2025 Honda Pilot vs 2024 Kia Seltos

The 2024 Kia Seltos underwent a mid-cycle refresh, resulting in subtle yet impactful changes. The updated headlight and grille designs, along with a connecting light strip between the smaller taillight assemblies, gave the Seltos a rejuvenated appearance without a significant price hike. The test model, adorned in the new "Pluton Blue" paint, stood out sharply. Inside, the Seltos introduced two new interior colors, "Gentle Brown" and "Midnight Green," though our test model featured the standard black interior. The most striking interior update was the expansive digital panel covering two-thirds of the dashboard, integrating a fully digital instrument panel and a larger touchscreen infotainment system.

The 2025 Honda Pilot, particularly in the Black Edition trim, presented a bold and rugged exterior with black wheels and blacked-out trim. Inside, the Pilot featured black leather seats with red perforation accents, red contrast stitching, and ambient lighting, creating a unique atmosphere. Despite its rugged exterior, the Pilot's interior design felt somewhat dated due to its smaller, separate display screens. However, it offered practical features like a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, heated and ventilated front seats, and a heated steering wheel. The Pilot's thoughtful design extended to its spacious cabin, accommodating families with ease.

The 2024 Kia Seltos offered two engine options. The base model featured a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine producing 146 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, paired with Kia’s Intelligent Variable Transmission (IVT). The LX trim came standard with all-wheel drive, while the S and EX trims offered front-wheel drive with optional all-wheel drive. The X-Line and SX trims boasted a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, delivering 195 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque, coupled with a new eight-speed automatic transmission. This turbocharged engine provided noticeable acceleration improvements, especially in 40-to-60 mph scenarios, despite some turbo lag at lower speeds. The Seltos handled various road conditions well, with responsive steering and minimal body roll.

The 2025 Honda Pilot was powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission, generating 285 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. This setup allowed the Pilot to tow up to 5,000 pounds. The Pilot offered multiple driving modes, including Normal, Econ, Snow, Tow, Sport, Trail, and Sand. Equipped with Honda’s Intelligent Variable Torque Management (i-VTM4) AWD system, the Pilot provided hill descent control and torque vectoring. While the V6 engine delivered good acceleration, the transmission occasionally felt slow to downshift. The Pilot's fuel economy was less impressive, averaging 20 mpg during testing. Despite some handling issues on mountain roads, the Pilot maintained a traditional Honda connection with the road.

The 2024 Kia Seltos offered up to 62.8 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded and 26.6 cubic feet with them in use. The SX trim included a hands-free power liftgate. The Seltos provided an upright seating position with ample headroom and good rear legroom, accommodating taller occupants comfortably. The front seating area featured decently sized in-door cupholders and cubbies, while the SX trim included a removable cargo cover.

The 2025 Honda Pilot excelled in form and function, with three rows of comfortable seats and thoughtful storage solutions. The Black Edition's front row featured a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, though the front passenger seat lacked adjustability. The second-row seats were roomy, with a removable center section for easy access to the third row. The Pilot's third row was suitable for adults for short rides. The Pilot offered 18.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row, expanding to 86.5 cubic feet with both rear rows folded. The Black Edition included heated outboard second-row seats and a panoramic sunroof.

The 2024 Kia Seltos featured a consistent digital bezel across its trims, with screen sizes varying by trim. The base infotainment system included an 8-inch touchscreen, while higher trims upgraded to a 10.25-inch fully digital instrument panel and touchscreen. The infotainment system supported Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with physical controls for volume and climate settings. The SX trim offered an upgraded eight-speaker Bose premium stereo system and Digital Key 2 Touch for smartphone access.

The 2025 Honda Pilot's technology appeared dated, with smaller, separate display screens. The Black Edition featured a 10.2-inch digital gauge panel and a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system, offering wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, SiriusXM satellite radio, and a 12-speaker Bose audio system. However, the wireless CarPlay function was problematic, and the voice recognition system was inconsistent. The Pilot included a CabinTalk feature for driver-passenger communication and a small head-up display.

The 2024 Kia Seltos came equipped with standard driver assistance features, including forward collision avoidance, lane-departure warning, lane-follow assist, and driver attention warning. The S trim added blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. The SX trim offered smart cruise control, traffic sign recognition, and highway driving assist.

The 2025 Honda Pilot featured a comprehensive suite of Honda Sensing safety features, including forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, and adaptive cruise control. The Black Edition included parking sensors and a multi-view camera system with TrailWatch technology. The Pilot earned high safety ratings, with the IIHS naming it a Top Safety Pick+ and the NHTSA awarding it a five-star overall rating.