A Look at the Kia Seltos and Honda HR-V

The compact SUV segment remains a hotbed of activity in the Jamaican automotive landscape, offering a blend of city-friendly dimensions and light-duty practicality. Two of the market’s key players, the Kia Seltos and the Honda HR-V, present compelling, albeit distinct, options for local buyers.

Lineage and Evolution

The Kia Seltos is a relative newcomer, having carved out a distinct niche since its debut in 2020. Representing the vehicle’s first generation, its immediate popularity was fuelled by stylish looks, a comfortable cabin, and a strong list of modern features, swiftly establishing it as a formidable competitor.

The Honda HR-V has a longer pedigree, though the current generation marks a significant departure from its predecessor. Sharing its platform and engine with the Civic, this iteration signifies a complete redesign that moved away from the earlier model’s more rounded form to embrace a more angular, modern aesthetic. The HR-V has consistently adapted to meet the evolving demands of the small SUV market.

Exterior Presence and Utility

In terms of overall design, the Seltos and HR-V employ different design languages. The Seltos offers a modern, somewhat substantial look. Its clean lines contribute to a visual impression of size that can be deceiving for a compact crossover. The HR-V, on the other hand, is defined by sharp angles and a more tank-like silhouette in its current generation, presenting a rugged appearance.

Size and ground clearance are often key considerations for Jamaican roads. While the Seltos measures in at approximately 4365mm long and 1800mm wide, offering a generous ground clearance of around 190mm, the HR-V, at roughly 4335mm long and 1790mm wide, provides an impressive ground clearance of 195.6mm in the hybrid model tested. The Seltos offers slightly greater length and width, but both vehicles are well positioned to handle varied local driving surfaces, including minor imperfections and rougher patches.

Interior Focus and Practicality

Stepping inside, both vehicles prioritise comfort and practical features. The Seltos’s cabin is surprisingly spacious for its classification, featuring thoughtful elements like reclining rear seats and rear air-conditioning vents — a welcome inclusion for a compact SUV. The availability of heavy-duty, all-purpose mats also speaks to a focus on local ruggedness and practicality.

The HR-V counters with a touch of refinement, with the hybrid model boasting leather upholstery on interactive areas like the steering wheel and dashboard. Honda’s famed ingenuity shines with their folding seat mechanism, which allows the base of the rear seats to be folded upward to create considerable vertical storage space. The HR-V also includes dedicated AC vents for the front passenger and driver with multi-directional airflow, plus rear AC vents and tweeters on the side doors for rear occupants, enhancing passenger comfort and audio quality.

For technology, the Seltos is well equipped with a standard 8-inch touchscreen display integrating Android Auto. The HR-V Hybrid offers a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system as standard, along with a wireless charging station.

When it comes to cargo, the Seltos provides a generous 26.6 cubic feet of capacity behind the rear seats, which expands considerably when the seats are folded. The HR-V Hybrid offers 25.7 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats, expanding to 58.7 cubic feet (approximately 1,662 litres) with the rear seats down.

Driving Dynamics and Performance

The core driving experience reveals the mechanical differences between the two. The Seltos utilises an efficient 1.5-litre inline-4 petrol engine, paired with a CVT transmission, producing 113 hp and 114Nm of torque. This setup delivers a smooth and efficient drive, with fuel economy a strong suit, achieving a reported 13.7 km/l. The Seltos also earns praise for its impressively refined suspension, capable of soaking up road imperfections with competence.

The HR-V Hybrid model takes a different approach, combining a 1.5-litre turbo gasoline engine with two electric motors to deliver 129 horsepower and 187 Nm of torque. This hybrid configuration is geared towards marginally better fuel economy, rated at 13.3 km/l, while offering a refined, slightly ‘floaty’ ride because of its unique suspension setup. The HR-V provides selectable driving modes — Econ, Normal, and Sport — allowing the driver to adjust the experience. While it handles corners with a stable and secure feeling, the higher ground clearance means some body roll should be anticipated in aggressive manoeuvres. The HR-V’s and Seltos’s full-size spare tyre offer added peace of mind for island travel.

Final Assessment

Both the Kia Seltos and the Honda HR-V offer strong arguments for the discerning compact SUV buyer. The Seltos positions itself as a compelling, value-driven choice that blends practicality, modern style, and a focus on both comfort and safety features. Its refined suspension and efficiency make it an effortless daily driver.

The HR-V, particularly in its Hybrid form, delivers a more powerful, torque-focused performance with its unique engine setup and sophisticated interior features. Its intelligent folding rear seat mechanism gives it an edge in cargo versatility, while the premium cabin materials elevate the overall experience. The choice between them ultimately depends on whether a buyer prioritises the Seltos’s all-round efficiency and pragmatic feature set or the HR-V’s hybrid power, clever space solutions, and premium touchpoints.

Vehicles provided by ATL Automotive Ltd, 1876-754-0013, email: sales@atlautomotive.com, atlautomotive.com.