In Wheel Time

from Bay Area Houston Magazine August 2022

by Bay Group Media

Clear Lake Chatter 1

KIA SELTOS

New SUV’s UNDER 30K

By Don Armstrong

With SUV prices soaring and gas prices at all time highs, it’s getting harder and harder to justify a new vehicle purchase, so we went looking for value and found several. In this issue of Bay Area Houston Magazine, we compare a couple of affordable SUVs you might not have thought about.

MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER

Like the Phoenix rising from the ashes, Mitsubishi appears to be back on track, at least with the all-new Outlander. Here is a small SUV with 3-rows of seating that has a familiar feel to it. Seems the redesigned for ‘22 Outlander has the underpinnings of the ’21 Nissan Rogue, a well put together SUV that gets high marks.

Although the front fascia may be polarizing to many, other exterior design elements give hints of Land Rover. The rear hatch incorporates a

INSIDE OF THE KIA SELTOS

spoiler-like kick-up under the glass and dual exhaust openings in the lower valence are an understated bonus.

The Outlander’s interior can get upscale treatment that mirrors touches found only in high end brands. The Launch Edition offers eye-popping colors, giving some zest to you and friends headed to The Bay. Motivation comes from a 2.5-liter engine that whirs out 181-horsepower through a CVT transmission and gets a combined 27-MPG. A turbocharger would help sluggish highway acceleration.

Pricing starts at $26,495 KIA SELTOS

Smaller than the Outlander and offering two rows of seating is another relative newcomer, the Kia Seltos. Slotted between the Soul and Sportage in the lineup, Kia is hoping the Seltos fits the needs of the new couple looking for something sporty but also fitting a “do everything” lifestyle. Its attractive exterior styling gets an aero-styled front fascia with the familiar Kia “pinched” grille, an attractive rear hatch with exterior sunshade and an optional white roof, giving it the outback look.

The interior is well designed with controls in all the right places. Perforated seating surfaces help survivability of our sweltering summers. Hard plastic surfaces are of the child resistant variety. Ride and handling are what you’d expect from a sub-compact SUV, it does what it is suppose to do with a quality that is designed for the masses and on-road appeal.We suggest getting the optional 1.6-liter turbocharged motor that bumps up horsepower from the 146-horsepower base engine to an optimal 175 horses. It gets a 27MPG combined rating.