The Kia Soul is a remarkable vehicle; 2023 is its 14th model year (Gary and Genie Anderson wrote about the first one in the June 2009 On the Road). It hasn’t strayed from its mission, hasn’t radically changed.
It’s not the same exact vehicle it was in 2009 – there have been running changes and improvements, but nothing that would have you look at the new Soul and say, “What’s that car?”
For instance, the front and rear styling of the 2023 Soul are redesigned. But you’d probably have to park next to a ’22 to tell what the changes are. There are new colors, tending toward brighter shades, and a simplified lineup of five trim levels (the X-Line and Turbo have been discontinued).
There’s also simplicity under the hood. For 2023, there is only one engine for those five Soul trims – a 147-horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder – and one transmission, a CVT that Kia prefers to call an IVT (Intelligent Variable Transmission). The 201-horsepower that was in the previous-gen Turbo is not available even as an option.
Zero to 60 in 8 seconds isn’t world-beating performance, but it’s also not painfully slow, and your patience on on-ramps is rewarded by an Environmental Protection Agency fuel economy estimate of 30 mpg, combined city/highway.
The interior is even more gently revised – just slight reshapings of certain elements, and a flat-bottomed steering wheel for GT-Line models. The 10.25-inch color touchscreen, with navigation, is standard on all but the base LX trim.
Feature content for money is a core Kia strength, and that’s true of the Soul, too. Our tester was the second from top-of-the-line GT-Line (there’s a GT-Line Tech at the top of the trim chart this year). Base price is $24,685, including destination. And at that price, a comprehensive active safety suite is standard, along with the aforementioned navigation, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, dual-zone automatic climate control, smart key with pushbutton start, leather-wrapped steering wheel, wireless phone charger, 18-inch wheels and power sunroof (deleted on our tester).
The only extra-cost option on our tester was carpeted floor mats ($135), so the as-tested price totaled $24,820.
And that’s the other way in which Kia is keeping the Soul on target – pricing. Very well equipped for under $25,000 out the door is what passes for dirt cheap in new cars these days. The Soul in many ways is the new (original) VW Beetle – a car that seems not to change yet gets better all the time.
Mike Hagerty, vice president of membership for Western Automotive Journalists, has been writing about cars since 1997. Read more of his reviews on his website (MikeHagertyCars.com) and follow him on Twitter (twitter.com/mikehagertycars).
