The 2021 Kia Soul is available in six trims - LX, S, GT-Line, X-Line, EX, and Turbo with prices starting at an MSRP of $17,590 for the base LX trim. The would is available in two engine configurations - a 2.0L inline-4 turbocharged engine making 147hp and 132 lb-ft of torque and a 1.6L turbocharged 4-cylinder making 201hp and 195 lb-ft of torque.
2021 Kia Soul price, features, engine specifications and dimensions infograph
If you would like a greener option the 2021 Kia Soul EV is being redone but is delayed till later in the year. The interior is simple and more functional with cloth upholstery coming in black unless you get the Turbo trim which adds red stitching. Kia for the exterior will continue to offer its usual range of eye-catching colors and a bunch of accessories for the Soul. The 2021 Kia Soul comes into competition with the Hyundai Kona, Honda HR-V, and Subaru Crosstrek.
Vehicle images are guides only and may not reflect the model's exact specifications/features– exact specifications/features should be confirmed with the seller.
Ratings
Pricing And Features
7.0
Engine And Performance
6.5
Fuel Economy
5.0
Interior
8.6
Exterior
8.0
Safety
7.0
Competition
9.1
7.5
OVERALL RATING
Expert Review, Pricing Analysis and Buying Guide
7.5
Overall Rating
"The new Soul’s left some of the funk behind, and it's moved into a more angular theme that reminds us of late, unloved Scion." -The Car Connection
The 2021 Kia Soul carries over from the 2020 model with minor technological improvements in terms of convenience features. It comes with two engines - a 2.0L inline 4 engine and a 1.6L turbocharged inline 4 engine producing 147hp and 132lb-ft and 201hp and 195lb-ft respectively. It is available in six trim levels- LX, S, GT-LINE, X-LINE, EX, and Turbo, with prices starting at an MSRP of $17,590.
The interior of the 2021 Kia Soul is simple coming with cloth upholstery in black, but there is the option of two-tone and gray and black. There is black synthetic leather with red stitching but that is exclusive to the Turbo trim. Safety features include many driver-assist features like lane keep assist, forward collision avoidance assist, blind-spot collision warning, rear-cross traffic assist, and a few more available on all except the base LX trim.
2021 Kia Soul Right Side View
2021 Kia Soul Left Side View
7.0/10 Pricing and Features
6.5/10 Engine and Performance
5.0/10 Fuel Economy
8.6/10 Interior
8.0/10 Exterior
7.0/10 Safety
9.1/10 Competition
2021 Kia Soul Pricing and Features
7.0/10
The 2021 Kia Soul is offered in six trims - LX/ S/GT-LINE/ X-LINE/EX/Turbo prices starting at $17,590 going up to $27,650. The vehicle offers two engines - a 2.0L Inline-4 engine that produces 147 hp and 132 lb-ft, available on all the trims except for the Turbo trim which comes with a 1.6L turbo 4 engine making 201 hp and 195 lb-ft.
There are options available but, they just upgrade your trim level, however, accessories are available on all trims which also include puddle lamps, but mostly include cargo nets, sports pedals, crossbars, and few more items, the most expensive being remote start for $425.
Trims
LX
S
GT-Line
X-Line
EX
Turbo
MSRP (Manual)
$17,590
-
-
-
-
-
MSRP (Auto)
$19,090
$20,690
$21,790
$21,790
$23,350
$27,650
Key Features
6-Speed Manual Transmission
All the Features in LX included and
All the Features in S included and
All the Features in GT-Line included and
All the Features in X-Line included and
All the Features in EX included and
7-inch Touch Screen Display
Blind Spot Collision Warning (BSW)
18-inch alloy wheels
Fog lamps
10.25-inch touch screen with navigation system
7-speed Dual Clutch Transmission with paddle shifters
Priced at 21,790, the GT line is the trim to get 18" wheels, premium cloth seats on the interior and privacy glass and many safety features like Auto Emergency Braking & Warning Technology, Lane Keeping Technology, Driver Attention Warning, and a few more, not to mention a large amount of space available in the trunk.
"Maximum acceleration from the 2.0-liter engine is a little lacking, but the Soul feels perfectly spry around town." - Edmunds
The 2021 Kia Soul comes with two engines - 2.0L inline-4 making 147hp and 132 lb-ft of torque, available on all trims except the Turbo, which gets a 1.6 liter turbocharged inline-4 making 201 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque. The 2.0 liter engine comes with a 6-speed manual on the base LX, available a intelligent variable transmission. The Turbo gets a 7 speed dual clutch gearbox. All versions are FWD only.
2021 Kia Soul Engine
The 2021 Kia Soul does the 0-60 sprint in 8.1 seconds which is at least 0.5 seconds faster to 60 mph than the competition and does the quarter-mile in 16.4 seconds and a top speed of 120 mph. The Kia Soul Turbo does the 0-60 sprint in 6.4 seconds and quarter-mile in 15 seconds and comes with a top speed of 128 mph.
The 2021 Kia Soul fuel economy changes according to its configuration, in its base configuration of 2.0-liter engine with the manual transmission gives 25 mpg in the city, 31 mpg on the highway, 27 mpg combined, which is lesser combined mpg than the Hyundai Kona and the Honda HR-V, but more than the Subaru Crosstrek.
2021 Kia Soul offers 27 MPG in the city
The 2021 Kia Soul with an automatic transmission with 16 and 18-inch wheels gives 28/33/30 in the city/highway/combined respectively, and with 17-inch wheel gives 29/35/31 in the city/highway/combined, which is more than the competition. The 2021 Kia Soul Turbo comes with 27/32/29 mpg in the city/highway/combined.
This is yet another area where the Soul steals the hearts of many shoppers; the interior of the little Kia is remarkably fun and rather impressive in terms of quality. -CarBuzz
The 2021 Kia Soul interior comes with space for 5 occupants. The LT, X-line, and GT-Line come with a 6-way adjustable drive's seat and a 4-way manual front passenger's seat. The S and EX trim comes with an 8-way power-adjustable driver's seat with a front row heating function (EX only). The Turbo trim comes with a 10-way power-adjustable driver's seat with 2-way power lumbar.
2021 Kia Soul Front Seat
The Kia Soul comes with woven cloth upholstery on the LX and X-Line trim, the S, GT-Line, and EX trim comes in Premium cloth seat and the Turbo strim comes with Sofino leather and cloth upholstery in black with red stitching. The Kia Soul comes with 24.2 cu.ft. of cargo space which is more than the offering of the Hyundai Kona and the Subaru Crosstrek, but 0.1 cu.ft. less than the Honda HR-V
Models
2021 Kia Soul
2021 Hyundai Kona
2021 Honda HR-V
2021 Subaru Crosstrek
Seating Capacity
5
5
5
5
Front Row (Head/Shoulder/Leg) (in)
39.4/55.5/41.1
39.6/55.5/41.5
39.5/56.8/41.2
39.8/56.7/43.1
Rear Row (Head/Shoulder/Leg) (in)
39.5/54.7/38.8
37.8/54.7/38.8
38.3/54.5/39.3
38.0/55.6/36.5
Cargo Capacity (cu-ft.)
24.2
19.2
24.3
20.8
The 2021 Kia Soul comes with a 7-inch touchscreen that runs on the latest UVO system and comes with the basics of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, along with Bluetooth connectivity, USB ports, steering wheel-mounted controls, and a 6-speaker sound system.
2021 Kia Soul Infotainment System
The EX trim ($23,350) comes with a 10.25-inch touchscreen and adds Navigation along, SiriusXM satellite radio, wireless phone charger. The Turbo trim ($27,650) includes all this and adds a Harmon Kardon premium sound system.
While Kia markets the Soul as an SUV, the vehicle's lack of all-wheel drive and limited ground clearance make it seem like more of a large hatchback. - Car And Driver
The 2021 Kia Soul does not go under any design changes since its previous model and offers. The car gets LED headlights with a big grille and gives an overall bold look. The vehicle has a decent length of about 165.2 inches and is the lightest amongst all its rivals with a curb weight of 2802 lbs.
2021 Kia Soul Third Quarter View
It is offered in 10 different colors which gives a bold and broader look, the few color options are Snow White Pearl, Sparkling Silver, Cherry Black, Gravity Gray, Inferno Red, Mars Orange, Neptune Blue, Undercover Green, and 2 two-tone options - Mars Orange/Cherry Black and Neptune Blue/Cherry Black. There is a range of wheel options too - from 16-inch to 18-inch with each trim getting a unique design.
The 2021 Kia Soul comes with a 4-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA. The IIHS has given it high scores in all its tests with an acceptable in Latch, this has managed to get the award of Top Safety Pick from the organization.
The 2021 Kia Soul safety features include a forward-collision warning system with automatic emergency braking as standard on all except for LX. Various trims offer different safety features which also include automatic stability control, front-impact airbags, side-impact airbags, and many more features.
The Hyundai Kona gives a neck-to-neck competition as it is also a Korean-based car like Kia Soul. It comes with the same 2.0L inline 4- engine and produces 147hp and 132lb-ft of torque whereas Kia Soul is a better car in terms of performance. It also has better cargo capacity and cabin space. So overall Kia Soul is the most recommended one as it is a complete package and is also the least expensive among its competitors.
2021 Hyundai Kona
2021 Kia Soul Wagon Vs 2021 Subaru Crosstrek
The Subaru Crosstrek gives a head to head competition to Kia Soul with its powerful performance, cargo space, ample amount of legroom/headroom and towing capacity but the Kia Soul takes the charge with its safety features, fuel efficiency, and pocket-friendly price where Subaru Crosstrek lacks. That makes it a value for money offer for buyers but for those who are looking for a powerful engine and an ample amount of space inside the car, the Crosstrek is the best choice for the buyers.
2021 Subaru Crosstrek
2021 Kia Soul Wagon Vs 2021 Honda HR-V
The Honda HR-V is a decent choice due to its excellent build quality and frugal maintenance costs. Add to the fact that the powertrain is better and that it has more cargo space. However, one misses out heavily on the funkiness and quirks of the Kia when one compares the two. Since the cars are nearly evenly matched in terms of everything else, our pick would be the Kia Soul.
The 2021 Kia Soul is a good car and comes with a good engine for daily driving, and has better performance than its competition and comes with SUV like cargo space of 24.2 cu.ft. and comes with good safety ratings as well as a top safety pick, however, if you want something with AWD and offroading capabilities the Subaru Crosstrek.
The 2021 Kia Soul is offered in 10 colors including Snow White Pearl, Sparkling Silver, Cherry Black, Gravity Gray, Inferno Red, Mars Orange, Neptune Blue, Undercover Green, and 2 two-tone options - Mars Orange/Cherry Black and Neptune Blue/Cherry Black.
What powers the 2021 Kia Soul?
It comes with two engines - a 2.0L inline 4 engine making 147hp and 132lb-ft and a 1.6L turbocharged inline 4 engine 201hp and 195lb-ft respectively.
What is the starting price of the new 2021 Kia Soul?
The prices of the base LX trim starts at $17,600 and the top-of-the-line GT-Line Turbo trim is priced at $27,550.
Is there a 2021 Kia Soul EV?
The 2021 Kia Soul also offers an electric variant that brings a 64 kWh battery pack and will have a range of 243 miles and will be available later on in the year.
How many trims and configurations is the 2021 Kia Soul offered in?
The 2021 Kia Soul is offered in six trims - LX, S, GT-LINE, X-LINE, EX, Turbo.
Pros - Very cheap total budget car, design is more like joy ride car, decent interior
Cons - Avoid the long distance comfort from this car, slow acceleration
decent comfortable interiors, ventilation is good, small but car has top speed range of 128mph which is pretty great, and fuel economy is really good at 27mpg decent 7 inch display for infotainment, steering has got controls for driver assist, decent navigation system, gives a powerful appeal from front design, rear hasn't been worked yet but i like the decent design making it a really good regular household car for me, blind spot assist, lane assist, hill climb assist decent, if you have a budget that says go for a small extra car well this is where you come to spend bybuying it.
Pros - Small size regular car,easy to maintain not much of expenses, long term materials on interiors
Cons - Very small car indeed for tall people, not meant for long distance
good mileage, manual transmission with fwd, good top speed range of 128mph for a small car materials used are plastics, cloth upholstrey, soft touch materials on surroundings, i like the grille design, led daytime headlights, car looks really good for a small car, cruise control, driver assist, crosstraffic assist, it's decent, i would say buy worthy car.
push button ignition, keyless entry acceleration is fast and the handling is great the only downside is the low mpg figures. good legroom and headroom, plenty of storage options well designed, plenty of standard safety features. good