop-down armrest, and the Kia offers USB-A connectors and adjustable air vents for rear passengers.

Boot space is also a clear win for the Kia. Not only does it have the largest volume (refer to the table below), but it's also a big, square, accessible space, and the easiest to fit our three-piece demo luggage set, or pram.

It is also the only car on this test to offer a rare full-size matching spare wheel under the floor, but is also the only car missing a luggage cover.

Next up, the Subaru. It looks the most like a hatchback of our set here, and feels it in the cabin.

Up-front it's notably the most closed-in and cosy space, which comes with the downside of having the least visibility of our trio, particularly out its small rear window.

It feels purposeful, though, with the chunky wheel and seats suiting the off-road-ready vibe and there are enough high-quality materials throughout the cabin to keep it soft and comfortable.

Despite its more diminutive interior dimensions, it still has sufficient space for someone 182cm tall in the front, and adjustability isn't bad, either.

There are decent bottle holders in the doors, a further two fixed ones in the centre console, and a tray below the media screen with power outlets and a wireless charger.

Interestingly, the wireless charger is almost useless because Subaru has chosen to make it a smooth plastic finish, so your phone slides out of the area in the first corner you encounter.

It's easily fixed with a BYO rubber mat, but still, why was this not thought of in development?

The back seat is a surprise. While it is harder to climb into thanks to a descending, hatch-like roofline, the roof itself has an extrusion in it to grant rear passengers a little extra headroom, and it works.

I was also surprised to see the rear seat has been cleverly engineered to maximise knee room, although the centre position is all but useless for an adult due to the centre raise required for this car's all-wheel drive system taking up all the legroom.

The Subaru also has the least rear-seat amenity, with the smallest door bottle holders and drop-down armrest holders, no adjustable air vents, with only a USB-A and USB-C connector as luxuries for those riding in the back.

The real deal-breaker for family buyers, though, will be the Crosstrek's boot. Despite boot space being a key criticism of this car's XV predecessor, the Crosstrek manages to crop some 20 or so litres from the space this time around, down to just 291L, by far the smallest on this test.

It was the only car which couldn't fit the whole demo luggage set, although it could still accommodate the pram.

The Subaru's final party trick is its impressive 220mm ground clearance to go with its all-wheel drive system, by far the most capable of the choices here if you're venturing beyond the tarmac, although it still only has a space-saver spare under the boot floor.

The Nissan lands between the others when it comes to practicality, but it's still within striking distance of the Seltos in terms of overall space.

Up front, passengers are treated to nice plush seats, the most extensive list of trims in the doors and across the dashboard, and even soft materials for your knees.

These add up and go a long way towards making the Nissan feel as though it has the most upmarket cabin of the choices on this test.

Adjustability, like the other cars here, is good, although visibility over the nose is more limited, as you sit lower and the dash-line is higher. Good thing the Nissan is also the only car with a handy 360-degree parking suite.

Bottle holders include a massive one in the doors, two more with variable edges in the centre console, and a nice big rubberised charging bay for your phone under the climate unit.

The rear seat continues the plush treatment, with soft materials on the backs of the front seats, and into the doors.

I found I had plenty of space behind my own driving position, roughly on-par with the Seltos, and the Qashqai serves rear passengers with large bottle holders in the doors, a further two small ones in the drop-down armrest, adjustable air vents, as well as USB-A and USB-C charging ports.

The boot is a tad smaller than the Kia's, and a little less square, but offers soft claddings for all the surfaces, so your luggage won't scratch hard plastics.

The Qashqai easily consumed the whole CarsGuide luggage set or the pram, and under the floor there is a space-saver spare. The Qashqai also has the highest towing capacity of our choices here, refer to the table below for more.

As mentioned, we've grabbed upper mid-grade models of each of our cars here. Theoretically, they should represent the best value in their respective line-ups, offering the most kit for a reasonable spend.

To kick it off, the most affordable car here is the Kia Seltos Sport+. Wearing a before-on-roads price-tag of $35,800, the Seltos seems to instantly be a value pick amongst our choices, although it has had the most minor recent update, a mild nip-and-tuck with tweaks to its equipment level.

It has some appealing attributes, including a fully digital instrument cluster to match its multimedia screen, built-in navigation, and partially synthetic leather seats, as well as having the largest boot capacity.

Hybrids don’t take much explaining these days, and this one pairs a 1.6-litre petrol engine with a front-motor and a 1.32kWh battery to deliver a total 104kW and 265Nm, which is channeled through a six-speed dual-clutch automatic and sent to the front wheels.

While each vehicle on this test has a different approach under the bonnet, they all end up with similar power outputs.

The Seltos is the most traditional of the bunch, with a big old 2.0-litre in-line four-cylinder engine and no turbocharger. It is also the lightest car on this test, but produces the least power, at 110kW/180Nm.

The Crosstrek uses Subaru's signature flat ‘boxer' engine layout with a 2.0-litre capacity and is the only car here with all-wheel drive (it's real, permanent all-wheel drive, too!).

With 115kW/196Nm on tap, it has the most kilowatts out of the choices here, but still has less torque than the Nissan and is by far the heaviest vehicle on-test.

Finally, the Nissan is the only vehicle here to have a down-sized turbocharged engine, with a 1.3-litre four-cylinder unit producing 110kW/250Nm.

All cars drive the wheels via a continuously variable automatic transmission, and with relatively even power outputs it's hard to make a call on a winner in this department, but to me the Nissan at least feels more modern than the dated set-ups in the other two choices.

The magic of any hybrid is in its fuel use, and this one promises fuel use of just 3.9L/100km. That’s better than the Corolla Cross, by the way, which is more like 4.3L/100km.

That means not only is its 38-litre tank pretty cheap to fill, it should get you almost 1000kms, provided you are gentle with it.

Fuel consumption should be pretty straightforward here, a function of weight and engine design, however all was not as it seemed on our 100km mixed conditions controlled test.

Officially, the Subaru consumes the most fuel, stated at 7.2L/100km, which would make sense given it is the heaviest, with the added burden of all-wheel drive.

Next down is the Seltos, with its older engine giving it a claimed consumption of 6.9L/100km. While the Nissan claims to be the most trim, with its high-tech small capacity engine granting it an official consumption of 6.1L/100km.

In reality, though, the results were almost flipped around. Over 100km of combined testing, the Subaru consumed the least fuel, at 6.2L/100km measured at the pump, the Nissan landed in the middle at 6.6L/100km, while the Seltos was the thirstiest, consuming 7.1L/100km.

While the results are surprising, they are still very close and well within margins of error and driving style of each other.

It is worth noting, the Nissan's turbocharged engine is the only one to require more expensive 95RON fuel, while the other two are happy to consume 91.

Much like the petrol-powered Konas we've already driven, this hybrid-equipped model is a bit of a treat from behind the wheel.

The real skill, I reckon, isn't necessarily making a car feel sporty, or soft, or super sharp. It's in making a car feel fit for purpose, whether it's a sports car, a family hauler, or a small electrified SUV.

And the Kona fits the bill on that score, with steering that is direct without being too sharp, a ride that's supple enough to be comfy while still inspiring confidence, and NVH levels that are solid when up to speed, too.

In short, it does pretty much exactly what you want a car in this segment to do.

There is clever stuff afoot, though. The flappy paddles behind the steering wheel don't just control regenerative braking levels, but – when Sport mode is engaged – also the gear shifts, allowing you to make the most of that six-speed DCT automatic. That's one of the benefits of having a six-speed 'box, rather than a CVT.

It also might be one of the smoothest-transitioning hybrids I've driven, with no clunky, thrumming engine startup, just seamless shifting between the two power sources.

Downsides? It's really not the most powerful vehicle out there. You don't notice in the city, where there's enough grunt on offer to keep you moving easily enough. But you do notice when you go to overtake on a country road, where you kind of have to take a run up to get the move done quickly.

It also lacks a little bit of refinement from take off, when, if you're too heavy with the accelerator, you can definitely hear the engine and gearbox working hard.

One thing I should get out of the way before we launch into driving impressions, is none of these cars will be a deal-breaker from behind the wheel.

They are all very competent for the segment, and each respective recent update has made them significantly better than they were prior.

Starting with the Kia, and the benefits of its extra visibility are evident straight away, particularly out its large rear window.

The digital suite also feels nice, with a customisable interface and plenty of information on offer, and it's reasonably easy to adjust things on-the-fly, whilst concentrating on the road.

Interestingly, the Kia has the firmest ride, and the heaviest steering, but despite this feels settled over bumps and corrugations, and surprisingly planted in the corners.

I was surprised to find it didn't feel majorly peppier than the other choices here, with engine response dulled slightly by its doughy but sufficient continuously variable automatic transmission.

The ride also falls in a happy middle ground between the firm springs of the Seltos and the soft ride of the Subaru. The Qashqai dispatched bumps and undulations very well, but did reach its limits more abruptly on larger hits.

Its safety suite also largely ran in the background, with the only (very small) annoyance coming from the way the car slows itself down in corners and if you drift to the edge of your lane when using adaptive cruise control.

Most importantly, the Nissan didn't have a single significant downside which would annoy a driver every day like the Subaru's thrashy engine, or the Kia's invasive safety equipment, whilst providing a good middle ground of the more appealing traits of its rivals.

All cars have impressive safety suites, with all the key up-to-date active items featuring.

All cars score high-speed auto emergency braking with pedestrian, cyclist detection, and junction assist.

All cars also feature lane keep assist with lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross traffic alert, speed alert, driver attention alert, and tyre pressure monitoring.

One good omen for the Subaru is its impressive suite of nine airbags, outranking the Nissan's seven, and Kia's six.

It's hard to establish a winner here, but the Kia is the least well equipped of the bunch by a small margin, and it's also marred by its annoying lane keep and speed warning systems.

Expect Hyundai's five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty here, with service intervals pegged at 12 months or 15,000kms. The brand's capped-price service schedule limits your maintenance costs to $399 per service for the first five years.

An easy win can be handed here to the Kia Seltos, which has the longest warranty at seven years/unlimited kilometres, longest roadside assist which can be extended to up to eight years with genuine servicing, and the most affordable capped price servicing program.

Meanwhile, the Subaru and Nissan have the standard five-year and unlimited kilometre warranty, with the Subaru offering only one year of roadside assistance, and the Nissan offering five.

Capped price servicing extends to six years or 90,000km for the Nissan, seven years and 105,000km for the Kia, and up to 15 years or 225,000km for the Subaru.

Over a five-year period for a fair comparison purpose, the Seltos is easily the most affordable, with an average cost of $414.40 per year, the Subaru falls in the middle, with an average cost of $474.64, while the Nissan is the most expensive car to keep on the road, costing an average of $583.20 per year over the same period.