Kia Soul GT Line

Test Drive Notes Library

Pros
The Shape. We come to praise the Kia Soul. We, at Car Talk, love practicality, and so, apparently, do the folks at Kia. Rather than labor over the latest styling, Kia came up with a practical design and stuck with it. And in the same way boxy Volvos had their own anti-style-style, the Soul is lovable because it’s practical.
Value. Our test Kia Soul GT-line went out the door for less than $25,000. That’s almost half today’s average new car transaction price. And for that money, you get a car that’s easy to drive and park, reasonably roomy (especially given its outside dimensions) for four people, with some cargo room in the back, most modern safety features, 29 mpg overall in our testing, a long warranty, and USB ports in the back for the kids.
Easy. The boxy shape has several advantages, aside from being able to distinguish your car in a parking lot from every other curvy crossover. There’s excellent headroom, so it feels roomier inside than it looks. Because the sides of the car don’t slope inward for styling, shoulder room is good. The doors are big enough and squared off enough to make getting in and out easy, even in the back seats. And although there’s not a lot of room for cargo behind the seats, because the space is squared off, the Soul makes the most of it. There’s also a small lip at the bottom of the cargo, to prevent things from rolling out.
Easy, Part II. The Soul is easy to drive. It has a front wheel drive feel, with handling that’s nimble and predictable. It’s small outside, with a good turning circle, so it’s easy to park and maneuver in small spaces. Visibility is pretty good too, due to lots of glass.
Easy, Part III. Soul’s controls are very straightforward and easy to use. Everything from the shifter to the heating and ventilation controls are things you’ll recognize immediately, and not have to go searching the owner’s manual for how to operate.
Enough engine. The Soul uses a 147 hp 2-liter four-cylinder engine. That’s hardly an overwhelming amount of power, but the Soul is a fairly small car, and it’s tuned to feel zippy enough in around-town driving. If you slam down on the gas to pass a dual tractor trailer truck carrying Tombstone Pizza, you’re not going to impress anybody with your speed. But in everyday driving, it’s fine. The continuously variable transmission (CVT) impressed us in that it doesn’t feel like a CVT. It feels more like a conventional automatic, and we really didn’t notice it operating. The engine and transmission seem well matched.
Safety upgrades. For 2023, forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking are standard on all Souls. For all Souls! Blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic warning systems are optional on some trim levels, but it’s all standard on the GT-line, along with lane keeping assist.

Cons
Ride. While the seats are reasonably comfortable, the ride is pretty firm. Some compromises are necessary to sell a car for $25,000 in 2023, and in the Soul’s case, one of those compromises is a somewhat stiff ride.
Engine noise. Another thing that distinguishes the Soul from a vehicle that costs twice as much is that when you really step on the gas, you hear the engine. There’s not an abundance of sound deadening or acoustic glass at this price point.
Small BSM lights. The blind spot monitoring lights are embedded in the Soul’s side view mirrors, and we wish they were bigger and brighter. We’re fans of blind spot monitors that get the driver’s attention, rather than ones that the driver has to look for.
Kia screen interface. It’s never been our favorite interface, as it’s not always intuitive or easy to find what you want. But the Soul comes with Apple Car Play and Android Auto as a useful workaround.