2019 Kia Soul Pros vs Cons. Should You Buy?
The 2019 Kia Soul offers buyers great value with a low base price, exceptional warranty and plenty of exciting features. The Soul offers a wide range of options with three trim levels and three different engines. The Soul EV is also available in 2019 and offers buyers an all electric vehicle option. The Soul is not just an affordable option. It goes the extra distance to provide a comfortable ride, plenty of cargo space and a fresh attitude in the compact car category. The Soul also makes a capable subcompact SUV with lots of headroom and space for passengers to spread out in the back seat. It also comes with an exceptional warranty. In many aspects the Kia Soul is a dual threat vehicle.
What's New for 2019:
The Kia Soul comes with new standard features in 2019. The base model now has a five inch touchscreen, rearview camera and built in voice recognition.
Top 10 Reasons to Buy a 2019 Kia Soul – The Pros
1. Roomy and Comfortable Interior
The 2019 Kia Soul seats five and has comfortable seats with lots of leg room. It offers heated front and rear seating options as well as ventilated front seats. Buyers can also upgrade to leather seating and power adjustments in the front. The rear seat is a 60/40 bench seat that folds down to offer more cargo space. It also offers great headroom in both front and back.
2. Cargo Space to Spare
The 2019 Kia Soul's spacious interior translates to some of the best cargo space available in a compact car. It offers 24.2 cubic feet of space behind the back seats. With the back seats folded down the Soul offers 61.3 cubic feet of cargo space, which is more than many sub compact SUVs. It also offers a concealed under floor storage area for smaller items. Finally, the Soul offers additional storage on top with a roof rack for more cargo space.
3.Kia DriveWise Options
The Kia Soul Primo Package includes many Kia DriveWise safety features. The package includes blind spot detection with rear cross traffic alert, lane departure warning adaptive cruise control and forward collision warning and automatic braking. The safety features in this package bring the Soul up to date with all the newest technology.
4. Best Warranty
The 2019 Kia Soul offers a ten year or 100,000 mile powertrain warranty. This is the best warranty available for a compact car. It also comes with a five year or 60,000 mile basic warranty. This is also best in class.
5. Multiple Engine Options
The 2019 Kia Soul offers a variety of engine options. The base engine is a 130 horsepower 1.6 liter offering that gets 24 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway. Buyers can upgrade to the Kia Soul Plus trim level to get access to a 161 horsepower 2.0 liter engine. This option gets buyers 25 mpg city and 30 mpg highway. The third option is available in the Soul Exclaim trim level. It is a powerful turbocharged 1.6 liter engine that offers 201 horsepower. This engine is the most powerful and makes driving the Soul exciting and fun. It gets 26 mpg city and 30 mpg highway.
6. Soul EV Offers Electric Motor
The Soul EV offers ultimate fuel efficiency with an electric motor that cranks out 109 horsepower. It may not be available in all areas of the country, but it makes an excellent electric vehicle option.
7. Infotainment Options at All Trim Levels
The 2019 Kia Soul offers a standard five inch touchscreen in the Kia Soul Base trim. It also comes with Bluetooth capability, satellite radio and voice recognition. Also included is the Siri Eyes Free system that allows the driver to use most infotainment functions with voice commands. The Soul Plus trim gets buyers a seven inch touch screen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and the UVO infotainment system. The Kia Soul Exclaim trim adds in navigation and premium audio. Buyers can also upgrade to an eight inch touch screen for an even better infotainment experience. The Soul also offers optional multicolored speaker lights, a subwoofer and amplifier with the Harman Kardon premium sound system.
8. UVO eServices
Kia has included optional UVO eServices with the 2019 Kia Soul. It lets the driver pair their mobile device to the Soul. The UVO eServices App allows the driver remote access to vehicle diagnostics and emergency roadside assistance. The app also notifies the owner when maximum speed, boundary or curfew presets are exceeded. It also offers parking reminders with detailed directions back to the Soul.
9. Refined Interior Upgrade Options
Available on the Soul Plus and Soul Exclaim models is the Supervision Meter Cluster. It is an LCD instrument cluster that is easier to read than the analog alternative. The interior can also be equipped with leather wrapped steering wheel and gearshift. There is also a heated steering wheel option.
10. Luxurious Exterior Upgrade Options
The 2019 Kia Soul offers premium upgrades inside and out. The exterior features optional HID headlights and LED fog lights in the front and an array of LED light options for the rear.
Reasons Not to Buy a 2019 Kia Soul – The Cons
1. Poor Base Powertrain
The 2019 Kia Soul's base engine is neither powerful or fuel efficient. It is outmatched by many competitors in its class. The standard powertrain also only includes a standard transmission. Buyers can upgrade to a six speed Sportmatic transmission for an added fee. The automatic transmission increases fuel economy to 26 mpg city and 31 highway.
2. Rear Seating is Somewhat Cramped
The Soul offers seating for five, but the rear seat can seem cramped with three adults. It is better suited for four passengers, with the heated rear seating option only heating the outboard seats. The front seats are also more supportive and comfortable, so passengers in the back will feel shortchanged.
3. Sparse Standard Safety Features
The 2019 Kia Soul only offers a backup camera in its list of standard safety equipment. While the Soul offers many exciting safety features, buyers will have to jump up a trim level to get access.
How it stacks up to the competition:
The 2019 Kia Soul is in the compact car category. It has to compete with entries like the Honda Civic and the Volkswagen GTI. Compared to the Civic, the Soul starts out at a lower base price and offers better interior and warranty. The Civic pales in comparison to the Soul's headroom and cargo space, though it does get significantly better gas mileage. Compared to the Volkswagen GTI, the Soul still offers a superior warranty and more cargo space. The GTI is considerably more expensive, but offers a standard 220 horsepower engine and similar fuel economy. While the GTI may be more fun to drive, the Soul still wins out with better cargo space, warranty and lower base price. With so much cargo space and headroom, the Kia Soul is often considered as an option in the subcompact SUV category. One of the main reasons it isn't in that category is the Kia Niro, Kia's subcompact SUV. The Niro is a hybrid so it gets much better fuel economy. It also comes with the same warranty as the Soul. The Soul does make a good case as the better vehicle with more cargo space and lower base price. Buyers will have a lot of things to consider when comparing the Soul to the competition.
Conclusion
The Kia Soul makes a great compact car or subcompact SUV. It has a nice looking exterior and a comfortable and upscale interior. It offers many safety features in the Soul Plus and the Soul Exclaim trim models. The upper trim models also offer great upgrades to technology, connectivity and comfort features. The seating is ample for four adults, though it can accommodate five. The cargo space is second to none both behind the back seats and with the back seats folded down. The Soul also offers two attractive engine upgrades for added excitement while driving. The Soul also adds value to the list of features. It starts out with a low base price for the budget conscious buyer. In all, the Soul hits the target as one of the best all around compact cars of 2019. It also makes a good case as a strong contender in the subcompact SUV category with lots of headroom and cargo space.
