Kia Soul Research Guide

The Highlights

Winner of the 2020 World Urban Car of the Year, the Kia Soul is one to keep on your list. It's is a 5-seater subcompact crossover SUV that first hit Canadian roads in 2009. It is available with a traditional gas engine or as a fully electric vehicle. In an EV, it comes with 248 km or 383 km of driving range.

The Soul sits in the SUV line-up at about the same size as Kia Niro, but smaller than the Kia Seltos. It sits higher than the Niro, and has slightly smaller trunk space. If you’re looking for cargo options – the Soul has a cargo floor that raises or lowers depending on your cargo needs (110+ litres difference).

The Soul gives you the convenience of a crossover coupled with aggressive front end styling, and the iconic “box” shape offers an unrivaled spacious experience for passengers and cargo alike.

Awards and honors for the Kia Soul and Soul EV:

  • 2020 World Urban Car of the Year: Kia Soul EV
  • 2021 J.D. Power’s U.S. Initial Quality Study segment-best rankings
  • 2021 J.D. Power Quality Winner, Small SUV
  • 2020 J.D. Power Quality Winner, Small SUV
  • 2021 U.S. News & World Report “Best Car for the Money” awards
  • Best Compact Car for the Money by US News and World Report
  • IIHS Top Safety Pick+
  • Kelley Blue Book Coolest Cars under $20,000US

The Soul compares to the Hyundai Kona, Toyota Prius, Nissan Kicks, Kia Niro, and Mazda CX-3.

How does the Kia Soul Compare?

The Kia Soul has seven trim levels to choose from. With the traditional gasoline motor, these include the LX IVT, EX IVT, EX+ IVT, EX PREMIUM IVT, and GT-Line IVT, starting at $23,090 including freight. And in the battery electric EV, there are the EV Premium and EV Limited, which start at $44,790 including freight.

But how does the Kia Soul stack up against the top competitors in the segment? Let's take a peek.

**All prices include freight**

Kia
Soul

  • LX IVT $24,395
  • EX IVT $26,295
  • EX+ IVT $27,095
  • EX PREMIUM IVT $28,995
  • GT-Line IVT $31,295
  • EV Premium $44,895
  • EV Limited $53,895

Toyota
Prius

  • Information to come

Mazda6

  • Information to come

Hyundai
Kona

  • Information to come

Nissan
Leaf

  • Information to come

Kia Soul Trim Levels - Gas

LX IVT

  • 5-year/100,000 km - Worry-Free Comprehensive Warranty
  • 5 year/ unlimited mileage - 24/7 roadside Assistance
  • 2.0L MPI 4-cylinder engine with Auto IVT (Intelligent Variable Transmission)
  • Idle Stop and Go
  • Drive Mode Select
  • 16” Steel Wheel w/ cover
  • Halogen Headlights
  • Heated, Power Side-view Mirrors
  • Cloth Seats
  • Heated Front Seats
  • Air Conditioning
  • Remote Keyless Entry
  • Power Windows
  • Dual-Level Cargo Floor
  • 8” Display Audio
  • Android Auto / Apple CarPlay / Bluetooth
  • Rear-view camera
  • 6 Speakers

EX IVT

  • Adds to LX
  • Forward Collision Avoidance Assist
  • Lane Keep Assist System
  • Driver Attention Alert
  • Blind Spot Detection System
  • Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Avoidance Assist
  • 16” Alloy Wheels
  • Side-view Mirror Turn Signals
  • Heated Leather Wrapped Steering Wheel
  • Cruise Control
  • Wireless Cell Charger
  • USB Charger

EX+ IVT

  • Adds to EX
  • 17” Alloy Wheels
  • LED Headlights / Fog Lights / Taillights w/ High Mounted Stop Light
  • Sunroof
  • Cloth & Artificial Leather Seats

EX Premium IVT

  • Adds to EX+
  • 18” Alloy Wheels
  • Glossy Black and Leather trim interior accents
  • 10.25” Multimedia Interface with Navigation (w/ Satellite Radio)
  • UVO Intelligence
  • Smart Key with Remote Start and Push Button Start
  • Mood Lamps

 

GT-Line Limited IVT

  • Adds to EX Premium
  • Head’s Up Display
  • Smart Cruise Control
  • Advanced Forward Collision Avoidance Assist
  • Sport bumpers, and side sill accents
  • Harmon/Kardon Premium Sound
  • D-Cut Sport Steering Wheel
  • Leather Seats
  • Power Front Seats
  • Ventilated Front Seats
  • Heated Rear Seats
  • Red interior accents, stitching and door accents

Kia Soul Trim Levels - Electric

EV Premium

  • 5-year/100,000 km - Worry-Free Comprehensive Warranty
  • 5 year/ unlimited mileage - 24/7 roadside Assistance
  • Rear Occupant Alert, Lane Follow Assist, Bind Spot Collision 
  • Short Range – 39.2kWh Battery - 248 km Driving Range
  • 134 hp (100 kW) @ 2,600 ~ 8,000 rpm
  • 291 lb.-ft. (395 Nm) @ 0-2,400 rpm
  • 7.2kW On-Board Charger
  • 120V AC Charging Cable
  • 480V DC Fast Charge Port
  • Paddle Shift Regenerative Braking Drive Modes
  • Blind Spot Detection System
  • Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Assist
  • Lane Keeping Assist
  • Advanced Forward Collision Avoidance Assist
  • Avoidance Assist
  • Highway Driving Assist
  • Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist – Junction Turning
  • Driver Attention Warning (DAW)
  • Rear-View Camera w/ Dynamic Guidelines
  • 17” Alloy Wheels
  • Dual Function LED Headlights, Daytime Running Lights, Positioning Lights, Fog Lights, & Rear Taillights
  • Heated, power side-view mirrors with Signal Repeaters
  • Cloth Seats
  • Power Driver Seat w/ 2-way lumbar
  • Heated Front Seats
  • Heated Steering Wheel
  • Advanced Smart Cruise Control with stop and go
  • Smart Key with Push Button Start
  • 10.25” Mulitmedia Interface with Integrated Navigation
  • Android Auto / Apple CarPlay / AM/FM/SiriusXM Satellite Radio / Bluetooth
  • UVO Intelligence Telematics
  • Wireless Cell Phone Charging Pad
  • 7” TFT LCD Supervision Cluster
  • USB Port
  • Steering Wheel Audio Controls
  • 12V Power Outlets

EV Limited

  • Adds to EV Premium
  • Long Range - 64kWh Battery - 383 km Driving Range
  • 201 hp (150 kW) @ 3,800-8,000 rpm
  • 291 lb.-ft. (395 Nm) @ 0-3,600 rpm
  • Heat Pump
  • Sunroof
  • Leather Seats
  • Power Passenger Seat
  • Air-Cooled Front Seats
  • Heated Rear Seats
  • Harmon/Kardon Premium Sound System
  • Head’s Up Display
  • Ambient Mood Lighting

Feature Highlights

  • 1735 litres of cargo volume behind first row
  • 663 litres of cargo volume behind second row; with cargo floor raised there is 530 litres
  • Permanent Magnet AC Synchronous Motor in the EV models
  • Both EV models will take 57 minutes to charge with a DC fast charge, 6 hours 10 minutes with a Level 2 charger, and 36 hours with a Level 1 charger.
  • EV energy consumption (city-highway-combined) is 1.8-2.3-2.0 Le/100km for the 248 km range model, and 1.9-2.4-2.1 Le/100km for the 383 km model
  • 2.0 Nu Atkinson 4-valve 147 hp 132 lb-ft torque engine with Intelligent Variable Transmission in the gas models
  • Estimated Fuel Economy (city-highway-combined) is 8.5-7.0-7.9 L/100km

Winner of 2020 Urban World Car of the Year

Winner of the 2020 Urban Car of the Year award. With its great functionality and impressive electric range, the Soul EV is the affordable electric car to beat.

10.25-Inch Display Screen

Once you have a 10.25-inch display screen, it's hard to imagine anything else. This useful multimedia display lets you adjust the radio, phone options, climate control, navigation, and other key features of your vehicle. 

Spacious Interior

Room for everything you throw at it - the Soul offers over 1700 litres of cargo space. Offering a spacious experience for all 5 passengers plus plenty of storage for your life on the go.

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems

The Kia Soul has a great selection of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems features that are available depending on the model. The EV Premium and EV Limited, especially, come with a ton of STANDARD safety features.

  • Forward Collision Avoidance Assist
  • Lane Keep Assist System
  • Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Avoidance Assist
  • Advanced Forward Collision Avoidance Assist
  • Blind Spot Detection System
  • Driver Attention Warning (DAW)
  • Rear-View Camera w/ Dynamic Guidelines
  • Advanced Smart Cruise Control with stop and go

Technology Like No Other

And like all of Kia’s lineup, the Soul offers a wide array of standard and optional technology. This includes:

  • 7.2kW On-Board Charger (EV)
  • 120V AC Charging Cable (EV)
  • 480V DC Fast Charge Port (EV)
  • Paddle Shift Regenerative Braking Drive Modes (EV)
  • Heat Pump (EV)
  • Advanced Smart Cruise Control with stop and go
  • 10.25” Mulitmedia Interface with Integrated Navigation
  • Android Auto / Apple CarPlay / AM/FM/SiriusXM Satellite Radio / Bluetooth
  • UVO Intelligence Telematics
  • Wireless Cell Phone Charging Pad
  • 7” TFT LCD Supervision Cluster
  • Harmon/Kardon Premium Sound System
  • Head’s Up Display
  • Ambient Mood Lighting

UVO

UVO link telematics offers an array of advanced connected vehicle features, such as connected weather, user profiles, calendar integration, and smart speaker integration (hello, Alexa! Hello Google!). Plus can't-live-without features like:

Connected Routing

A new cloud-based route calculation system that uses UVO cloud to calculate the optimal route. In other words, using real-time maps, predicted upcoming traffic info based on historical information and AI to learn the preferred routes of users, it will get you to your destination.

Enhanced UVO voice assist feature

For example, this allows voice control of the vehicle’s climate, seat and steering-wheel heating, audio system, and other functions.

But don’t take our word for it…

Motortrend.com says: “Spacious, zippy, and boldly styled, the Soul is a value-packed, multi-talented SUV. Its infotainment system is also easy to use—our main complaint is the model’s continued lack of available AWD.” Check out the article here.

Carbuzz.com rates the Soul at 9.2/10: "The Kia Soul has always been in a league of its own in terms of practicality and unique style, but the newest version, redesigned for the 2020 model year, packs in impressive tech and has a class-leading interior to boot." Read the full article here.

Here’s What Soul Drivers have to say, here.

Plus, check out all the official information on the KIA Soul right here at KIA.ca.

You can also access all our articles on the KIA Soul right here.

*Every reasonable effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information listed above. Vehicle pricing, incentives, options (including standard equipment), and technical specifications are subject to change without notice. PLEASE CONFIRM WITH A SALES REPRESENTATIVE THE ACCURACY OF THIS INFORMATION. ERRORS AND OMISSIONS EXCEPTED (E&OE).