2021 Kia Soul

The trims: LX, S, GT-Line, EX, X-Line, and Turbo are quite a pack of some inspiring features that may get you in a muddle with its finance that starts at $17,590 and goes up to $27,995. But a story never ends without twists and turns. The twists and turns are verisimilitudes of the challengers like the Chevrolet Trax, Honda HR-V, and the Hyundai Kona.

The Kia Soul is available in six trims with varied exclusive additional packages. It gets Vehicle Stability Management andElectronic Stability Control as a standard. The Forward Collision Avoidance-Assist and Blind Spot Collision Warning exclude the LX and begin from the S trim. Moreover, a power sunroof is available with the GT-Line and Turbo only. The X-line and GT-line get an exclusive body kit. With a little more spending one can have a safety assurance with the Smart Cruise Control which is solely available in the Turbo trim. As far as Navigation is concerned, only the EX and Turbo have that privilege.

The Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and 6-Speaker Audio System are integrated into it across all trims except the Turbo which gets a Harman Kardon Audio System with an external amplifier. On one hand, where the GT-line has a D-Shaped Leather Steering Wheel, on the other, the X-Line has been kept devoid of it. The GT-line and EX both are adorned with the Hot Stamping Type Front Grille.

Which Trim should you buy in the 2021 Kia Soul?

The safety features are very much extended from the S trim, therefore it makes it easier for us to keep the LX out of the scene. Since spaciousness and vehicle stability has been given consideration across all, which is an added advantage in the mid-tier trims over the Turbo expense. The Navigation accessibility and power-heating seats enhance the overall driving experience and thus give a slight edge to the EX trim over others. The GT-line and X-line lack those and Turbo gets them at a relatively higher price. Therefore, EX would be apt.

It is true that one expects a wagon to be multi-functional in its approach and so does the Kia it seems. It arms the Soul with a 2.0L I-4 which can exhale a power surge of as much as 147 hp at 6200 RPMs and a torque of 132 lb-ft at 4500 RPMs. Thus, it is not just spacious but impressively powerful as well. This powertrain pack is in line with either a 6-Speed Manual in the LX trim or an Intelligent Variable Transmission in mid-tier trims or a DCT in Turbo trim. This FWD layout is one of the quickest as well with 8.2 seconds and 16.5 seconds for the 0-60 mph mark and quarter-mile respectively.

Though we can assume the Kia Soul and Hyundai Kona as siblings in their engine configuration, the latter is more dominant in both scales. The Hyundai Kona is also the fastest in the lot with a top speed of 127 mph. It is also interesting to note that the Chevrolet Trax has a higher performance curve yet is overwhelmed by others. This drives us towards the importance of the rev-band range where the Chevy needs a rework.

How well does the 2021 Kia Soul handle?

The wagons are not among those which have sound dynamics, partly due to the size and mass transfer. But they can be engineered to be so. The 2021 Kia Soul has a Motor-Driven Power Steering that manages the response from the wheels. With such weight, it becomes obvious to have independent strut front suspensions and torsion beams in the back along with anti-roll bars.

The handling is also assisted by some advanced safety aids and the 4-wheel ABS that keep a check-in avoiding wheel slippage and loss of traction at the time of sudden hard braking. Therefore, one can have decent control over it.

2021 Kia Soul Braking Performance

The 2021 Kia Soul is equipped with 11” rotors in the front and 10.3” in the rear. The 4-wheel ABS with front vented discs are capable of bringing the car to a standstill within a braking distance of 115 ft. This is by a mile one of the best figures in the segment. The braking enclosure includes an Auto Emergency Braking & Warning Technology at its service. The overall braking performance can be credited to a lightweight chassis as well which reduces the forward pull at the calipers.

As it is clear from the data that Kia Soul tends to have absolute supremacy in this domain. The Hyundai is comparable to the Kia in terms of its weight yet is underwhelming with its braking distance of 129 ft. Despite having one of the largest rotors, the Honda HR-V is not way above the Kona. Hence, all the rivals have definitely a long way to travel to match up with the Soul. The data for the Trax is not available which may have enlightened us much more about the bigger picture. 

It has been discussed earlier that Kia offers a real deal in its Soul powertrain. With an Intelligent Variable Transmission, the 2.0 L I-4 gives a whooping mileage of 35 mpg on the highways, 29 mpg in the city, and 31 mpg on average. These numbers are fascinating as it comes with an exciting performance curve. The fuel tank capacity of 14.3 allows it to have the highest range of 500 miles among the competitors. The higher power-weight ratio is one of the many reasons that can’t be ignored for such an achievement.

The engine twin Hyundai Kona offers an almost parallel mileage with 33 mpg on the highways and 30 mpg overall. The Chevrolet Trax comes with the least economy among them but a relatively bigger fuel tank compensates for its range. The HR-V lays behind the Soul at the sweet second spot in this specific domain. Therefore, the Kia Soul is simply a cornerstone with its powertrain prowess in this segment. 

The Kia Soul is a 5-seater that gets so much more than expected with each and every trim. The cabin is encompassed by the Woven Cloth Seat Trim which comes as a standard. This can further be upgraded to the Premium Tricot Cloth Trim in higher variants like the S and GT-Line trims. One gets a Painted Matte Silver Front Door Speaker as a standard with the D-Shaped Leather Steering Wheel in the GT-Line and Turbo. Moreover, one is entitled to a Tilt and Telescopic Steering Column that makes the front row pretty flexible.

Apart from the aforementioned, the Turbo interior accents and setup is one of a class with its Harman KardonAudio System which is coupled with the Center Speaker, Subwoofer, and External Amplifier. Moreover, it does get a Supervision Meter Instrument Cluster that is pretty attractive. On the scale of spaciousness, it marks top-notch with a cargo capacity of 62.1 cubic ft. In comparison to others, it offers a far better front and second row as well. Some of the features are:

• Woven Cloth Seat Trim
• Painted Matte Silver Front Door Speaker
• 6-Speaker Audio System
• Tilt and Telescopic Steering Column

What’s there to keep you entertained in the 2021 Kia Soul?

Just like its interior, the Kia Soul does not leave you unsatisfied with its packages. A 7-inch Color Touch-Screen Display with AM/FM/MP3 Player serves as a starter in the unit. This is then amplified with a 6-Speaker Audio System, Rear-Camera Display, Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay. As we move up to the higher trims the offerings get exciting with the Premium Navigation and UVO link in the EX and the Turbo trims.

The Turbo trim has an exclusive 10.25-inch Color Touch-Screen Display and Wireless Phone Charger with SiriusXM Satellite Radio and HD Radio with a hefty price increment. The Dual Center Console with USB Charging Ports further makes up the list of features that can get you tempted. The highlights of this section are:

• Android Auto
• Apple CarPlay
• 7-inch Color Touch-Screen Display 
• SiriusXM Satellite Radio and HD Radio
• UVO link

An exterior appeal is as important as an interior accent. With regards to the Kia Soul, it fairly leaves a dent in its overall outlook with an unimpressive expression throughout. The exterior packages that come along do try to fill up the void to some extent. The Black Radiator Grille on the LX, S, and the X-Line covers most of the front fascia. While the same is accomplished with the Hot Stamping Type Front Grille in the GT-Line, EX, and the Turbo. On top of that, the X-line and GT-line get an exclusive body kit for them. The rear of it is pretty impressive with a touch of Chrome-Tipped Center Exhaust. 

In terms of dimensions, one can’t conclude much as they are well within the standard figures and close to one another. The Chevrolet Trax appears to be a little more than the others for its weight department and thus needs a reduction for sure. The dimensional aspect of the Kia Soul depicts that it has been contained well within a compact design cuboid to avoid a much-expected toppling for such Bodystyle. Some of the features are:

• Hot Stamping Type Front Grille
• Black Radiator Grille
• Chrome-Tipped Center Exhaust
• X-Line Exclusive Body Kit

The Kia Soul has an artillery of advanced and standard safety features which include the Electronic Stability Control, Vehicle Stability Management, Anti-Lock Brake System, and many more across all trims. The higher trims may seem a bit more flashy with the Blind-Spot Monitoring and Forward Collision-Mitigation Assist which become standard from the S trim. The batch of features further extends to Smart Cruise Control that is available in the Turbo trim. 

Apart from the Active features, the passive features and body structure are also well-engineered. The Structural impact resilience makes it worthy of the “Top Safety Pick” award by the IIHS. Further adding to that, it gets a 4-overall rating in the NHTSA crash tests which concretes the safety dimension for the Kia Soul. A few features are: 

• Forward Collision-Mitigation Assist
• Smart Cruise Control 
• Blind-Spot Monitoring
• Vehicle Stability Management

2021 Kia Soul vs. 2021 Chevrolet Trax 

The Kia Soul is a top scorer on all fronts right from space management to fuel economy. Its richness is with its powertrain abilities on the track without any compromise with the practicality. Unfortunately, the same cannot be stated for the Chevrolet Trax as in comparison to the Soul, it lags behind in all the parameters. It also lacks cargo space. On the whole, Kia Soul will suit your budget. 

2021 Kia Soul vs. 2021 Honda HR-V

The Honda HR-V is quite an intuitive one that has a decent fuel economy and cargo spacing, unlike Trax but these miss by a few inches to outclass the Kia Soul. The Soul has a better performance and braking efficiency than the HR-V. Moreover, the Kia has a higher value return when invested in it with much better ergonomics and comfortable row seatings. Thus, one should give a preference to the Soul over the HR-V.

The Kia Soul is one of the best in the segment with top-performing figures in all categories. One can be assured of his/her safety with its baggage of features that are meant for that purpose. Among all, the LX is surely not a one to be given preference but apart from that, one can choose any trim which suits his/her finance and expense. Further adding to that, the Hyundai Kona can also be thought of simultaneously.