The Kia Seltos has quickly risen to the top of the sales charts over at Kia since its arrival in 2021, with buyers loving its styling, its equipment and its powertrain.

That last one is especially the case when you consider the top SX Turbo trim which, as the name implies, gets a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine good for 175 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque, sent to all four wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox with a manual mode and three drive modes: normal, eco and sport. The last one is perhaps the best fit for this most sporty of Seltos models as it quickens both transmission response and throttle response, to you can really experience all that power.

To help contain all that power, the Seltos SX Turbo gets four-wheel disc brakes, independent front suspension, multi-link rear suspension and an ultra-responsive steering rack that makes for a lively and reactionary front-end – just what you want from a baby performance crossover like this.

It looks the part, too, offering a variety of bright colour choices, 18-inch dual-tone alloy wheels LED headlights, fog lights and DRLs and even a subtle roof spoiler for a little tease of the power within. Add the dual-tier headlight assembly that all Seltos models get, and you get one of the most distinctive styling packages available on the market today.

Inside, we synthetic leather seating, heated front and rear seats, ventilated font seats flat-bottomed d-shaped steering wheel and dual-zone climate control and even a heads-up display, digital gauge cluster and sunroof.

A youthful vehicle like this is nothing without a strong infotainment system, and Kia is more than happy to oblige with what’s offered on the Seltos. It’s all centered around a 10.25” widescreen touch display, but that’s just the start of it. Said display is your home for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, navigation, Kia connected services and of course your hi-res backup camera. There’s also a wireless phone charger tucked into a nifty slot at the base of the central stack so you don’t have to use a storage bin or cupholder for your mobile device.