2022 Kia Seltos vs 2022 Honda Odyssey

The 2022 Honda Odyssey was a minivan that catered to families with its practical design and thoughtful features. Its sliding side doors were a standout, making it easy to load toddlers into rear-facing seats, even in tight parking spaces. The Odyssey offered a comfortable third-row seat, accommodating additional passengers like grandparents or carpool groups with ease. Its cargo space was impressive, rivaling that of larger SUVs when the seats were folded or removed. Despite its utilitarian nature, the Odyssey managed to maintain a sense of style, with its kinked sliding doors and dark gray 19-inch alloy wheels adding a touch of flair.

In contrast, the 2022 Kia Seltos was a small SUV that positioned itself between the Kia Soul and Sportage. It offered a stylish interior with exposed stitching and metallic accents, though it was marred by an abundance of hard plastic. The Seltos was praised for its logical control layout and intuitive infotainment system, despite its quirky purple theme. It provided a comfortable ride with ample space for passengers and cargo, making it a practical choice for urban and suburban environments. However, its suspension tuning left room for improvement, as it struggled with speed bumps and uneven pavement.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey was equipped with a 3.5-litre V6 engine, delivering 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. It featured a front-wheel-drive system and a 10-speed automatic transmission with pushbutton controls. While it lacked all-wheel drive and hybrid options, the Odyssey offered a Natural Resources Canada fuel consumption estimate of 10.6 litres per 100 kilometres in combined driving. During testing, it averaged 10.4 L/100 km. The Odyssey was enjoyable to drive, with quick acceleration and responsive handling, but its brakes were prone to overheating on downhill grades, leading to pedal vibration and noise.

The 2022 Kia Seltos offered two engine options. The base models featured a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with 146 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, paired with a continuously variable transmission. The SX trim boasted a turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine, producing 175 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque, mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The Seltos provided a more engaging driving experience with its turbocharged engine, though the DCT exhibited some quirks. It offered driving modes like Normal, Sport, and Smart, with the latter balancing fuel efficiency and responsiveness. The Seltos achieved a fuel consumption rating of 8.7 L/100 km in combined driving.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey excelled in interior space and functionality. Its low ride height and wide-opening doors made entry and exit easy. Inside, the Odyssey Touring featured quality leather, power-adjustable front seats, and a tri-zone climate control system. Storage was abundant, with numerous compartments for stashing items. The Magic Slide second-row seats allowed for versatile configurations, enhancing passenger comfort and safety. The third-row seat was spacious, accommodating adults comfortably. With 929 litres of cargo space behind the third row and up to 3,984 litres with seats removed, the Odyssey offered exceptional cargo capacity.

The 2022 Kia Seltos impressed with its roomy interior, providing ample space for passengers and cargo. Its ride height and large door openings facilitated easy access. The front seats were comfortable, with heated options available on most trims. The rear seat offered generous legroom and footroom, though the seatback angle was slightly reclined. The Seltos provided 752 litres of cargo space behind the rear seat and 1,778 litres with the seat folded down. It featured practical storage solutions, including a smartphone shelf and grocery bag hooks.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey Touring was equipped with a range of technology features, though its infotainment system lagged behind competitors. It included an 8-inch touchscreen, satellite radio, Bluetooth, and smartphone connectivity. The Touring trim added navigation, HondaLink services, and a rear entertainment system with a 10.2-inch screen. CabinWatch and CabinTalk technologies allowed the driver to monitor and communicate with rear passengers. However, the infotainment system's small screen and lack of a tuning knob were drawbacks, and the voice recognition system was limited in functionality.

The 2022 Kia Seltos offered a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system starting at the EX Premium grade, paired with a Bose sound system on the SX trim. It featured Bluetooth, navigation, connected services, and smartphone connectivity. The system was intuitive, with physical knobs and buttons for easy operation. However, it lacked a native voice recognition system, relying on smartphone assistants for better results. The infotainment system's purple theme was a minor quirk, but overall, it provided a user-friendly experience.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey was well-equipped with safety features, including the Honda Sensing suite, which offered adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and lane-keeping assist. It also had automatic high-beam headlights and a rear-seat reminder system. However, the safety systems lacked refinement, occasionally issuing false warnings or responding abruptly. The Odyssey earned a five-star rating from the NHTSA and a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS.

The 2022 Kia Seltos came with a comprehensive set of safety features, including blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, forward-collision avoidance, and lane-keeping assist. The SX trim added adaptive cruise control and Highway Driving Assist. The Seltos offered connected services with safety-related functions, such as 911 Connect and teen driver alerts. It received a Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS and a four-star rating from the NHTSA, with some trims missing out on top marks due to headlight performance.