Kia has always had a seat around the Base Camp kitchen table, offering well-made and stylish machines that are packed with features. While the brand has been moving upscale in recent years (Stinger, Telluride, et al) they also haven’t forgotten its roots. Entry-level small vehicles still make up a portion of their showroom. In this instalment, we sample one of the smallest – and newest – rigs to wear a Kia badge.

Seltos is part of a new(ish) breed of SUV and crossover, packaging a high seating position into the frame of what might have otherwise been a small hatchback had the buying public not gravitated to this type of bodystyle ages ago. The base LX wears a sticker price of $23,095 and is powered by a naturally-aspirated 2.0-litre four cylinder engine making 146 horsepower. In this guise, it funnels power through an automatic transmission to the front wheels only; those seeking all-wheel drive (AWD) action will need to shell out an extra $2000 for that privilege.

There’s no shortage of equipment inside the Seltos, with an array of active safety tools like blind spot warning aids and rear cross traffic alerts showing up as standard kit. Air conditioning and cruise control are on board, plus a six-speaker audio system that deploys an 8-inch display screen. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are found, though satellite radio is not. Cloth seats are heated in the front row and the steering wheel has both tilt and telescope adjustments.

The brand known for value hasn’t skimped on exterior jewelry, either. Alloy wheels are wrapped up in 16-inch tires (no cheap hubcaps here) and projector headlights are shared with more expensive trims as are the fog lamps. Heated power side view mirrors with built-in turn signal repeaters are body coloured, just like the door handles. An array of bright colours is available but the Onyx Black shown here is the only no-charge option. At least Kia doesn’t restrict its funky paint to the more expensive trims, I suppose.

Windows are tinted and a little rear spoiler juts from the roof. Even the silver bumper accents designed to look like AWD skid plates remain. In short, it’ll be tough – save for the wheels – to tell this is a base model at first glance.

What We’d Choose

Making the $2,000 walk to an all-wheel drive equipped LX isn’t chump change, a sum that will tack about $40 per month onto a typical car loan. Sending power to all four wheels also invites a fuel economy penalty of approximately 0.5L/100km. By itself, that amount isn’t unbearable but the cumulative effects will add up over time. Best, then, to stick with the base LX and invest about a third of your savings into a good set of name-brand winter tires. It’s noted that AWD models don’t get much more ground clearance – just an extra 0.3-inches.

Your long-of-torso author does appreciate this trim is devoid of sunroof, a feature which rudely scuppers nearly two inches of front seat headroom. That might be enough to make up for the LX FWD model’s lack of satellite radio and push button start. Hey, at least the extra headroom means I won’t bonk my head while digging in my pocket for the keys.

Find rest of the Base Camp series here

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Cheap and cheerful cars have been picked off one by one by consumers allergic to anything that’s not a crossover or doesn’t sit 5 feet off the ground. In Canada and U.S., cars like the Ford Fiesta and Mazda2 have all gone the way of the Dodo bird, relegated to the annals of automotive history.

With global car platforms and the democratization of once advanced tech reserved for expensive luxury automobiles, the average crossover and SUV have become much more accessible.

But here, in the great white north, we’ve always been bigger supporters of the small car, like the recently discontinued Nissan Micra that wasn’t sold in the US. So it was perplexing when an all-new Versa sedan was released there last year and not here.

That’s changed now and the new Versa has arrived on our side of the fence for the 2021 model year, on sale at your local Nissan dealer at the time of this writing.

The Versa’s defining trait has always been a spacious and airy cabin packaged into a compact shell that makes it feel one-size larger than it really is.

If lots of space is the reason you loved the old Versa and Versa Note, then you’ll love this new one too. You’ll also be happy to hear that it doesn’t feel like the cheap beater you drove everywhere during your high school years.

The new entry-level Versa slots in perfectly within the rest of the Nissan lineup with its V-motion grille, kinked C-pillar, and floating roof similar to the new Sentra and Altima. It’s also longer, lower, and wider, with a smaller wheel gap, contributing to its mature, streamlined appearance. It’s another link in Nissan’s commitment to sedans as the brand moves forward with its Nissan Next strategy and introduces a brace of new models to the market.

With the Versa, there are three trims to choose from: S, SV, and SR. All are motivated by the same 1.6-litre port-injected 4-cylinder producing 122 hp and 114 lb-ft of torque, powering the front wheels.

A manual transmission is standard on the base S trim which starts at $16,498. You can add a CVT to it for $1500 and it comes bundled with a 60/40 split-folding rear seat that strangely isn’t available if you prefer rowing your own gears. You’ll also have to give up Apple Carplay and Android Auto if you opt for that third pedal, a packaging oddity I hope Nissan will address in the future.

There’s quite a bit of standard gear on the base trim like keyless entry with push button start, automatic headlights with high beam assist, emergency braking with pedestrian detection, a lane departure warning system, and rear emergency braking.

The SV adds the CVT, blind spot monitoring, heated front seats, a 7-inch Nissan Connect infotainment system along with an advanced gauge cluster screen, and Apple Car play/Android auto integration.

Opt for the range-topping SR at $20,998 and you get 17-inch alloy wheels, a remote engine starter, and LED headlights.

My fully loaded SR tester didn’t feel like it was lacking anything, with a level of equipment that you’d find on larger, more expensive cars. This is also the first time I’ve seen a remote starter on a car at this price point, a feature I used more than a few times.

The roomy cabin, while heavy on the use of hard plastic doesn’t feel “cheap”. There are good attempts at adding some creature comforts like the soft-touch dash panel and padded arm rests on the door cards. Well-designed buttons and knobs, including a large volume and tuning knob are easy to use and have a nice, quality feel to them.

That easy to live with theme continues with the snappy and intuitive Nissan Connect infotainment system and full featured gauge cluster screen that you can use to control the stereo, driver assistance functions, and more.

Sitting behind myself I had plenty of leg and knee room and just enough headroom to be comfortable. At 6 feet tall, I was definitely impressed with how they were able to carve out such a large space back there, which only becomes more impressive when popping open the cavernous 416-litre trunk.

I don’t usually look forward to driving sub compact cars because they can be, well, horrible to drive. Yawn-inducing, and fun killing, most don’t make good use of the their tidy footprint and relatively light chassis. But that’s not the case here as the Versa exhibits few bad habits after a week of putting it through its paces.

The SR, with it’s 17-inch wheels, orange –trimmed seats, and flat bottom-steering wheel even manages to feel somewhat sporty with sharp, direct steering and well controlled body roll.

It’s comfortable too and quiet at speed with fatigue-free seats and a good ride that leans more towards the stiffer side of things. The engine, while no powerhouse, felt peppy around town but ran out of steam north of 70 km/h. It was also well insulated, able to filter out much of the road and wind noise, even at highway speeds.

The weak link, as expected, is the CVT, which seemed to have a mind of its own, rolling through simulated gears when it wanted to and holding revs at other times. I couldn’t figure out the logic behind it, but one redeeming quality is fuel economy. The highest I saw was 8.5L/100 km, while booking it around town and it dipped as low as 6.1 on the highway.

The more I drove the Versa, the more I liked it. I started to appreciate that for under $20,000 you can get a brand new, well-engineered little car with a full factory warranty and some really cool tech. It’s also fun behind the wheel and doesn’t constantly remind you that you bought the cheap car. If you’re in the market for a new car that won’t break the bank, the Versa needs to be considered.

The vehicle was provided to the writer by the automaker. Content and vehicle evaluations were not subject to approval.

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While COVID took the wind out of the North American economy last year, Kia Canada found itself having one its most successful years last year, and sees only continuing success for this year.

Elias El-Achhab, Kia Canada’s COO said that when 2020 started the automaker was expecting a record 2020 with plans to break its annual sales records. Not bad for coming off of a successful celebration of the company’s 20 years in Canada in 2019.

“Looking back, we started with a successful January and a successful February, and then COVID came along,” he added. “Everything crashed ant the whole automotive industry was trying to stay alive for the next thirty days. Everyone went into survival mode.”

For many, that meant simply focusing on what could be done immediately to stay afloat as vehicle sales across North America cratered as U.S. states and Canadian provinces began rolling out lockdown orders to control the spread of the virus. Kia Canada could have done the same. Instead, it took another route.

“We could have decided to just try and survive, or we could put together a game plan to make the most of the situation that was happening,” El-Achhab continued.

Kia Canada realized it had built up over the many years in Canada a lot of good will with Canadians and strong customer loyalty with its vehicles; and the company was going into 2020 with a strong slate of new and refreshed vehicles for Canadians. The Kia Telluride, Soul and Stinger were solid sellers and earning a bevy of awards and recognitions, including several AJAC Car of the Year awards. And Kia was ready to launch one of its most anticipated vehicles, the Kia Seltos.

Canadians, however, also wanted more from Kia Canada.

Michael Kopke, director of marketing with Kia Canada said that what Kia Canada’s dealers and management teams were hearing was that Canadians wanted support from Kia Canada when it came to the vehicles they had bought and financed. So Kia Canada decided not to take the path others had opted which was for deferring payments, but instead to make those payments for the customer.

Kopke said that was the idea behind the ‘Kia Has You Covered’ program. From May to August of last year Kia Canada told customers it would pay for the first six months on a financed vehicle, and the first three months on a leased vehicle. This program assured buyers that Kia was there to help and support them. And, he added, it complemented Kia Canada’s Power to Give initiative that saw the automaker donate 60,000 face shields to the Public Health Agency of Canada to support frontline healthcare workers. As well, Kia Canada donated $200,000 to Food Banks Canada and provided vehicles to help deliver food where needed.

Along with payment and lease support, Kia Canada also made it a point to stay on track with the launch of its Kia Seltos. “At the end of the day, you only get one chance to launch a vehicle and while the pandemic is challenging, we had huge confidence in the Seltos and that it would be successful,” said Kopke.

Kia Canada was not wrong in that assessment. Sales for the Seltos in Canada have been strong with over 13,000 of the Seltos being sold in Canada at the end of 2020. Kopke and El-Achhab said that the Seltos has captured the attention of the younger car buying demographic in Canada, and it certainly helped that the ads for the Kia Seltos featured Billie Eilish’s song ‘Bad Guy’, a massive hit for the singer who is popular with Millennial car buyers. The ad with the song was so popular that at YouTube Canada’s annual Ads Leaderboard event, that ad for the Kia Seltos had over five million views and praised for its cinematic aesthetic and dynamic music video feel.

El-Achhab added that 2020 proved to be one of the most successful sales years for Kia Canada, despite everything the pandemic wrought. The company can boast of eight months of record sales, with August of last year being one of the best months ever for the company in its entire Canadian history. It sold over 72,000 vehicles, with the Forte and Sorento being its best selling models.

El-Achhab and Kopke both expect that 2021 will continue to be a strong year for Kia Canada. Signs already point to a recovery for the automotive sector in Canada, and Kia Canada plans to bring new products to market such as the newly reimagined 2021 Kia Sorento that was just launched, the Kia K5 and new hybrid, and all-electric vehicles to come to market later this year.

“We have other surprises as well,” El-Achhab hinted. “Kia is a maturing brand that will see it bring new customer on-board to the brand going forward.”

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Redesigning an icon isn’t easy.

The entire MINI lineup gets a full facelift for the 2022 model year. But while the changes appear subtle and, well, not exactly apparent firsthand, there’s a lot more to this update than meets the eye. After all, the MINI Cooper is a design icon. Messing with its face and proportions requires wearing a pair of white gloves. And the last thing a designer wants to do is enflame the MINI purists, or even worse, kill the brand’s signature charisma. Excuse the oxymoron, but a MINI facelift is a huge deal.

We chat with Oliver Heilmer, head of MINI Design, to discuss the challenges he had to face when redesigning the 2022 Cooper lineup.

Never Inside the Box

As the automotive industry heads deeper and deeper into strict crash testing regulations, energy efficiency requirements and manufacturing realities, it becomes ever more difficult for a niche brand like MINI to remain true to its rebellious roots. Yet, over the course of the last two decades, BMW’s sub-brand has managed to overcome these obstacles with limited resources.

For instance, while some MINI faithful have accused the cars of growing in size, the brand has managed to remain smaller than industry standards.

Even if we now live in an SUV-dominated world, MINI stood up to the task by developing the Countryman, a sub-compact crossover that rides on a shared BMW architecture, but looks, drives and feels like its own thing. Fun fact: in 2019, MINI sold 16,000 units of the Countryman in the US and Canada alone. That’s only 6,000 units short of its corporate twin, the BMW X1. Well played.

MINI designers have always been squeezed between the headaches of corporate platform sharing and a desire to remain eccentric. Yet, they have never given up on their creativity. Add to that a core model whose design cannot afford to be messed with, and what you end up with is what some designers would call a creativity prison.

When asked how he dealt with these encounters when facelifting the Cooper three-door, five-door, convertible and all-electric SE variants, Heilmer explained that no matter who designers work for, they’ll always face such challenges. “That’s what makes us who we are as designers. It’s our ability to overcome corporate obstacles that make us better do our job”, Oliver said. “If anything, working for a brand like MINI gives me even more freedom to create and innovate, because it’s a brand with so much heritage, and one that puts the emphasis on design.”

It’s this creative vision and MINI’s “outside the box” attitude that has allowed Oliver Heilmer to develop the all-new Multitone roof, one of this facelift’s signature elements. MINI calls this a “world innovation” because it has never been applied to an automobile before.

Using a new wet-on-wet painting process, MINI was able to blend three colors in an elegant gradient that starts with San Marino Blue, transitions through Pearly Aqua and finishes with Jet Black. This innovative paint process opens a new door for creative possibilities. Designers will be able to play with colors and reflections to inject more life into their designs.

What’s in the Facelift?

The 2022 Cooper lineup’s changes are purely design driven. In other words, nothing, and I mean nothing, was altered in the drivetrain department. And that’s odd coming from a company like BMW who has a tendency of fiddling with the driving dynamics of its cars. Then again, it’s not like the Cooper lineup needed improvements in that area anyway.

This means that entry-level cars are still powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder good for 134 horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque. The Cooper S retains the 2.0-liter turbo four with 189 horsepower and 207 lb-ft on tap. Six-speed manual and eight-speed automatic transmissions are available across the board.

While nothing was said about the specifics of the John Cooper Works variants, it’s fair to assume that they will retain their 228-horsepower / 236 lb-ft 2.0-litre turbo unit. Meanwhile, the Cooper SE soldiers on with its 32.6 kWh (28.9 usable) battery and 177-km of available range.

It’s the car’s looks that change. And yes, it is subtle. But putting the new car next to its predecessor reveals just how much was done.

Consumers are also getting more for their hard-earned dollar with this update. Several options that were once reserved to top-shelf models, like LED headlights and the Union Jack LED taillights are now standard. The front fascia and hood were also heavily massaged for a bolder, wider look, while the former bumper-mounted position lights were replaced by air curtains for improved aerodynamics.

The most prominent feature is the cheekier “big-mouth” grille and body-coloured bumper strip. Heilmer also made sure to slightly extend the car’s iconic wheel arches, making them more prominent, therefore improving the car’s road presence. Out the rear, a new bumper design with a reworked splitter gives the Cooper a sportier, more modern look while also improving its aerodynamics. New wheel designs were also thrown in the mix.

Inside, the same evolutionary alterations were applied at key areas. The fully digital display, which used to be reserved for SE and GP models, is now available on all cars. Touch points, like the steering wheel, air vents and infotainment controls were all massaged for improved ergonomics and feel. The iDrive-inspired infotainment interface, however, remains untouched. New cabin materials, color combinations and additional customizable styling elements – a MINI hallmark – have also been added to the further bonify the model range.

Electric is the “New MINI Normal”

Another important change is how mainstream the Cooper SE looks compared to its predecessor. When asked if this was done on purpose to signify MINI’s eventual switch towards electrification, Heilmer admitted that consumers have asked that the SE be treated like the rest of the Cooper lineup, and not as a different product. He also agrees that its design language was carefully thought out to give out the “just another Cooper S” message.

In other words, the only way we’ll be able to distinguish future electric MINI vehicles from their gasoline counterparts from a design standpoint will be with their yellow accents (used for the letter S on the Cooper SE). Yellow is MINI’s official color for electric. According to Oliver, yellow evokes sunlight, energy and power. “Going forward, expect MINI electric models to exploit that yellow theme even further”, Heilmer told us.

The 2022 MINI Cooper lineup will hit Canadian showrooms this Spring. As we write this, BMW Canada didn’t have pricing to share yet, but we were told that the pricing ladder shouldn’t differ much from the current lineup.

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In a consumer market that has moved decidedly away from the segment it occupies, the Mazda6 continues to mark the time as a fine example of a vehicle most new car buyers ignore.

Only 1,049 Mazda6s were sold in Canada in 2020 that represented a 25 per cent year-over-year decline. It suffered a similar fate in the U.S. where 16,204 units were sold, which equalled a 24 per cent drop. Certainly, the pandemic didn’t help the fortunes of the Mazda6 (or any other vehicle) in 2020, but how far its sales will rebound going forward is an open question.

Regardless, the Mazda6, now in its third generation, soldiers on. The current model was introduced globally in 2012, and in North America in 2013 as a 2014 model. A mid-cycle refresh in 2018 introduced new front and rear fascias, new headlights and taillights and a revamped interior, among other changes.

In terms of powertrains, two 2.5-litre Skyactiv-G four-cylinder engines are available: one normally aspirated, one turbocharged. Both are paired with a six-speed automatic transmission that drives the front wheels. The Canadian market is well-served with five available grades. The bottom three (GS, GS-L and GT) come standard with the non-turbo 2.5-litre (187 hp / 186 lb-ft), while the top two (Kuro Edition, Signature) receive the more powerful 2.5-litre turbo (227 hp / 310 lb-ft). Of note, 93 octane fuel boosts output of the latter engine to 250 hp / 320 lb-ft.

The Kuro Edition is a new arrival for 2021 and, for an extra $3,000 over the GT, delivers a host of black trim items (mirror caps, front and rear door panels, 19-inch wheels, etc.), along with a Garnet Red leather interior that includes soft touch panels in the dashboard, centre console and doors finished with decorative stitching. Two exterior colours are available: Jet Black Mica and Polymetal Grey Metallic. For the purposes of this review, Mazda Canada set me up with a copy of the former. Of note, Mazda offers similar Kuro Edition models for its CX-5 and CX-9 utilities.

Regarding the Mazda6’s design, I’ll be brief: it has aged well. The 2018 refresh went just far enough to keep the car current, without blunting its original appeal. The car’s sleek lines, handsome proportions and sharp aerodynamic aesthetic is as prominent now as it was when it went on sale in 2013. It doesn’t feel like it’s been around for almost a decade, which is not something that can be said for most cars of its age.

The GT is the donor car for the Kuro Edition from a content perspective, so the starting point is hardly bare bones. Standard kit on that model includes an 8-inch infotainment display with embedded navigation, leather seating, 11-speaker Bose audio system, wireless Apple CarPlay, LED lighting (standard on all Mazda6 models) and a slew of safety features such as pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, lane keep assist and the like.

The GT equipment combined with content unique to the Kuro Edition makes for a rich mass market-branded car. Near premium, I’d say, which is in keeping with other upper-trim Mazdas I’ve driven in recent years. Touch points have a richness to their construction and controls and switches operate with simple precision exuding an aspirational aesthetic. A spacious cabin with room for five and a 416-litre trunk underlines its high degree of practicality.

On the road, the 2.5-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder offer brisk acceleration, particularly with sport mode engaged, and feels responsive throughout the rev range. The driving character doesn’t change that much, but a flick of the sport mode tab on the centre console will bump the revs noticeably for sharper throttle response, and the six-speed automatic will hold revs longer between upshifts – standard sport mode stuff. A manual mode with paddle shifters allows for a more dynamic driving experience if one so chooses.

As for ride and handling, I didn’t have access to a closed course but in everyday driving conditions the Mazda6 Kuro delivers a solidly planted ride that feels responsive and comfortable. Steering response and general handling are impressive, but broken and patchy pavement did upset the ride somewhat, as it does for most cars. Sound suppression is reasonably good, although the use of sport mode will deliver more engine noise into the cabin. I didn’t find it to be too obtrusive, but your mileage may vary.

While it may not appear especially striking at first glance, the Mazda6 Kuro Edition’s subtle appeal grows over time. It’s contemporary good looks, rich appointments and aspirational feel make it an easy car to enjoy. Its drive carries some performance, but its all-around competence as a daily driver is what lingers.

What I said recently about the Volkswagen Arteon applies here, as it does for most remaining sedans: buyers should give them fair consideration. If they do, they just might find what they were looking for. Like the Mazda6 Kuro Edition, for example.

The vehicle was provided to the writer by the automaker. Content and vehicle evaluations were not subject to approval.

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