Ford Escape vs Kia Seltos

The 2024 Kia Seltos had minor but impactful design updates. This mid-cycle refresh included new headlight and grille designs and a connecting light strip between smaller taillight assemblies, rendering a fresher look without significant developmental costs. The test model showcased a striking “Pluton Blue” paint color. Inside, two new color options—"Gentle Brown" and "Midnight Green"—were added, although our test car featured the standard black interior. Most noticeable was a large digital panel covering two-thirds of the dash, integrating a fully digital instrument panel and an expanded touchscreen infotainment system.

The Seltos came in various trims: LX, S, EX, X-Line, and SX. The base LX had 17-inch alloy wheels, cloth upholstery, manually adjustable front seats, two USB ports, remote keyless entry, Bluetooth, and an 8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The S trim added fog lights, LED daytime running lights, silver roof rails, heated side mirrors, and an upgrade to a 10.25-inch touchscreen. The EX provided features like solar glass and a power-adjustable driver’s seat. The X-Line, replacing the Nightfall Edition, boasted 18-inch alloy wheels and unique styling tweaks but sacrificed some conveniences like a wireless charging pad. The SX, the top-tier trim, reintroduced the power driver’s seat, adding features like bi-function LED headlights and a Bose premium stereo system.

In contrast, Ford’s 2024 Escape had a significant front-end restyling in 2023. This change, along with new wheel designs and an updated trim lineup, carried over into 2024, giving the SUV a more aggressive look while retaining a generally appealing appearance. Ford dropped the base trim, making the 2024 Escape available in Active, ST-Line, ST-Line Select, ST-Line Elite, Platinum, and Plug-in Hybrid trims.

Our test vehicle was an ST-Line Elite trim, coming in extra-cost Rapid Red paint and black 19-inch wheels, among other premium features. The interior initially gave an upscale impression, with diamond-stitched, perforated leather. However, the overly glossy surfaces and stiff upholstery detracted from the high-cost feel.

The 2024 Kia Seltos featured a base 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine producing 146 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque, mated to an Intelligent Variable Transmission (IVT). The Seltos came standard with AWD on the LX trim, while the S and EX offered FWD with optional AWD. Higher trims like X-Line and SX used a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine generating 195 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque paired with a new eight-speed automatic transmission. The turbocharged engine provided noticeable acceleration improvements and handled well in various driving conditions, from highways to pothole-filled roads. Steering was responsive, and body roll was minimal, with a standard ground clearance of 7.3 inches making light off-roading feasible.

The 2024 Ford Escape offered two main powertrain options. One was a 192-horsepower hybrid with 39 mpg combined efficiency. The other, experienced in our test, was a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine producing 250 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque, averaging 26 mpg combined, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission with AWD. The Escape’s driving modes included Eco, Normal, Sport, and Slippery, but the ST-Line Elite trim's sporty label was primarily cosmetic. The turbo engine delivered quick acceleration, but the SUV’s otherwise compliant ride and sluggish steering softened its sporty appeal. Despite offering up to 3,500 pounds of towing capacity, the driving dynamics of the Escape didn’t fully leverage its powerful engine.

Inside, the 2024 Kia Seltos allowed up to 62.8 cubic feet of cargo space with rear seats folded, and 26.6 cubic feet with seats in use. The SX trim could add a hands-free power liftgate. Seats provided good headroom and legroom, with even taller occupants finding comfortable seating across both rows. The front area had adequately sized cupholders and cubbies, while the center console was sufficiently spacious for essential items. The removable cargo cover on the SX trim added functional utility, further enhancing its practicality.

The 2024 Ford Escape ST-Line’s interior was exclusively black, featuring cloth inserts with artificial leather bolsters and red stitching for a sporty look. Options included leather seats, although they felt uncomfortably stiff. Our test model had ambient lighting, dual-zone climate control, power-adjustable seats, and heated front seats and steering wheel, though ventilated seats were absent. The front seats offered comfort and good support over time, with the versatile rear seat and spacious cargo area. Cargo capacity with the rear seats up was 37.5 cubic feet (34.4 cubic feet for the hybrid) and expanded to 65.4 cubic feet (60.8 cubic feet for the hybrid) when folded, outmatching the Seltos in maximum cargo space but not in rear seat legroom comfort.

The 2024 Kia Seltos boasted a varied infotainment setup across trims. The base LX had an 8-inch touchscreen, while others upgraded to a combined 10.25-inch instrument panel and touchscreen. Both had Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Kia kept tactile controls alongside the digital interfaces, including volume and tuning dials and climate control buttons, enhancing usability. The system responded well to inputs, and higher trims like the SX included an eight-speaker Bose stereo and the innovative Digital Key 2 Touch smartphone app.

The 2024 Ford Escape featured digital instrumentation standard, with lower trims getting an 8-inch display and upper trims, like our ST-Line Elite, a 12.3-inch display. The infotainment system in upper trims was a 13.2-inch Sync 4 with an intuitive layout but suffered from a washed-out appearance and difficult-to-read fonts. Lower trims had an 8-inch display, while higher trims added advanced features like Amazon Alexa, connected navigation, and a Bang & Olufsen sound system. Despite laggy inputs and an unusually hot wireless charger, the system's voice recognition was excellent. The odd placement of physical controls for the stereo and climate added a minor usability challenge, and the head-up display was a standout but not essential feature.

The 2024 Kia Seltos came with standard safety features such as forward collision avoidance, lane-departure warning, automatic high beams, and driver attention warning. The S trim added blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and Safe Exit Warning. The SX trim elevated safety with smart cruise control, traffic sign recognition, and highway driving assist.

Ford’s 2024 Escape included a post-collision automatic braking system and the standard Ford Co-Pilot360 suite, featuring forward-collision warning, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, and automatic high beams. The ST-Line Elite trim included advanced features like adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, evasive steering assist, and a 360-degree camera. However, these systems occasionally malfunctioned, leading to an inconsistent experience. The NHTSA gave the Escape commendable crash-test ratings, although detailed IIHS ratings for 2024 were pending.