Kia Seltos Sport+ 2.0 vs Nissan Qashqai ST-L vs Subaru Crosstrek R 2023 comparison

As mentioned, we've grabbed upper mid-grade models of each of our cars here. Theoretically, they should represent the best value in their respective line-ups, offering the most kit for a reasonable spend.

To kick it off, the most affordable car here is the Kia Seltos Sport+. Wearing a before-on-roads price-tag of $35,800, the Seltos seems to instantly be a value pick amongst our choices, although it has had the most minor recent update, a mild nip-and-tuck with tweaks to its equipment level.

It has some appealing attributes, including a fully digital instrument cluster to match its multimedia screen, built-in navigation, and partially synthetic leather seats, as well as having the largest boot capacity.

As mentioned, we’ve grabbed upper mid-grade models of each of our cars here.

However, it is lacking in some significant areas. It's the only car here to have halogen headlights, the only car without power adjust for the driver's seat, it's missing dual-zone climate, and it's also missing wireless phone mirroring or charging.

Priced in the middle is the Subaru Crosstrek R. Its price comes in at $38,490 and the equipment is impressive. The obvious value stand-out is standard all-wheel drive, but it's not the Crosstrek's only trick, with it also featuring 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, and a massive 11.6-inch portrait touchscreen.

But it's also the only car here to miss out on partial leather seat trim, built-in navigation, and front parking sensors.

Theoretically, they should represent the best value in their respective line-ups, offering the most kit for a reasonable spend.

Finally, we have the Nissan Qashqai ST-L. Priced at $42,190 it's by a significant margin the most expensive car on this test, but it's also the best equipped.

It has the largest set of wheels (19-inch), it's the only car here to feature heated front seats and steering wheel, it scores a similar digital suite to the other two, with wireless phone mirroring and charging, and has the most extensive amount of soft-touch materials on the inside.

We've covered the highlights here, if you want a full summary of key equipment items, check the table below.

An SUV in this class needs to be practical, as most family buyers who don’t want a big mid-sizer still need a small SUV to be up for all of their family challenges.

Before we move on, though, it's worth noting the Seltos complicates this test because of the sheer number of variants it is offered in.

For similar money to the Nissan, you can choose the Seltos in top-spec GT-Line form, but with the same front-wheel drive layout, which goes some way to compensating for its missing equipment.

Alternatively, for similar money to the Subaru, you can get the same Sport+ grade, but with a turbocharged engine and all-wheel drive.

With small SUVs beauty will always be in the eye of the beholder, as each offers a significantly different look and feel.

While we'll keep impressions on this test restricted to the car we have here, it is worth considering if you were looking to test drive and buy one of these cars.

Do we have a winner for pricing and spec? Not really. It's a story of getting what you're paying for at each level, so as far as we see it they're reasonably evenly matched.

This has been a tough test. On paper, these cars are closely matched, and while we’ll call out an overall winner, it’s not quite that simple.

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An SUV in this class needs to be practical, as most family buyers who don't want a big mid-sizer still need a small SUV to be up for all of their family challenges.

On this test, two SUVs perform, while one falls short.

Kicking off with our budget player, the Seltos Sport+, and things are very good. The front seat offers a commanding view of the road, with a great seating position, and the largest rear window of our choices here, handing it an automatic win for overall visibility from the driver's position.

It also offers plenty of room for someone 182cm tall like me, as well as good adjustability of both the seat and steering column, even if it's the only car without an electric driver's seat.

Like most Kia products, storage in the cabin is great, with a big bottle holder and map pocket combo in the door trim, a pair of large but non-variable bottle holders in the centre console, a two-tier shelf below the climate unit good for wallets and phones, and an additional tray behind the electronic parking brake good for the same sorts of objects.

While it scores USB-A, USB-C and a 12-volt connector up front, it is the only car with no wireless charging.

Thankfully, the software on its big multimedia screen is fast and slick and well laid out, and there is a sufficient number of buttons and dials for adjusting climate and volume functions for relatively distraction-free driving.

The back-seat in the Seltos is, by a close margin, the best on this test, with superior headroom compared to the Nissan and the Subaru, and good legroom, even behind my own driving position.

There's cheap plastic trim on the back of the driver's seat, to match the cheap plastic trim in the doors, lowering the ambiance of the space, but it's all hard wearing, which is good for those with kids.

Again, there's a bottle holder in the door on each side, and a further two small ones in the drop-down armrest, and the Kia offers USB-A connectors and adjustable air vents for rear passengers.

Boot space is also a clear win for the Kia. Not only does it have the largest volume (refer to the table below), but it's also a big, square, accessible space, and the easiest to fit our three-piece demo luggage set, or pram.

It is also the only car on this test to offer a rare full-size matching spare wheel under the floor, but is also the only car missing a luggage cover.

Next up, the Subaru. It looks the most like a hatchback of our set here, and feels it in the cabin.

Up-front it's notably the most closed-in and cosy space, which comes with the downside of having the least visibility of our trio, particularly out its small rear window.

It feels purposeful, though, with the chunky wheel and seats suiting the off-road-ready vibe and there are enough high-quality materials throughout the cabin to keep it soft and comfortable.

Despite its more diminutive interior dimensions, it still has sufficient space for someone 182cm tall in the front, and adjustability isn't bad, either.

There are decent bottle holders in the doors, a further two fixed ones in the centre console, and a tray below the media screen with power outlets and a wireless charger.

Interestingly, the wireless charger is almost useless because Subaru has chosen to make it a smooth plastic finish, so your phone slides out of the area in the first corner you encounter.

It's easily fixed with a BYO rubber mat, but still, why was this not thought of in development?

The back seat is a surprise. While it is harder to climb into thanks to a descending, hatch-like roofline, the roof itself has an extrusion in it to grant rear passengers a little extra headroom, and it works.

I was also surprised to see the rear seat has been cleverly engineered to maximise knee room, although the centre position is all but useless for an adult due to the centre raise required for this car's all-wheel drive system taking up all the legroom.

The Subaru also has the least rear-seat amenity, with the smallest door bottle holders and drop-down armrest holders, no adjustable air vents, with only a USB-A and USB-C connector as luxuries for those riding in the back.

The real deal-breaker for family buyers, though, will be the Crosstrek's boot. Despite boot space being a key criticism of this car's XV predecessor, the Crosstrek manages to crop some 20 or so litres from the space this time around, down to just 291L, by far the smallest on this test.

It was the only car which couldn't fit the whole demo luggage set, although it could still accommodate the pram.

The Subaru's final party trick is its impressive 220mm ground clearance to go with its all-wheel drive system, by far the most capable of the choices here if you're venturing beyond the tarmac, although it still only has a space-saver spare under the boot floor.

The Nissan lands between the others when it comes to practicality, but it's still within striking distance of the Seltos in terms of overall space.

Up front, passengers are treated to nice plush seats, the most extensive list of trims in the doors and across the dashboard, and even soft materials for your knees.

These add up and go a long way towards making the Nissan feel as though it has the most upmarket cabin of the choices on this test.

Adjustability, like the other cars here, is good, although visibility over the nose is more limited, as you sit lower and the dash-line is higher. Good thing the Nissan is also the only car with a handy 360-degree parking suite.

Bottle holders include a massive one in the doors, two more with variable edges in the centre console, and a nice big rubberised charging bay for your phone under the climate unit.

The rear seat continues the plush treatment, with soft materials on the backs of the front seats, and into the doors.

I found I had plenty of space behind my own driving position, roughly on-par with the Seltos, and the Qashqai serves rear passengers with large bottle holders in the doors, a further two small ones in the drop-down armrest, adjustable air vents, as well as USB-A and USB-C charging ports.

The boot is a tad smaller than the Kia's, and a little less square, but offers soft claddings for all the surfaces, so your luggage won't scratch hard plastics.

The Qashqai easily consumed the whole CarsGuide luggage set or the pram, and under the floor there is a space-saver spare. The Qashqai also has the highest towing capacity of our choices here, refer to the table below for more.

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While each vehicle on this test has a different approach under the bonnet, they all end up with similar power outputs.

The Seltos is the most traditional of the bunch, with a big old 2.0-litre in-line four-cylinder engine and no turbocharger. It is also the lightest car on this test, but produces the least power, at 110kW/180Nm.

The Crosstrek uses Subaru's signature flat ‘boxer' engine layout with a 2.0-litre capacity and is the only car here with all-wheel drive (it's real, permanent all-wheel drive, too!).

With 115kW/196Nm on tap, it has the most kilowatts out of the choices here, but still has less torque than the Nissan and is by far the heaviest vehicle on-test.

Finally, the Nissan is the only vehicle here to have a down-sized turbocharged engine, with a 1.3-litre four-cylinder unit producing 110kW/250Nm.

All cars drive the wheels via a continuously variable automatic transmission, and with relatively even power outputs it's hard to make a call on a winner in this department, but to me the Nissan at least feels more modern than the dated set-ups in the other two choices.

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Fuel consumption should be pretty straightforward here, a function of weight and engine design, however all was not as it seemed on our 100km mixed conditions controlled test.

Officially, the Subaru consumes the most fuel, stated at 7.2L/100km, which would make sense given it is the heaviest, with the added burden of all-wheel drive.

Next down is the Seltos, with its older engine giving it a claimed consumption of 6.9L/100km. While the Nissan claims to be the most trim, with its high-tech small capacity engine granting it an official consumption of 6.1L/100km.

In reality, though, the results were almost flipped around. Over 100km of combined testing, the Subaru consumed the least fuel, at 6.2L/100km measured at the pump, the Nissan landed in the middle at 6.6L/100km, while the Seltos was the thirstiest, consuming 7.1L/100km.

While the results are surprising, they are still very close and well within margins of error and driving style of each other.

It is worth noting, the Nissan's turbocharged engine is the only one to require more expensive 95RON fuel, while the other two are happy to consume 91.

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All cars have impressive safety suites, with all the key up-to-date active items featuring.

All cars score high-speed auto emergency braking with pedestrian, cyclist detection, and junction assist.

All cars also feature lane keep assist with lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross traffic alert, speed alert, driver attention alert, and tyre pressure monitoring.

All cars have impressive safety suites, with all the key up-to-date active items.

Only the Subaru scores rear auto braking, although it misses out on front parking sensors, and the Nissan is the only car to score a full 360-degree parking camera, making it the best car for tight parking stations.

The Kia is the only car to miss out on LED headlights, annoying for regional buyers who have to deal with more poorly lit roads.

The Nissan and Kia have up-to-date, maximum five-star ANCAP safety ratings, scored in 2021 and 2019 respectively, while the Subaru Crosstrek is yet to be rated.

Only the Subaru scores rear auto braking, although it misses out on front parking sensors.

One good omen for the Subaru is its impressive suite of nine airbags, outranking the Nissan's seven, and Kia's six.

It's hard to establish a winner here, but the Kia is the least well equipped of the bunch by a small margin, and it's also marred by its annoying lane keep and speed warning systems.

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