2019 Kia Soul Trim Levels with Comparisons & Configurations.

The compact car category is loaded with economical and practical vehicles. The compact design of these vehicles make them great for city driving and squeezing into parking spots. They are also very good at maneuvering through traffic on busy streets. They are definitely practical, but most lack personality and style.

The Soul has an attitude all its own with available pulsating multi color speaker lights and orange stitching in the upholstery. It is designed to have a bit more hipness than other compact cars. It offers unique exterior colors as well as a high level of technology and design options. It offers a refreshing dose of attitude in the otherwise uninspired compact car category.

The Kia Soul has an abundant amount of room compared to almost any other compact car. It is small and nimble by design, and it offers exceptional fuel economy and maneuverability just like its competitors. One of the main advantages of the Soul is the large cabin. Its upright exterior design offers front and rear passengers exceptional head and leg room.

It seats five people and offers over 60 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded down. Even with the rear seats up, the rear hatch opens to offer almost 25 cubic feet of cargo space. This is some of the best cargo space available in any compact car.

The Soul has a low starting price and offers many premium upgrades at its two upper trim levels, the Soul + and the Soul !. It also offers multiple additional comfort and technology packages and one appearance package for the Soul +. This article breaks down all of the standard and available features for buyers looking to get the most out of their purchase of a Kia Soul.

 

Compare the 2019 Kia Soul Base vs Soul + Trims. What is the difference?

The Kia Soul Base comes with front wheel drive and a manual transmission. It can be upgraded to a six speed automatic transmission for an additional fee. It also has one engine option. The base engine is a 130 horsepower 1.6 liter four cylinder. The automatic transmission ups fuel economy for the Soul Base from 24 mpg in the city and 30 mph on the highway to 26 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway.

The Soul Base offers six exterior colors including; Clear White, Bright Silver, Titanium Gray, Alien II, Inferno Red and Shadow Black. The Soul Base features chrome and matte black accents on the exterior. The mirrors are power adjustable and are body colored. It has standard privacy glass, and the rear liftgate window is equipped with defrost and a wiper. The Soul Base also comes standard with 16" wheels.

The interior of the Soul Base features seating for five with two captains chairs in the front row and a 60/40 folding bench seat in the second row. The seats are available in either gray two tone or black tricot cloth. The steering wheel features audio controls and tilt and telescopic adjustments.

The Soul Base has been equipped with plenty of tech features that start with the standard five inch touch screen display. It includes a standard backup camera and Bluetooth capability. It has also been outfitted with Siri EyesFree and voice recognition.

The audio system includes six speaker and dash mounted tweeters. It also comes with SiriumXM radio.

The Soul Base does not have any additional exterior options or packages, but it can upgraded to include a seven inch touchscreen and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It also offers cruise control, remote keyless entry and automatic temperature control with a cluster ionizer.

The Soul + adds a variety of options and packages for buyers. It comes standard with an upgraded engine and six speed automatic transmission. The upgraded engine is a 2.0 liter four cylinder with 161 horsepower. The powertrain for the Soul + drops fuel efficiency to 25 mpg in the city and 30 on the highway.

The exterior of the Soul + includes fog lamps and heated body color mirrors. It has one additional standard exterior color called Mysterious Blue.

It also comes standard with many of the additional features of the Soul Base. The Soul + includes cruise control, the seven inch touch screen, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and automatic temperature control. The Soul + also adds remote keyless entry as a standard feature.

The Soul + also offers a variety of optional features to allow for maximum customization.

The Designer Collection package adds exterior color options to the Soul +. This includes; Caribbean Blue, Inferno Red with a Shadow Black roof, Clear White with Inferno Red roof and finally Wild Orange. This package also includes upgraded 18" alloy wheels with gloss black inserts and a leather wrapped steering wheel and shift knob.

The Audio package upgrades the audio system of the Soul + to include the impressive Harman Kardon audio system. This system is complete with speaker lights, a sub woofer and amplifier and center speaker. The high energy pulsing of the light up speakers is enhanced by multi-color capability. The package also adds an eight inch touch screen that has premium navigation and HD radio. This package also outfits many of the interior surfaces with leatherette trim and piano black accents. The Soul + with the audio package also includes satin chrome door handles and a leather wrapped steering wheel and shift knob. This package also includes a SmartKey that allows for keyless entry and ignition.

The final package for the Soul + is the Primo package. It comes at a steep price but it includes everything in the audio package and adds on lots of extra amenities. The full suite of driver technology is included. Buyers get forward collision warning with emergency braking, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert. Buyers also get adaptive cruise control and a meter cluster with color LCD display.

The Primo package also features black leather seats. The front seats are heated and ventilated and the rear seats are heated. The driver seat has 10 way power adjustment and the passenger seat has eight way power adjustment. The steering wheel is also heated. The Primo package also outfits the Soul + with a panoramic power sunroof.

The Primo package also equips the Soul + with all LED lighting on the exterior. The headlamps are HID projector beams and are self leveling.

Compare the 2019 Soul + vs Soul ! Trims. What is the difference?

While the Soul + offers many of the best features available for the Soul in 2019, The Soul ! features a better powertrain with a turbo charged engine and upgraded transmission.

The Soul! comes standard with a 201 horsepower turbocharged four cylinder engine. The turbo four is paired with a seven speed dual clutch automatic transmission. The powertrain offers the best acceleration and the fuel efficiency isn't too bad. It gets 26 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway.

The exterior color options drops to five, but the Soul ! features red accent striping on the exterior. It also has chrome twin exhaust outlets.

Compared to the Soul +, the Soul ! includes standard features including the color LCD instrument cluster display, SmartKey capability and leather seating. The Soul ! also provides the upgraded leatherette accented interior features available in the Technology package for the Soul +.

The Soul ! offers additional packages on top of the already extensive list of standard features. The Soul! Technology package includes blind spot detection and rear cross traffic alert. It also outfits the Soul! with power folding outside mirrors. This package also includes the premium audio system and LED exterior lighting with projector headlamps. The Soul ! also includes heated front and rear seats and steering wheel.

Buyers of the Soul! Technology package can also opt to add the power sunroof and LED interior lighting with the Sunroof package.

 

Final Thoughts

The Kia Soul+ will make the most sense for most buyers. The Soul+ is definitely costlier than the Soul Base, but it has much more to offer. The Soul+ offers a capable powertrain option and a definite step up in technology. It also has additional exterior options and other add on packages that rival the Soul!. While the add-ons are grouped together in rather large bundles, buyers can get pretty much everything they want without stepping up to the Soul!. The only real sacrifice they will have to make forgoing the Soul! is the top end powertrain.

The Soul Base also makes a great option for buyers looking to save money. It has a very low base price and a great warranty. It costs about $4,000 less than the Soul+ and is also one of the lowest priced compact cars available in 2019. Buyers looking for a nice daily use vehicle that is economical and also offers considerable cargo space will want to check out the Soul as an option. Of course, buyers of the Soul+ get all of that and then some while still staying within the average price range of a base trim level compact car.