If you’re looking to buy a subcompact SUV, the Chevrolet Trax is quite tempting. Its plucky little I-3 engine offers solid fuel economy (which is handy while gas prices are through the roof). It has a good amount of power for its size, and it’s spacious enough to comfortably carry four passengers along with some luggage. But there’s a slightly more expensive sub-compact SUV, that blows the Trax out of the water.
While it is a little bit pricier, with a starting MSRP of $23,790 and a top trim price of $31,490 compared to the Chevy’s $21,700 and $25,400, the Kia Seltos does beat the Trax in pretty much every single department. And in a lot of cases, it isn’t even close.
The most obvious difference comes in terms of engine output, with the base Kia Seltos’s 2-liter inline 4 pumping out 10 more horsepower than the Trax’s 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine. That’s 147 horsepower vs 137 to be exact. Chevy’s base model does have a bit more torque, offering 162 lb-ft compared to the Kia’s 132 lb-ft. So it may be a little faster off the line, but not by much. And neither vehicle is going to be particularly solid at towing. Kia also offers a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine with 190 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque, so the difference is even more apparent on the more expensive trims.
Despite the Kia having more power, it will get you a touch further than its American rival. While both vehicles offer an EPA estimated 28 mpg in the city, the Seltos gets 34 mpg on the highway, putting it way ahead of the Trax (which gets 32) when it comes to long trips. That brings the total EPA estimated combined mpg to 30 for the Chevrolet, and 31 for the Kia.
Of course, if you opt for the AWD variant of the Seltos, the fuel economy will suffer, dropping the estimated MPG in an urban environment to 24, and the highway MPG to 27. It still wins by default against the Trax here, as Chevy doesn’t offer AWD on its subcompact SUV.
The Trax’s spaciousness is used in a lot of marketing material, with the crossover offering 25.6 cubic feet of room when the rear seats are up and 54.1 when they’re folded flat. The Seltos just edges Chevrolet’s effort out with 26.6 cubic feet of “trunk” space. But fold those rear seats down and the Kia’s 62.8 cubic feet of cargo room blows the Chevy out of the water.
Then we have the warranty on both vehicles, because what’s a specs are great on paper but count for nothing if the car is never on the road. Chevy offers a pretty standard three year/36,000 mile basic warranty and five years/60,000 miles on the powertrain.
Kia goes above and beyond here. The standard warranty is for five years, or 60,000 miles. So essentially the entire vehicle is guaranteed for the same amount of time Chevy stands behind its powertrain. Then there’s Kia’s own powertrain warranty, which covers you for ten years or 100,000 miles. That doesn’t just beat Chevrolet, Kia is offering the best in class when it comes to coverage.
Is a Kia better than a Chevy
Historically, Kia doesn’t have the best reputation. Chevy, for all of its faults, is one of the best established American manufacturers with some of its vehicles like the Tahoe and Suburban bordering on “luxury.” Chevy also has decades of experience in building everything from workhorses like the Silverado, and affordable everyday vehicles like the Malibu.
If you go back 20 years or so, comparing a Kia to a Chevy would get you laughed out of the room. The Korean company’s vehicles back then were weak, unreliable, and had an incredibly cheap feel to them. But two decades is a long time, and things are certainly different these days.
Kia, like its parent company Hyundai, has spent several years reinventing itself. Most of the vehicles that have carried its badge in recent years have been, quite frankly, superb. Least of all the Telluride, which has established itself as a high-quality, affordable, mid-size SUV with a premium feel. Groundbreaking vehicles like the EV6 and EV9 have also established Kia as a major player in the electric vehicle space.
So you may argue about the Chevy brand carrying more prestige, and being made in the USA. But most US-sold Kias are assembled in Georgia anyway, and reputation is mostly nonsense. Especially in automaking, which is seemingly in a constant state of flux.
