Overview
The 2023 Kia Soul is a great car for those looking at a budget friendly, yet stylish vehicle. It is much more affordable than the other cars that are on the market such as the Chevrolet Trailblazer and the Honda HR-V. There are many things to love about the Kia Soul, so we thought we’d share the top 6 reasons to love it.
New For 2023
The Kia Soul 2023 shows off a new look, with an updated grille and bumper designs. The headlamps have been reshaped and customers can also choose from 17- or 18-inch wheels. The 201-hp turbocharged 1.6-liter engine exited the lineup, leaving the 147-hp 2.0 four-cylinder as the sole engine.
1. Design
The Soul has a fun and boxy exterior that gives way to a spacious interior. It seats 5 people and has lots of cargo and passenger space. 62 cubic feet of space for cargo and 101 cubic feet of space for passengers. Put into a real-world example, the trunk of the car can hold 7 carry-on suitcases but when you put the back seat down, 20 cases can squeeze in. This Kia has textured door panel inserts and colorful trim. Customers are given the option to customize the car with two-tone paint options and a variety of interior color schemes for those who have a creative flair.
2. MPG
The Kia Soul has an EPA rating as high as 35 mpg for highway driving and 28 mpg for city driving which is impressive. The EPA is a government entity that gives fuel efficiency ratings to all commercially light-duty cars and trucks in the United States. It stands for Environmental Protection Agency and they also give ratings to electric vehicles that show drivers how far those vehicles can go on a full charge. The agency uses standardized tests under safe conditions to determine both figures. It is a trusted agency that viewers can use to determine how many miles per full charge their car will get.
3. Infotainment
This car comes with several fun technologies to make your drive more enjoyable. All models except the LX come with 10.3-inch touch screens that come with a SiriusXM satellite radio, real-time traffic updates, in-dash navigation, and a wireless charging smartphone pad. You can connect your phone to Bluetooth to send texts with your voice, receive and send calls, and have access to multiple other popular apps. The LX model comes with a slightly smaller 8-inch unit screen with a few less amenities. If you have IOS 16, you will be able to customize the display to your liking by adding, removing, and resizing the screens. Business insider reports that the new CarPlay will give drivers a detailed description of ETA, mileage, speed, and trip distance. Users of Android devices are also able to connect to the car.
4. Kia Connect
Kia Connect gives drivers access to remote technology. They can start the engine by using their Apple Watch. When you pair your smartwatch to your mobile device with the Kia Access app, you can send remote commands to your car. If you forgot where you parked, your phone will be able to locate and give you directions to your car, saving you the time of walking around the city and wandering around the parking lot. While you are still getting ready to leave the house or packing up from work, you have the option to heat or cool your car so it is the perfect temperature when you enter it. Perhaps you are a forgetful person and accidentally leave your dog in the backseat. Through the app, you can get alerts that tell you when movement is sensed after the car is locked. And for those people who often lock their keys in their car or can never find where they placed them, Kia Connect allows you to lock and unlock your car from your smartphone.
5. Safety Features
Forward Collision Avoidance Assist This system uses front mounted radars to help detect a potential collision and can automatically apply brakes if a crash seems imminent.
Blind-Spot Collision Warning & Avoidance Assist If an object is detected in your blind spot, the system will give you visual and/or auditory signals to make you aware of it. If you try to change lanes when an object is detected, the car will apply brakes to the outer wheels and it will return the car to its current lane.
Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist By scanning for oncoming obstacles when you are backing up or in reverse, the system will alert you similarly to the Blind-Spot Collision to alert you of anything you may not be seeing.
Navigation-Based Smart Cruise Control Smart cruise control is nothing new, but the navigation based feature is unique. If you have cruise control on, the car will automatically speed up or slow down to maintain the same predetermined distance between you and the car in front of you.
Lane Keeping Assist & Lane Following Assist Using a front view camera on the windshield, the available Lane Keeping Assist system is designed to monitor the lane markers on the road with a front view camera on the windshield. The available Lane Following Assist system may provide steering inputs to help keep your vehicle centered in its lane.
Blind Spot Collision Warning and Avoidance System
6. Engine, Transmission, and Performance
At the “Car and Driver” test track, the Kia Soul was found to hit 60 mph in 8 seconds. The engine is a 147-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder, which comes paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) and front-wheel drive. Most drivers of the Kia Soul find it to give a comfortable ride but the car has enough character to keep it from feeling bland.
Conclusion
Kia came out with a wonderful updated version of the Kia Soul in 2023. The technology is advanced and very user friendly for Apple and Android phones. The design looks sleeker than before and has a new engine. Because of the budget friendly price mixed with the other appealing elements, the Kia Soul is a great car to look into for economy savings. If you happen to be a Orange County Kia fan looking for a “2023 Kia Soul near me” stop that Google search now, and head to Mission Viejo Kia!