The Kia Soul has come a long way from the quirky, hamster-driven crossovers that debuted many years ago. It’s now one of the better values among subcompact SUVs, bringing plenty of standard features, generous safety tech, and a spacious interior. That said, it’s only offered with front-wheel drive (FWD), and its only powertrain choices leaves much to be desired.

What’s New for the 2024 Kia Soul

The Soul picked up a new EX Designer Package that brings 18-inch wheels, cloth and synthetic leather upholstery, and a unique interior color scheme. There’s also a new sleep mode for models with the smart key system, which helps prevent hackers from duplicating the key frequency.

Design

The Soul is still a somewhat boxy, upright crossover, but its look is far more mature and refined than that of its early iterations. Kia employed its new corporate logo on the 2024 model, and the Soul’s nose features a unique lower grille with a small open area higher up. It comes standard with 16-inch wheels, and higher trims step up to 17- and 18-inch rollers.

Powertrain

Kia offers one powertrain option for the 2024 Soul. It’s a 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque. Power hits the front wheels only through a continuously variable transmission (CVT). With middling output and not-so-great torque, the Soul isn’t all that punchy off the line. It’s great around town and gets the job done, but it feels underpowered in many situations.

Interior

The Soul offers five seats across two rows of seating. Cloth upholstery comes standard, but higher trims add synthetic leather and heated, power-adjustable front seats. Cargo space is more than generous, at 24.2 cubic feet with the rear seats upright and 62.1 cubic feet with the bench folded flat.

Technology

Kia equips an 8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth, six speakers, and a USB input. The Soul is available with a 10.2-inch display that brings navigation. Other available tech features include SiriusXM radio, remote start, push-button start, an upgraded 10-speaker audio system, wireless phone charging, and extra USB inputs. Kia’s infotainment interface is easier to use than most and less distracting to use while driving. Menus are clearly labeled, features are easy to navigate and understand, and the responsive system makes quick interactions much more pleasant.

Safety

The 2024 Soul hasn’t been crash-tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) as of this writing, but its predecessor missed out on a Top Safety Pick award. The 2022 model did earn a Top Safety Pick. Standard safety features for 2024 include automatic high beams, automatic emergency braking, forward collision warnings with pedestrian detection, cyclist detection, lane-departure warnings, lane-keep assist, driver-attention monitoring, and a rearview camera. Higher trims get blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and adaptive cruise control.

Pricing

As of this writing, the base 2024 Kia Soul LX starts at $19,990. Stepping up to the S trim pushes the price to $22,490, and the GT-Line costs $23,590. At the top end, the EX trim only climbs to $24,290–a fantastic value.