Introduced in 2008 but not arriving stateside until 2010, the Kia Soul has spent the last decade leading the way in the subcompact crossover arena. Now, for 2020, the third generation of the Kia Soul has arrived and it’s undoubtedly the best iteration yet.
Kia’s Soul has been synonymous with a young, hip crowd looking for a fun vehicle at an attainable price. For 2020, Kia has expanded the Soul line-up with the GT-Line that includes two powertrain options: a 2.0L version that’s naturally-aspirated and a peppy 1.6L 4-cylinder turbo version that’s sporty, fresh, and overall a joy to ride.
The heart of the GT-Line 1.6 Turbo is its direct-injection turbo engine mated to a 7-speed dual clutch tranny. This tranny and powertrain combination functions beautifully with smooth shifts despite some turbo lag when driving in Comfort or Eco mode. However, in Sport mode the car’s turbo lag does improve, providing an exhilirating drive that can’t really be described as fast but rather peppy, as noted above, with 201hps and 195 lb-ft. of torque at only 1,500 RPM. Fuel economy is suggested at 29mpg in mixed city/highway driving. I averaged just under 26mpg in mostly city driving after a week in the saddle. Not too shabby but not overwhelming considering the standard GT-Line features a larger 2.0L naturally aspirated 4-cylinder that averages about the same fuel efficiency though not as peppy as this Turbo iteration.
Design-wise a few features are noticeably different in this version of the Soul compared to the previous second generation car. The front and rear fascia are sleeker and look fantastic with GT-Line badging front and rear. On the interior, the car is quite comfortable for an average-sized adult with 24.2 cubic feet of cargo space and adequate legroom in the second row for anyone under 6’5”. The 10-speaker Harmon Kardon sound system sounds fantastic and is immersive with a lighting system that “thumps” and changes with the beat of the music. This features really rounds out the Soul experience and compliments the interior door paneling that’s futuristic yet 100% appropriate for this car.
The 10.3-inch Infotainment system is intuitive and integrates Apple CarPlay for those using iPhone/iPad products. The native system, when CarPlay is not in use, is intelligently laid out and a feature I’ve come to like with other Kia products including their car-turned-SUV Telluride platform (see that review in OutdoorX4 Magazine’s Issue 36 due out in mid-February 2020).
At a starting price of $27,490 for the Kia Soul GT-Line with the 1.6L Turbo, it’s hard to to not like this car. Sure, it’s not nearly as glorious as Kia’s Stinger GT (a much quicker sports car that’s justifiably more expensive given its suite of characteristics) but for the money, I dig the Kia Soul GT-Line and expect it to do very well with a younger, hipper crowd looking for a car that not only gets you from Point A to Point B but makes that experience an enjoyable one.