The compact Kia Soul is surprisingly big on space and style
The Kia Soul once stood alone among compact cars, and in many ways, it still does. Once considered a multi-purpose vehicle, the Soul is the cornerstone of a market that now includes the Nissan Juke, Toyota CR-H, and Honda HR-V. Together, these vehicles make up the “strange small SUV” segment, but the Soul also competes with a long list of compact commuter cars that includes the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, and many others. The fact that the Soul competes in both segments speaks to its inherent versatility.
As for its subcompact SUV rivals, they all place style over substance, and feature coupe-like profiles that severely impact cargo space and rear headroom. The Soul embraces function while not sacrificing form. Through years of advertising featuring hamsters nodding to techno music, Kia has owned the Soul’s boxy layout, and even made it appealing. (Hey, cargo space can be sexy, too.)
2017 Kia Soul
The Soul comes with 24.2 cubic feet of cargo space immediately behind the rear seat. Fold that seat down, and the Soul provides up to 61.3 cubic feet of cargo space, which is almost double the Juke and Toyota C-HR, and slightly better than the HR-V.
Trims for the Kia Soul are called Base, Plus, and Exclaim. The base model comes standard with a basic trip computer, six-speaker stereo, Bluetooth hands-free connectivity with voice recognition, a 60/40 split/fold rear seat, along with USB and auxiliary audio ports.
The Plus adds 17-inch alloy wheels, front fog lights, a five-inch touch screen with satellite radio, automatic temperature control, remote keyless entry, a rear-view camera, and heated outside mirrors.
The range-topping Exclaim comes with 18-inch alloy wheels, turn signals integrated into the side mirrors, UVO eServices with enhanced connectivity, a 4.3-inch color trip computer, leather seating, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, and a smart key with a push-button start. The Plus and Exclaim are both available with color-changing lights surrounding the door speakers that can even pulse to the beat.
2017 Kia Soul
The base model comes with a 130-horsepower, inline-four engine. Move up to the Plus trim and the engine displacement output increases to 161 horsepower. The range-topping Exclaim trim receives a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, making 201 horsepower.
The base model is available with a manual or automatic transmission. Our test model was equipped with the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission with manual shift mode. All models send power to the front wheels. The Soul also features a drive mode selector system, which can change the throttle response and shift mapping from Normal to Sport with the push of a button.
One of the most surprising aspects of the Soul is its ride and handling. Despite its upright profile, there is not much body roll in cornering. The suspension is firm enough to make taking a tight turn enjoyable. The suspension is capable soaking up a typical New England pothole, too.
Among the lineup, the Exclaim test model is the most powerful, but also the most efficient, returning 26 miles per gallon in the city and 31 on the highway.
Standard safety features include hill start assist, a tire pressure monitoring system, electronic stability control, and an array of front and side impact airbags. The Soul does not come standard with a backup camera; it is optional on the base and standard on all other trims. The Soul is available with high-tech safety gear like blind spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert, a lane departure warning system, and a forward collision warning system.
Base MSRP for the 2017 Kia Soul is $16,100. A Plus trim starts at $19,800, while the Exclaim starts at $22,800. Our test model also included the Tech Package, at $3,000, and the Panoramic Sunroof Package, adding an additional $1,000. As optioned, our test model costs in the neighborhood of $27,800.
The Kia Soul is unlike the typical compact car, and that’s actually great news. Many small cars, like the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla act as baby versions of their larger sedan counterparts, but that seriously limits their potential. The Soul falls into its own category with the ride and handling of a sedan along with SUV-like cabin space and versatility.
