The Kia Soul is a subcompact crossover SUV that has been in continuous production since early 2008. Being one of the best-selling models of the segment, the Soul has proven its worth since its arrival in the United States. Being part of the third generation, the 2023 Kia Soul comes with a few changes from the outgoing 2021 model year, making it a more rounded offering.

Offered for a base MSRP of $19,290, the 2023 Kia Soul comes with four trim configurations, which is two fewer trims than the 2022 model. The removal of the Turbo variant for the 2023 model year means that the turbocharged 1.6-liter motor is no longer available. Along with that, the rugged X-Line trim is defunct too. The only other change is the slightly updated exterior design. Competing with the likes of the Mazda CX-30, Hyundai Kona, and Volkswagen Taos, here are 10 things you need to know before buying the 2023 Kia Soul.

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10 Quirky Design

Blue 2023 Kia Soul on display
Kia

The styling of the 2023 Kia Soul sees minor changes from the 2022 model. However, the overall dimensions are retained, and it is still one of the quirkiest subcompact SUVs out there. The tall boy design makes it stand out pretty well from the array of daily drivers that could be spotted on the road. The youthful colors and the neat design elements add to the character too.

2023-kia-soul-front-angular-view
KIA

The 18" wheel design that comes with the highest trims looks ravishing, and the LED headlights and LED taillights adds to the appeal. The boxy design also accentuates the hexagonal grille with silver accents, the new Kia logo, and the subtle fender flares. The silver roof rails and LED indicators on the mirrors ensure that the Soul looks very premium when viewed from the sides.

9 Tall-Boy Design Gives It An Excellent Overall Space

2023-kia-soul-interior
Kia

One thing that is going to impress many family buyers out there is when it comes to the overall space offered to the passengers in this subcompact SUV. The front row and rear row offers better legroom and headroom than most of the rivals, like the Hyundai Kona and Subaru Crosstrek. The rear seats could accommodate three passengers in reasonable comfort, too.

2023 kia soul

When it comes to the cabin storage options, there are multiple bottle holders and cup holders. The large center armrest storage, reasonably sized glove box, and accommodating door cards give it more practicality than you would expect from an SUV at this price point. The cargo space of 24.2 cu ft and split rear seat coming as standard are great too.

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8 A Value For Money Offer

2023-kia-soul-rear-left
Kia

The pricing sees no major differences from the older model years, and it is still an excellent value for money proposition. Even the base LX trim comes loaded with a long list of standard interior and exterior features, making it more desirable than the base trims of the rivals. Most of the rivals are a couple of thousand dollars more expensive.

The 2023 Kia Soul
Kia

Go with the higher trims like the GT-Line and EX trims, and you would be presented with even more features that are often not present in the SUVs that cost double the price. The only gripe we have is the lack of many safety features as standard. Nevertheless, the optional packages and features are economically priced.

7 Fuel Efficiency Is Not The Best

2022 Kia Soul Engine
via Kia

Unlike the 2022 Kia Soul, this 2023 iteration misses out on the 1.6-liter turbocharged inline-4 motor. However, the 2.0-liter motor is still present under the hood of all the rivals, and it comes mated to a well-tuned CVT automatic transmission. The Soul manages 29 MPG in the city, 35 MPG on the highway, and has a combined gas mileage of 31 MPG.

Kia Soul Rear
via Kia

The 14.3-gallon of fuel tank capacity means that the Soul gets about 500 miles of range on a full tank of gas. Even though the fuel efficiency of the Soul is slightly superior to the Honda HR-V and Subaru Crosstrek, Hyundai Kona topped the fuel efficiency chart with 32 MPG of combined gas mileage.

6 Decent Performance

Kia-Soul-2020
via Kia

With the removal of the turbocharged inline-4 motor mated to the DCT, the 2023 Kia Soul only gets the regular naturally aspirated 2.0-liter motor producing 147 hp and 132 lb-ft of torque. The power is sent to the road through a CVT automatic transmission and FWD drivetrain.

Kia Soul 2.0-Liter
Via Motoring Rumpus

The 0-60 mph takes 8 seconds, and it does the quarter-mile run in 16.4 seconds. We found the Soul to be a decent daily driver with reasonable torque lower down the rev range. It is also pretty capable out on the highway due to the better performance and torque numbers in comparison to the rivals. However, the CVT automatic does exhibit a bit of lag.

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5 Watered Down Driving Dynamics

Gray 2022 Kia Soul
Via kiacarrelease.com

In comparison to the Mazda CX-30, the 2023 Kia Soul is not as capable in terms of handling. The best-in-class height and the boxy proportions do bog down the overall driving experience slightly. The 16" wheels that come on the lower trims, the softly sprung suspension, and the FWD drivetrain doesn't give the required grip on the corners.

2023 kia soul

However, if you get the EX trim that comes with the 18" wheels, the car understeers significantly lesser at the start of a sharp corner. The mid-corner direction changes are a bit easier too. Apart from that, the steering is reasonably precise and direct, and the seats offer more than adequate bolstering. The firm brakes are a boon too.

4 Many Safety Features Are Optional

 2023 Kia Soul hd wallpaper
Via: Kiamedia.com

The lower LX and S trims of the Kia Soul miss out on a few driver-assistance techs like blindspot monitoring, automatic high beams, and adaptive cruise control. However, the features like forward-collision warning, automated emergency braking, lane departure warning, and lane-keeping assist are offered with all the trims.

2023 Kia Soul Aerial view
Via: netcarsshow

In comparison, the Honda HR-V and Mazda CX-30 offer all the safety and driver-assistance features as standard with even the lowest trim configuration. Nevertheless, the Soul offers solid build quality, and the outgoing 2022 model received top-notch ratings in both the NHTSA and IIHS crash tests.

3 Best In Class Warranty Coverage

Kia-Soul_EV-2015-Rear
Via: NetCarShow

Like all the other offerings from the Hyundai and Kia stables, the 2023 Soul comes with an excellent 10-year or 100,000-mile powertrain warranty and a limited warranty cover of 5 years or 60,000 miles. However, unlike the Hyundai, Kia doesn't offer any complimentary maintenance coverage with the Soul.

2023 Kia Soul front third quarter view
Via: Kiamedia.com

The 2022 model of the Soul also managed to receive the second-highest overall consumer rating of 83 out of 100 in the JD Power report, with the best in class 87 out of 100 in the quality & reliability section. It received no recall for the past two years as well.

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2 Precise Brakes

2023 Kia Soul wheel close-up view
Via: Kiamedia.com

Coming with the same 11" front rotors and 10.3" rear rotors and all the braking features like brake assist, ABS with EBD, automated emergency braking, and hill hold control, the 2023 Soul offers a sharp and precise braking performance. The brakes don't feel very grabby, and the brake fade is minimal.

2023 kia soul

We also expected the front-end dive to be on the higher side, especially due to the boxy dimensions and the front-heavy nature of the vehicle. However, the front-end dive was lower than the Hyundai Kona. The 70-0 mph braking distance of 161 feet makes it one of the better ones in terms of braking performance, too.

1 Bigger 10.3" Infotainment Is Very Intuitive

2023 Kia Soul dashboard layout view
Via: Kiamedia.com

The 10.3" touchscreen infotainment system is considerably nicer than the 8" unit that comes with the lower trims of the Soul. It comes packed with many features like Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, SiriusXM radio, in-built navigation, wireless phone charging, and Bluetooth connectivity.

2023 Kia Soul center console close-up view
Via: Kiamedia.com

The interface is very easy and all the icons are laid out neatly on the home screen, The touch sensitivity and display quality were better than the infotainments that come standard with the rivals like the Honda HR-V and Subaru Crosstrek. The Harman Kardon audio system that is onboard the highest trim is audiophile-grade too.