For its sophomore model year, the Kia Seltos makes its bundle of active-safety features standard on all trim levels — and adds a Nightfall Edition. Pricing for the 2022 Seltos also has been released, and the starting figure increases by $500 to $22,490 plus $1,175 destination.
Darkness continues to fall across the automotive new-car market, and now the Seltos has its own Nightfall Edition (just like the Telluride and the Sportage and countless others). The Nightfall Edition gets a black grille and black 18-inch wheels as well as “rugged” roof rails and side sills. Like the top-spec SX, the Nightfall Edition is powered by the 175-horsepower 1.6-liter turbo paired with AWD. Lower trims — the LX, S (both FWD and AWD), and EX — continue to be powered by a 146-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder.
Even the lowliest Seltos now comes standard with forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection and automatic braking, lane-keeping assist, lane departure warning, lane following assist, a driver-attention monitor, and automatic high beams. (The LX formerly didn’t come with any of those items.) Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, both with collision-avoidance assist, are standard on the EX and SX as well as the new Nightfall Edition.
Additionally, the larger 10.25-inch touchscreen with navigation, formerly exclusive to the SX, is now included on all Seltos models save for the LX. The S models also add automatic climate control, remote start, and Kia’s UVO connectivity. The SX gains a flat-bottom steering wheel and a Plum (!) interior option, which unfortunately we don’t have a picture of.
With the Nightfall Edition effectively replacing the S 1.6T trim level, there are now two rather than three S trim levels, making the Seltos lineup slightly less confusing. Also, the LX and the FWD S are no longer the same price, so there’s now a clear entry-level version. The 2022 model rundown is as follows (all pricing inclusive of the $1,175 destination fee):
- LX, $23,665 (+ $500 versus 2021)
- S FWD $23,865 (+ $700)
- S AWD $25,365 (+ $600)
- EX $26,965 (+ $400)
- Nightfall Edition $27,865 (+ $1,100 vs. 2021 S 1.6T)
- SX, unchanged at $29,165
The more rational lineup should be a little easier for consumers to navigate. And whether or not you go in for the Nightfall Edition’s black accents, since it’s the least expensive way to get the turbo engine it may be the pick of the bunch. Unless you absolutely must have the SX’s Plum interior, which we’d certainly understand.
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