2022 Kia Seltos vs 2021 Subaru Forester

The 2021 Subaru Forester, despite its 2019 redesign, retained a somewhat dated appearance, largely carrying over from its previous generation. The most noticeable change was the distinctive cross-shaped taillights. Subaru seemed to follow the adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," maintaining the boxy, upright shape that appealed to many SUV shoppers. The Base trim looked plain with 17-inch steel wheels, but the Forester's clean and unpretentious look stood out among compact crossovers. The Sport model added orange striping, a rear spoiler, and black 18-inch alloy wheels, which made a significant visual impact, especially with complementary paint colors like Dark Blue Pearl.

Underneath, the Forester shared the Subaru Global Platform with other models like the Impreza and Outback. The interior was practical, with materials designed to withstand years of use. The Sport trim added orange accents, while higher trims offered leather upholstery and heated features. The Forester's interior was functional, with a mix of cloth and leather options, and an All-Weather Package that included heated seats and mirrors.

The 2022 Kia Seltos positioned itself between the smaller Soul and the larger Sportage, offering five trim levels: LX, S, EX, Nightfall Edition, and SX. Our test vehicle, the Nightfall Edition, featured matte-black 18-inch alloy wheels, a turbocharged engine, a dual-clutch transmission, and additional body cladding. The Seltos had a stylish interior with a contrast-color dashboard, exposed stitching, and metallic accents, though it was marred by shiny hard plastics. The build quality was excellent, and the controls were logically arranged with intuitive knobs and buttons. However, the purple accent color for the infotainment system was an odd choice.

The Seltos was larger, more useful, and more refined than many of its rivals. It offered a lively driving experience with good outward visibility and easy parking. However, the suspension tuning was less appealing, struggling with speed bumps and uneven pavement. The Seltos felt bouncy and exhibited lateral rocking motions on uneven roads. Despite these issues, it was a better small crossover SUV than many competitors, though it fell short of the Mazda CX-30 in driving dynamics and couldn't match the off-road capabilities of the Subaru Crosstrek.

The 2021 Subaru Forester came with a single powertrain option: a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine producing 182 horsepower and 176 pound-feet of torque, paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). The engine's boxer configuration provided a lower center of gravity, contributing to the Forester's stability. However, the power felt merely adequate, lacking the thrust needed for confident highway merging and overtaking. The Forester had a maximum towing capacity of 1,500 pounds and standard Trailer Stability Assist.

The Forester's suspension was tuned for comfort, resulting in a soft ride that absorbed bumps well but led to significant body roll in corners and a bouncy ride on uneven pavement. All-wheel drive (AWD) was standard, with a sophisticated X-Mode system for different surfaces. The Forester had 8.7 inches of ground clearance, making it capable of handling mud and dirt better than many compact crossovers, though it wasn't suited for serious off-roading.

The 2022 Kia Seltos offered two engine options. The LX, S, and EX trims had a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 146 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, paired with a CVT. The Nightfall Edition and SX trims featured a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine producing 175 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque, paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT). The turbo engine provided a more engaging driving experience, with torque available between 1,500 and 4,500 rpm.

The Seltos had three driving modes: Normal, Sport, and Smart. Smart mode balanced fuel efficiency and responsiveness but could be unpredictable. Sport mode quickened the powertrain's response but sometimes struggled with gear selection. The AWD system had a Lock function for even power distribution at lower speeds, but the Seltos' 7.3 inches of ground clearance limited its off-road capabilities. The suspension tuning was the least appealing aspect, with the Seltos struggling over speed bumps and uneven pavement, leading to a bouncy and jouncy ride.

The 2021 Subaru Forester offered above-average headroom and legroom in both rows, thanks to its tall, flat roofline. This design also provided excellent outward visibility and a roomy feeling inside. The Forester had 35.4 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats up and 76.1 cubic feet with the seats folded down, surpassing competitors like the Honda CR-V and Hyundai Tucson in cargo capacity. However, it lacked a sliding second-row bench. The Forester's interior featured decently sized cupholders and a reasonably sized center console, though the phone-storage cubby was too small for an average-size phone, and wireless charging was not available.

The 2022 Kia Seltos excelled in form and function, offering a roomy interior with easy entry and exit. The Nightfall Edition had a six-way manually adjustable driver's seat and a tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel, allowing for a comfortable driving position. The front passenger seat was not height-adjustable but provided proper leg support. The Nightfall Edition featured cloth upholstery with Sofino simulated leather bolsters, a single-zone automatic climate control system, and heated front seats. The rear seat offered generous legroom and footroom, with rear air conditioning vents, a USB charging port, and a center armrest with cupholders. Cargo space measured 26.6 cubic feet behind the rear seat and 62.8 cubic feet with the seat folded down, with plastic grocery sack hooks to prevent items from rolling around.

The 2021 Subaru Forester came with the Subaru Starlink infotainment system, featuring a 6.5-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, Bluetooth, SiriusXM satellite radio, front-row USB ports, and a CD player. Sport models added an 8-inch touchscreen and Harman Kardon audio system, while Limited and Touring models included navigation and dual USB ports in the rear center console. The infotainment system was user-friendly, with well-designed graphics and physical shortcut buttons, though the screen was slow to boot up. The Forester also had a secondary screen in the center of the dashboard and a small screen in the instrument cluster, displaying secondary information like fuel economy and tire pressure.

The 2022 Kia Seltos featured a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, standard on the EX, Nightfall Edition, and SX trims, and optional on the S trim. The system included Bluetooth, navigation, connected services, satellite radio, a six-speaker stereo, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, though the latter required a cable connection. The standard 8-inch touchscreen in the LX and S trims offered wireless smartphone connectivity. The infotainment system was intuitive, with a volume knob, tuning knob, and physical buttons for primary functions. However, the voice recognition system was frustrating to use, and a native conversational voice recognition system was missing.

The 2021 Subaru Forester excelled in safety, earning the highest "Top Safety Pick+" award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and a five-star overall rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The Forester came standard with Subaru's EyeSight driver-assist suite, including adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, and lead-vehicle start alert. Optional features included blind-spot monitoring, rear-cross traffic alert, lane-keep assist, and reverse automatic braking. The Forester also featured a driver-monitoring system called DriverFocus, which checked for signs of distraction.

The 2022 Kia Seltos was equipped with numerous driving assistance systems, including forward-collision avoidance, pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, lane-centering assist, and automatic high-beam headlights. The Seltos EX added blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, while the SX trim included adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability, Highway Driving Assist, and Safe Exit Assist. The Seltos also offered connected services with safety-related functions like 911 Connect and programmable alerts for parents of teen drivers. The Seltos earned a Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS and a four-star overall rating from the NHTSA.