2026 Kia Seltos: Manahawkin Buyers Guide

A small SUV that doesn't act small

The Seltos is the entry point to Kia's SUV lineup, one size below the Sportage, but it doesn't feel like the junior member of the family once you're behind the wheel. It rides on a 103.5-inch wheelbase and stretches just 172.6 inches bumper to bumper, short enough to slot into a tight downtown Manahawkin parking spot, yet Kia carves out 26.6 cubic feet of cargo room behind the rear seats and nearly 100 cubic feet of passenger space. Ground clearance runs 7.3 inches, which matters more than people expect once you've hit a frost heave on Route 9 or a sand-covered pull-off near Holgate. It's a car that punches a class above its footprint, which is a big part of why it keeps showing up in this store's trade-in line from owners moving up from a compact sedan.

Two engines, one clear split

Kia keeps the Seltos powertrain lineup simple by design. LX, S, and EX all run the same 2.0-liter four-cylinder — 147 horsepower, 132 lb-ft of torque, a continuously variable transmission Kia calls the Intelligent Variable Transmission — and Kia rates it at 27 city / 31 highway / 29 combined mpg with all-wheel drive, with front-wheel-drive versions running a bit better on the same powertrain. The SX is the outlier: a turbocharged 1.6-liter making 190 horsepower and 195 lb-ft, paired exclusively with an 8-speed automatic and standard all-wheel drive, rated at 24 city / 27 highway / 25 combined. Neither engine asks for anything but regular unleaded. The practical takeaway is simple — if the turbo's extra shove matters to you, it only comes one way, in the SX, with AWD included rather than optional.

Pick your 2026 Seltos

What buyers say about this store

Manahawkin Kia carries a 4.81-star average across more than 2,800 Google reviews, and the Seltos shows up in a lot of them — it's one of the store's steadiest sellers. "I absolutely Love my Kia Seltos," one buyer wrote this July, on her second purchase from the store. Another owner put it this way after cross-shopping the family lineup: "My son has a Kia Sportage and loves it, and I love my Seltos." That's the pattern across years of Seltos reviews here — a low-pressure sales floor, salespeople who stick around after the paperwork's signed, and a lot of repeat customers who started with one Kia and kept coming back for the next one.

Owning one at the shore

Salt air, sandy causeway roads, and the summer crawl toward Long Beach Island are all part of a Seltos's life in Ocean County, and the Seltos service & repair guide covers what that means for the maintenance schedule, the store's own tire center, and its library of Kia how-to articles. The money side — what each trim costs after New Jersey's 6.625% sales tax, how the lease numbers work, and the trade-in math — lives in the pricing & leasing guide.

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2026 Kia Seltos any good?

It's one of the better-reviewed vehicles in the small-SUV class, and the case for it is straightforward: more standard safety tech than most rivals, a cargo hold that's roomy for the segment, and a starting price under $24,000 before incentives. The SX's turbo engine adds genuine mid-pack-SUV power if the base 2.0-liter feels too modest for your commute.

What is the disadvantage of the Kia Seltos?

The base 2.0-liter/CVT combination is more about efficiency than excitement — it gets the job done without urgency, and the CVT's droning character at full throttle isn't for everyone. The turbo SX fixes that but only comes in one AWD configuration, so there's no way to get the stronger engine on a budget FWD build.

How much should I pay for a 2026 Kia Seltos?

MSRPs run $23,790 to $31,490 depending on trim and drivetrain, plus the $1,495 destination charge, before New Jersey's 6.625% sales tax and fees. Kia's national incentives change monthly and stack with Manahawkin Kia's own specials — the pricing & leasing guide walks through how the final number comes together.

Which is better, Seltos or Sportage?

They're siblings, not rivals, and the honest answer is about size and budget. The Sportage is the bigger, roomier SUV with a higher price floor; the Seltos is the smaller, easier-to-park, easier-to-afford option with nearly the same safety-tech list. Plenty of shoppers cross-shop both on the same visit, and this store keeps them parked close together for exactly that reason.

Is the Kia Seltos a good car to lease?

It's a common lease choice in this segment — smaller SUVs tend to hold value well, which keeps monthly payments reasonable, and Kia's regional lease offers on the Seltos change often. The pricing & leasing guide breaks down how a lease payment is built and what to watch for in the fine print.

Where can I test drive a 2026 Seltos near LBI?

Manahawkin Kia's new inventory is at 270 Route 72 East in Manahawkin, a few minutes off the Garden State Parkway and the last Kia store before the causeway to Long Beach Island. Schedule online or just walk in — sales is open until 8 PM most weeknights.

Four trims, one lot

The guides that follow walk through what separates an LX from an SX, but the fastest way to actually decide is sitting in both. The store keeps the Seltos lineup stocked alongside its certified pre-owned Kias, and the same family has been putting Ocean County drivers into cars from this corner of Stafford Township for the better part of seventy years.