2014 Kia Soul

The starting price of 2014 Kia Soul is $14,900 and it can go up to $20,500 for the top-tier Exclaim/! Trim. With the two different engine options, airy cabin, and big cargo space, Kia Soul is in competition with the power rivals such as the FIAT 500L, Nissan Cube, and Scion xB.

There are three trim levels available on the 2014 Kia Soul. The base trim has a starting price of $14,900 with the manual transmission and $16,900 with the automatic transmission. It provides 16-inch alloy wheels, cloth seats, SiriusXM, a 6-speaker sound system, Dual map lights with sunglasses holder, Remote keyless entry, and manual air conditioning.

The Plus trim upgrades the cloth seats to leather-trimmed seats and has bigger wheels as well. An optional Automatic temperature control, Heated steering wheel, Push Button Start with Smart Key, Heated front seats, an upgraded Infinity audio system is given on the Plus trim. In addition to the Plus trim, Exclaim trim adds an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, optional ventilated seats, 4.3-inch TFT LCD display, Cooling glove box, and standard heated leather-wrapped steering wheel.

Plus trim has three packages. The ECO Package adds low rolling resistance tires, ISG System, and 16-inch alloy wheels, the Audio Package gives the upgraded sound system, HD radio, and UVO eServices infotainment system. The PRIMO PACKAGE adds the heating and ventilation function to the front seats, and power adjustability to the driver seat. The Exclaim trim has nearly the same features which get added under the sun & sound package and Whole Shabang Package.

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It would be wiser to select the Plus/+ trim since not only it has all the features such as heated front seats, and a touchscreen but also has bigger wheels and nearly all the options of the topmost Exclaim/! Trim.

The base trim has a 1.6-liter naturally aspirated inline-4 engine which can be paired with either 6-speed manual transmission or 6-speed automatic transmission. The standard engine generates 1130 hp and 118 lb-ft of torque. With this arrangement, Kia Soul can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 9.8 seconds which gets reduced by 1.1 seconds if a 2.0-liter engine is selected.

On the + and ! trims, a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated engine is given which is betrothed to a 6-speed automatic transmission. No matter which engine you pick, power gets transferred to the front wheels as standard. Although Soul does not give an athletic feeling, it certainly is easy to handle and fun to drive around the town. With the new MacPherson strut, front suspension ride quality has definitely improved. 

Although Soul does not have the smallest engine in the competition, it does have the least torque against the rivals. Meanwhile, the Cube which has the lowest horsepower completes the 0-60 mph in 10.6 seconds which makes it the slowest car among the bunch. The fastest wagon is from FIAT which does the 0-60 mph task 0.8 seconds earlier than the Soul whereas the xB wagon achieves the same goal 0.1 seconds later than the FIAT 500L.

Whether you select the base engine with an automatic or manual transmission, the 2014 Kia Soul will return a fuel economy of 24 mpg in the city, 30 mpg on the highway, and 26 mpg combined. However, when a 2.0-liter inline-4 engine is equipped, the Soul returns one less mpg in the city and one more mpg on the highway. The combined fuel economy remains unchained. 

On one hand, the FIAT 500L is the least thirsty car while on the other hand, Scion xB is the most thirsty one in the bunch. Meanwhile, the Nissan Cube has a fuel economy of 1 mpg and 3 mpg less in the city and on the highway respectively as compared to the FIAT 500L.

After the redesign, the quality of the materials in the cabin has improved. The cabin is spacious and the rear seats are well-cushioned. Cloth upholstery is standard on the base trim which can be replaced with the leather upholstery on the higher trims. The + trim has a leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear shifter knob as an option but these are standard on the Exclaim trim.

The driver seat has a 6-way manual adjustment which can be upgraded to a 10-way power adjustment on the higher trims. Unlike the other two trims, base trim misses out on the heated and ventilated front seats. A 60/40 split-folding rear seat can increase the cargo capacity from 24.2 cu-ft to 61.3 cu-ft. Some standard cabin features include manual air conditioning, tilt and telescopic steering column, Trip computer, Power windows, and door locks, two 12-V power outlets, and a day/night rearview mirror.

Despite having a leading front head and legroom, the Nissan Cube has the least spacious cabin of all. The roomiest cabin belongs to the Scion xB that has a passenger volume of 110.9 cu-ft which is 9.9, 13.2, and 11.2 cu-ft more than Kia Soul, Nissan Cube, and FIAT 500L respectively. That said, the largest cargo capacity is offered on the Soul whereas the least is offered on the Nissan Cube. Major interior features include:

• Cloth trimmed upholstery
• 60/40 split-folding rear seat
• Tilt and telescopic steering wheel
• 10-way power-adjustable driver's seat (optional)
• Heated and ventilated front seats (optional)
• Push Button Start with Smart Key (optional)

How intuitive is the 2014 Soul’s infotainment unit?

An 8-inch touchscreen with a navigation system is given on the Plus and Exclaim trims. UVO eServices are optional on Plus and standard on the Exclaim trim. A 6-speaker sound system is standard which can be upgraded to a better Infinity audio system with a center speaker, subwoofer, and an external amplifier. SiriusXM, Bluetooth, USB port, and an aux jack are standard on the base trim. 4.2-inch TFT driver information display is given optional on the Exclaim trim whereas, front-door speaker lights and HD radio, are optional on the upper two trims.

• 8-inch touchscreen
• Navigation system
• SiriusXM satellite radio
• 6-speaker sound system
• HD radio (optional)

The exterior design of the newly redesigned Soul is taken from the 2012 Kia Track’ster concept. At the front, other than Kia’s signature tiger-nose grille, fog lights and large trapezoidal lower front air intake are taken from the Track’ster concept. A Body-colored fascia accent is given on the topmost trim to a different charm to the exterior design. At the top, the roof rack ready is given. Auto-on/off headlights and front fog lights are not given on the base trim, optional on the Plus trim, and standard on the Exclaim trim. 

Standard rear privacy glass is given throughout the lineup while the Panoramic sunroof with power sunshade is optional on the upper two trims. Soul Exclaim comes with the LED positioning lights, LED tail lights, and optional HID headlights. The 2014 Soul runs on the standard 16-inch alloy wheels which can be replaced with 17-inch and 18-inch alloy wheels on the Plus and Exclaim trim respectively. 

If we compare curb weights, 500L certainly weighs more than any other wagon in the segment. In terms of exterior dimensions, the Cube is the most compact wagon of all. xB is the longest, Soul is the widest, and 500L is the tallest in the competition. The 500L also has the leading wheelbase but it has the least amount of ground clearance. Major exterior features are:

• 16-inch alloy wheels
• Roof rack ready (mounting points)
• Rear privacy glass
• Power adjustable heated side mirrors
• Front fog lights (optional)
• Panoramic sunroof with power sunshade (optional)

After the redesign, the chassis is stiffer and suspension has been improved which translates into better ride quality. The new chassis has 66 percent high-strength steel. The 2014 Kia Soul has received an overall 5-star safety rating from the NHTSA. IIHS has given all ‘Good’ ratings in all of its crash tests. However, the 2014 model did not earn the ‘top safety pick’ award given by the IIHS to the 2013 Kia Soul. Coming to the safety features, 2014 Kia Soul has the following on offer:

• Cruise control
• Brake assist
• Hill-start assist
• FlexSteer driver-selectable steering assist
• Tire-pressure monitoring system
• Anti-lock braking system
• Engine immobilizer (optional)
• Backup camera (optional)
• Idle Stop & Go (ISG) system (optional)

The Kia Soul is a great catch as long as it checks all the boxes from an exhaustive feature list to decent fuel economy, from acute exterior design to a sophisticated interior. However, if you want better fuel economy, more spacious cabin, and quicker acceleration, pricy rivals from FIAT and Scion are worth tracking a look.