When the Kia Soul was introduced in 2010, the doubters were left, right and center. Entries such as the Nissan Cube fell flat with consumers and it was hard to imagine that Kia of all manufacturers would find success in a small segment. With over 100,000 sales across North America between 2011 and 2018, Kia proved all the naysayers wrong with quirky styling, fun to drive attitude and value proposition. As the demand for EVs grows, the 2023 Kia Soul GT-Line Limited attempts to keep people interested in a shrinking market.
Stylistically, the 2023 Kia Soul doesn’t stray far from its humble beginnings. The overall shape remains the same however the body has a more grown up, high tech look. The headlights and taillights have been redone; LEDs are found front and rear on our GT-Line Limited. The front bumper has been updated as well as the rear fascia. Put last year’s model beside our tester to notice all of the small updates. Both 17 and 18 inch wheel options have new designs. The larger wheels are standard on our GT-Line Limited. With its funky and boxy style, the Kia Soul still manages to stand out.
The interior remains well designed ergonomically. Everything is well within reach of the driver. Material quality is good but not great; thankfully interior build quality remains top notch. The seats were reasonably comfortable during my daily commute and didn’t give them much thought which is a good thing. Head room front and rear is plentiful for my six-foot-plus frame. With 530 liters of cargo space with the rear seats up and 663 with the seats folded, loading up your Soul for a weekend getaway is not a concern.
Our 2023 Soul GT-Line Limited tester has a standard 10.25 inch infotainment touchscreen with navigation, while lower trim levels make do with an eight-inch screen. Kia Connect, formerly UVO, remains one of the best systems for its ease of use and quick response. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard but unfortunately require a wired connection. A Harman-Kardon premium sound system is standard fare but nothing truly special here.
Safety features are aplenty in the Soul GT-Line. Buyers will find Rear Occupant Alert, Highway Drive Assist, Lane Follow Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Rear Cross Traffic Collision Avoidance Assist, Blind Spot Collision Avoidance Assist, Smart Cruise Control and Advanced Forward Collision Avoidance Assist.
Sadly, Kia has killed off the turbo version of the Kia Soul and our top spec GT-Line gets the same engine found on the base model. A 2.0-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder is present with a rather lackluster 147 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque. A sprint to 100km/h takes around 8.2 seconds, whereas the formerly-available turbocharged model would accomplish this in just 6.5 seconds. Kia uses their Intelligent Variable Transmission (IVT) as the sole option, with no manual available.
With the Kia Soul being front-drive only, it has always missed out on the segment of buyers looking for all-wheel-drive, especially here in Canada. With the rear torsion beam axle suspension out back, look for a bit more hop and average handling capabilities. The 2023 Kia Soul will not be on a list of vehicles to tackle curvy roads.
Thankfully, Kia has retained the Soul’s value proposition for consumers at a time when some cars are going for thousands over sticker price. A 2023 Kia Soul EX starts at $22,595, while our GT-Line Limited model with all of the bells and whistles comes in at $29,495 fully loaded. Keeping with the low cost to own, fuel economy is quite competitive at 8.5L/100km city and 7.0L/100km on the highway, for a combined 7.9L/100km. During our test week, we achieved 8.4L/100km in mostly city driving.
With the turbocharger no longer available, the Kia Soul has lost that edge that made it such a fun little underdog that won over consumers during its peak. The lack of AWD and innovation have done the model no favors. The 2023 Kia Soul GT-Line Limited has become basic transportation with a neat design and unless huge improvements are made, value minded consumers will look elsewhere for fun to drive options.