The mini SUV/crossover segment is still growing at a fast pace. But we think that two nearly identical models from rival brands signal the point of saturation is near. In this case, we have many similarities between the well established Nissan Qashqai, sold in America under the Rogue Sport name, and the new Kia Seltos... soon-to-be-sold in America without a name change.
We recently reported that Nissan Europe, which was responsible for introducing the Qashqai over 12 years ago, plans to have an all-new model next year. But this older model is still the one to beat, even in the Australian market.
The Seltos, meanwhile, is part of Kia's growingly confusing crossover fleet. Will it canibalize sales from the iconic Soul or the smaller Stonic or Niro? On looks alone, it has nearly every model in the segment beat, with not a single panel that's boring or flat. While quite fussy, the design is undestandably more modern than the older Qashqai.
But the dimensions are so similar that we think Kia benchmarked Nissan's sales champ. They both have the same wheelbase (4.37m) and width (1.8m). Only 3 liters of trunk space separates the two.
However, the cabin could be the real decider here, with rear seats that offfer more space in the Kia and noticeably superior screens. The next time somebody tells you they want to buy a Nissan Qashqai, tell them to have a Seltos test drive too.
Powertrains are going to be dependent on the market, but in both America and Australia, both crossovers come with a 2-liter naturally aspirated engine sending power to the fronts via a CVT. However, Kia's model can feel sportier when optioned with other systems, like the 1.6-liter turbo matched to a DCT. That being said, some people might like the soft and slow Nissan.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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