www.hotcars.com 10 Things To Know Before Buying The 2022 Kia Soul

The 2022 Kia Soul has been launched for a base MSRP of $19,290 and comes with the same six trim configurations as the outgoing model. Coming with a new logo, an updated touchscreen infotainment system, and more safety and interior features for the higher trims, the 2022 Kia Soul turned out to be even more value for money than the older model.

The 2022 Kia Soul retains the same powertrains and both of them make the car quite fun to drive. There's nothing to complain about regarding the driving dynamics, and the ride quality is very pliant. The car gets many interior and infotainment features as standard, and the spacious cabin do make it stand out pretty well. Competing with Mazda CX-30 and Hyundai Kona, here are 10 things you need to know before getting the 2022 Kia Soul.

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10A Reasonably Peppy Performer

The 2022 Kia Soul comes with two engine options. All the trims except the Turbo trim come with the 2-liter naturally aspirated inline-4 motor mated to a CVT automatic transmission. This motor is capable of putting out a 0-60 mph time of 8 seconds thanks to its 147 hp and 132 lb-ft of torque, and it feels pretty adequate for the segment. When it comes to the performance, we found the base motor to be more than enough, with good low-end and mid-range performance. The CVT does a wonderful job in putting the power down as well.

However, get the 1.6-liter turbocharged inline-4 motor producing an impressive 201 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque if you want more grunt from the get-go. The 0-60 mph and quarter-mile times are considerably less for this motor, and it also comes with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission that provides fast and smooth gear shifts. The mid-range is where this motor shines the most and the turbo lag is well under control too. However, it is a tad bit unrefined in comparison to the 2-liter motor.

9Pliant Ride Quality

The Kia Soul has always been quite famous for its comfortable ride quality, and that's still there in this 2022 iteration as well. Equipped with the regular coil spring suspension system, like its rivals such as the Chevrolet Trailblazer and the Honda HR-V, this tall hatchback turned out to be even more comfortable due to the perfect balance of the suspension, which could handle any type of road.

Drive the Kia Soul on terrible pothole-infested roads, and you would be impressed with how well the suspension absorbs everything thrown at it. Even the biggest of the road undulations and humps are absorbed with ease. While driving at highway speeds, the Soul turned out to be surprisingly agile and flat. There is very minimal vertical movement, and you could munch miles all day long without breaking a sweat.

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8Sure-Footed Driving Dynamics

Being a weirdly boxy hatchback of the segment with high ground clearance, the Kia Soul may not be on your shortlist if you are in search of a car with sure-footed driving dynamics. However, this general perception is far from the truth. The suspension is not tuned to the softer side, unlike the rivals, and that helps the car to take corners without much body roll.

The car only understeers at the limits and in comparison to the Hyundai Kona, which is one of its biggest rivals, the soul felt more fun. The steering is not too sloppy, and it weighed up pretty well with the higher speeds, increasing the confidence of the driver. The feel and feedback from the steering are adequate, and the car holds on to the corner with no issues.

7Striking Design Language

The quirky design language of the 2022 Kia Soul makes the car look nothing like anything. The boxy design language has been carried forward unchanged from the 2021 iteration, and the subtle elements and attention to detail make it one of the few offerings that could definitely turn heads while on the move. We also admire the long list of color palettes, unlike the rivals.

The front end gets the sharp LED headlights with LED DRLs and foglights, chrome grille and air dam, and impressive height and ground clearance. The car may look like a toaster from the side profile, akin to some of the Kei cars, but that just adds to the overall design of the Soul. The subtle character lines and fender flares, 17" alloy wheels, LED taillights, and neat spoiler looks appealing too.

6Cabin Is Very Spacious

The 2022 Kia Soul is a 5-seater hatchback and the excellent cabin design helps this hatchback to rival some of the offerings which are bigger in dimensions. Step into the front row, and you would be impressed with the top-notch headroom and legroom on offer. The shoulder room of 55.5" also helps it feel more spacious.

The same applies to the rear seat as well, which has more than adequate headroom, legroom, and shoulder room. However, the rear seat is not very accommodating for the fifth passenger, similar to all the rivals, due to the tight shoulder room and protruding central tunnel. Nevertheless, the seats are well-padded and provide excellent all-around support for the passengers.

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5Mediocre Gas Mileage

The fuel efficiency turned out to be not as impressive as some of the rivals of the segment. When equipped with the base 2-liter naturally aspirated motor, the 2022 Soul returns about 27 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway. The combined gas mileage of 30 mpg turned out to be lower than the Volkswagen Taos, which had the best-in-class fuel efficiency figures.

The turbocharged trim of the Kia Soul managed to do 27 mpg in the city, 32 mpg on the highway, and 29 mpg of combined gas mileage. With 14.3-gallons of fuel tank capacity, this hatchback could do 457 miles of highway range, which is not as good as the rivals. Overall, if you want something more frugal and could do more miles out of every tank full, there are better alternatives out there.

4Many Safety Features Are Optional

The 2022 Kia Soul managed to do pretty well in both the NHTSA and the IIHS crash test, and the decent list of standard and optional safety kits and impressive build quality are reasons for it. This hatchback comes with all the basic safety features like ABS, driveline traction control, stability control, backup camera, side-impact beams, airbags, and many more.

Apart from the base LX trim, all the other trims get a few driver-assistance features like collision mitigation system, tire pressure monitoring, driver monitoring alert, etc as standard. However, the forward collision warning, automated emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, etc are optional extras. In comparison, the Mazda CX-30 comes loaded with all these techs as standard across all the trims.

3Precise Braking Performance

Coming with the same 12" front rotors and 11.2" rear rotors, the 2022 Kia Soul could handle hard braking with no major issues. The braking hardware offered superb initial bite through the pedals, and we were also quite happy with the decent feedback on offer. Even when you press the brake pedal hard, the car comes to a stop with no hesitation.

There is none of the fishtailing that you generally see with some of the cheaper SUVs, and even the nose dive is pretty minimal. The car could also do 70-0 mph braking in just 161 feet, making it slightly better than the rivals like the Hyundai Kona and the Subaru Crosstrek. The ABS intrusion is not high and will only get activated when it is absolutely necessary.

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2Infotainment And Audio System Are Superb

This is one area in which this 2022 iteration of the Kia Soul managed to get the most updates. Unlike the previous model year, the 2022 Soul comes with 10.3" touchscreen infotainment for all the trims except the base LX trim. The LX trim gets the 8" touchscreen infotainment system. Both the systems are filled to the brim with features and are highly intuitive, too.

The display quality is superb, and even the older folks are going to be happy with the straightforward interface on offer. When it comes to the features, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth, voice recognition, steering mounted audio controls, and many more come as standard. However, navigation, SiriusXM radio, and wireless charging are only offered with the 10.3" infotainment. The Limited trim comes with the Harman Kardon audio system, and the audio quality is as good as expected from the brand.

1Interior Is Well Put Together

Apart from the superb interior space and a long list of standard features on offer, we were also more than pleased with the top-notch interior quality. Even with such a low base price tag, it turned out to be better than the rivals like the Chevrolet Traverse and Honda HR-V, due to the soft-touch plastics, leather inserts, and other premium materials used for construction.

The 2022 Kia Soul also had no fitment issues, unlike the Traverse which had uneven panel gaps and loose panels, which managed to make it look a bit cheap. The interior felt tight and there was no rattling from anywhere as well. Apart from that, the leather and stitching of the seats felt very upmarket, and the seats offer superb padding and bolstering, which are not very common with such cheap offerings.