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Review QuickTakes:
What is the 2023 Kia Soul?
Remember when Kia Soul commercials had rapping hamsters? Those days are long gone, but the 2023 Soul still exudes plenty of personality. Kia calls the Soul a crossover these days, though it doesn’t offer an all-wheel-drive (AWD) system or any more than 6.7 inches of ground clearance. Instead, it has a unique design, seating for up to five people, and cargo space that expands from 24.2 cubic feet to 62.1 cu.-ft. when you fold down the back seat. It slots below the Kia Seltos in the company’s lineup.
What’s New for the 2023 Kia Soul?
Kia updates the 2023 Soul with freshened styling, new paint colors, more standard safety features, and expanded availability of infotainment and driver assistance technologies. The SUV-inspired Soul X-Line trim and powerful Soul Turbo models vanish, leaving four trim levels powered by the same 147-horsepower engine and continuously variable transmission (CVT).
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How Much is a Kia Soul?
This year, 2023 Kia Soul prices range from the low $20,000s to the mid $20,000s, including the destination charge to ship the compact car from the Gwangju, South Korea factory that builds it to your local dealership.
2023 Kia Soul Trim Levels and Configurations
Every Kia Soul comes in a five-door hatchback form with a floating roof design and nearly vertical rear liftgate. For 2023, Kia simplifies the Soul model lineup to four trim levels:
Kia Soul LX – The most affordable version of the Soul includes 16-inch steel wheels with plastic wheel covers, dark-tinted rear privacy glass, power-adjustable side mirrors, and remote keyless entry. The interior features a tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel, power windows, power door locks, air conditioning, cloth seats, a six-way manually adjustable driver’s seat, and a 60/40-split folding rear seat.
So far, that’s standard fare for an entry-level machine like the Soul LX. But, surprisingly, the base model also has digital instrumentation and an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, a USB data port, and six stereo speakers. Safety features include a rear-seat reminder system, forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assistance, and a driver attention monitor.
Kia Soul S – Upgrade to the Soul S for 16-inch alloy wheels, hands-free keyless entry with push-button starting and remote engine start, dual-zone automatic climate control, and a 10-way power driver’s seat. Tech enhancements include a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a navigation system, Kia Connect connected services, SiriusXM satellite radio, more USB ports, and a wireless smartphone charger. An active blind-spot monitoring system, rear cross-traffic alert, and automatic rear braking are also standard on the Soul S.
Kia Soul GT-Line – For a sporty look, choose the Soul GT-Line. It features 18-inch alloy wheels, revised exterior styling, and a power sunroof. The interior gets a leather-wrapped sport steering wheel, cloth seats with simulated leather bolsters, and a rear-seat armrest with a cupholder.
Kia Soul EX – The Soul EX builds on S trim with 17-inch alloy wheels, heated exterior mirrors, a power sunroof, cargo area enhancements, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, premium cloth seat trim, and heated front seats.
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2023 Kia Soul Review and Test Drive
Capital One plans to evaluate and review this vehicle during the current model year. Therefore, we will update this page with driving impressions later.
Kia Soul Competitors for 2023
*Links to other model years have been added when 2023 data has not been available.
Kia isn’t the only car company selling a front-drive hatchback as a crossover SUV. Direct rivals to the Soul include the Hyundai Venue, Nissan Kicks, and Toyota C-HR. Of course, you might also compare a Soul to traditional compact hatchbacks such as the Honda Civic, Mazda3, and Toyota Corolla. Subcompact SUVs that might compete with the Soul include the Chevrolet Trailblazer, Honda HR-V, Hyundai Kona, Mazda CX-30, Subaru Crosstrek, Toyota Corolla Cross, and Volkswagen Taos.
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Kia Soul Features
Highlights
Small cars used to be what you drove because you had to, not because you wanted to. Vehicles like the Kia Soul help to change that paradigm thanks to the personality-rich design, quality construction, and high-tech features. Plus, the Soul offers plenty of practicality at a lower price. Just be sure to check out the crash-test ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) because the Soul delivers underwhelming results in one of the side-impact protection assessments.
2023 Kia Soul Safety Features
- Forward Collision-Avoidance – Standard forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking system, with pedestrian detection capability
- Lane Keep Assist – Standard feature that actively attempts to prevent the Soul from wandering out of the lane of travel
- Blind Spot Collision Avoidance – Available feature that actively attempts to prevent a driver from making an unsafe lane change*
- Adaptive cruise control – Available feature with stop-and-go capability*
- Junction Turning Assist – Available feature that actively attempts to prevent dangerous turns across oncoming traffic*
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2023 Kia Soul Technology Features
- Digital instrumentation – Standard feature
- Infotainment system – Standard 8-inch and an available 10.25-inch touchscreen
- Smartphone connectivity – Standard Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto
- Connected services – Available Kia Connect connected services*
- Navigation system – Available feature*
2023 Kia Soul Interior Features
- Cloth seats – Standard feature
- Power-adjustable driver’s seat – Available feature*
- Heated front seats – Available feature*
- Power sunroof – Available feature*
- Premium sound system – Available Harman Kardon audio system*
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2023 Kia Soul Specs
2.0L four-cylinder engine
- 147 hp and 132 lb.-ft. of torque
- Continuously variable transmission
- Front-wheel drive
- EPA fuel economy rating of 30 mpg to 31 mpg in combined driving
*Availability is subject to specific trim level selections
