Kia Soul 2022 Review

The Kia Soul is one of the rare vehicles that defies easy categorization. On the outside, the Soul resembles a boxy SUV, but its car-like ride height and lack of all-wheel drive make it more like a hatchback. While its taxonomy might be confusing, the Soul's wide range of strengths makes it one of our favorite small runabouts.

For 2022, the Soul gets a few updates that build on its recent 2020 redesign. The larger 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen is now more widely available, and the base touchscreen is a little bigger, growing from 7 inches to 8 inches. Fans of the manual transmission will need to pour another one out, however, because the Soul has lost its shift-it-yourself gearbox.

The Kia Soul is one of our favorite small vehicles, and you should add it to your short list if you're looking for a useful but charismatic car. Other strong contenders from this segment are the new and impressive Chevrolet Trailblazer, the Hyundai Kona and the sporty Mazda CX-30. Take a look at our detailed Soul Expert Rating below to learn more.

The 2022 Kia Soul is available in six trim levels: LX, X-Line, GT-Line, S, EX and Turbo. Each successive trim gets you more standard features, and the Turbo has a more powerful engine as well. Highlights include:

You get a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine (147 horsepower, 132 lb-ft of torque) on all the trim levels except for the top-of-the-line Turbo, which uses a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder (201 hp, 195 lb-ft). A continuously variable transmission (CVT) is standard on all but the Turbo model — it gets a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. All trims are front-wheel-drive.

LX Starts you out with:

• Air conditioning
• 8-inch infotainment touchscreen
• Six-speaker audio system
• Cruise control
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration

LX Technology package This optional package adds 16-inch alloy wheels and useful advanced driver aids such as:

• Blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert (warns you if a vehicle is in your blind spot during a lane change or while in reverse)
• Forward collision mitigation (warns you of an impending collision and applies the brakes in certain scenarios)
• Lane keeping assist (steers the Soul back into its lane if it begins to drift over the lane marker)
• Driver attention warning (issues an alert if sensors determine you are becoming fatigued)

X-Line Has an off-road-inspired look as well as:

• Roof rails
• 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen
• Integrated navigation system
• Dual-zone automatic climate control
• Wireless smartphone charger
• Proximity keyless entry and push-button start
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Advanced safety features from the LX Technology package

GT-Line Like the X-Line but with a sportier look thanks to a mesh-style grille and more body-colored accents. It also has:

• Sunroof
• Premium cloth upholstery

S Stepping up to the S trim includes the extra convenience features above, minus the special styling enhancements and sunroof. You also get a power-adjustable driver's seat.

EX Compared to the S, the EX trim adds several convenience and comfort items that include:

• 17-inch wheels
• Heated outside mirrors
• Sunroof
• Heated front seats
• Rear center armrest
• Cargo cover and space divider

Turbo The Turbo trim builds off the EX's feature list and adds:

• Turbocharged 201-hp four-cylinder engine
• Seven-speed automatic transmission
• LED headlights and foglights
• Head-up display
• Simulated leather upholstery
• Upgraded power-adjustable driver's seat
• Heated steering wheel
• Premium Harman Kardon audio system
• Adaptive cruise control (maintains a driver-set distance between the Soul and the car in front)