2016 Kia Soul Review

There is no question the 2016 Kia Soul with its stalky, rectangular body to its distinct interior has a lot of character and style – this compact wagon is perfect for those who want to stand out from the crowd. The problem is that there are so many positives for the Kia Soul that it has become their number one selling vehicle so far this year, meaning that standing out from the crowd is a bit less likely.

Available Models
There are three trims available for the 2016 Kia Soul the Base smaller amount of standard features but starting at a MSRP of $15,800 it’s a great deal, the + (Plus) is the middle trim with more standard features starting from $19,300 and the finally the Exclaim (!) which starts at $21,200. Even the top end fully loaded Exclaim at $27,495 is good value.

Interior Features
Due to the rectangular shape of the Soul its interior is also more spacious, with ample headroom (39.6 front / 39.5 inches rear) and legroom (40.9 front / 39.1 inches) getting in and out of the car very easy. And once inside you’ll immediately notice the appealing interior with a beautiful finish you don’t usually see in this class. The Base and Plus trim each come with different cloth 6-way adjustable driver’s seats while the Exclaim comes standard with Leather seats. The Plus can be upgraded to Leather and the Exclaim to Napa leather. Vented and heated front seats are available on the Plus and Exclaim.

Once you are seated you’ll be greeted by a sharp, functional driver’s console with a futuristic look to it. Standard on the Plus and Exclaim is a MP3/AM/FM Audio system with a 4.3 inch color touch screen and rear view camera (optional on the Base). Bluetooth wireless technology allows you to connect your music devices to the stereo. The 2016 Kia Soul Exclaim also comes with standard UVO eServices.  The Plus and Exclaim screen can also be upgraded to the 8 inch display with Navigation. The younger crowd will love the optional speaker lights that help complete the mood when rocking out to your favorite beats.

The Rear seats are 60/40 making storing configurations easier – the seats in the rear are covered with the same materials as the front with heated rear outboard seats (2 levels). The cargo volume with the rear seats down and without luggage under the tray is 61.3 cu.-ft. – not bad for the little big car.

See all interior specifications.

Exterior Features
It can’t be mentioned enough how fun and unique the Kio Soul looks – while everyone might not find the shape appealing it definitely has a lot of fans. It makes you wonder if Soul owners have a secret handshake they use when no one is watching.

While the body may be square the front grille and rear bumper and liftgate almost seem robotic in design it wouldn’t be surprising to see one suddenly turn into a Transformer robots.
Highlights include gloss black with chrome bezel front upper grille for the Plus and Exclaim, front and rear bumper tusks – black on the Plus and body colored on the Exclaim. Rear privacy glass, dual body-color power adjustable mirrors (heated on all but the Base) and a side fender garnish with the ‘SOUL’ logo. Fog lights are standard on the Plus and Exclaim.

Available in eight colors – Inferno Red, Caribbean Blue, Alien, Onyx. Titanium,  Polar, Sterling and Fathom Blue.

There are three wheel and tire sizes available depending on which trim you choose – 16” tires and alloy wheels comes standard on the Base trim and available on the Plus, 17” tires are standard to the Plus and Exclaim with the option of going up to an 18” tire.

A panoramic sunroof with power sunshade is available for the Plus and Exclaim trims.

More Kia Soul exterior specs.

Performance
To go along with the fun design of the 2016 Kia Soul is the fun ride with excellent field of vision -- while it won’t be your choice of car to take out to the drag strip it has enough torque to make the stop and go of city driving quite enjoyable.

There are two engines available the Base comes with a 1.6L I-4 GDI 130 horsepower engine with 118 lb-ft torque @ 3,850 rpm – while the Plus and Exclaim come with a 2.0L I-4 GDI 164 horsepower engine and 151 lb-ft torque @ 4,000 rpm. The Base’s engine is actually the less efficient of the two coming in at 24/39/26 (city/highway/combined) mpg for both the manual and automatic transmission while the is slightly better at 24/31/27 mpg (city/highway/combined).

The 1.6L I-4 engine is coupled with standard with a 6-speed manual transmission but can be upgraded to the 6-speed automatic transmission the Plus and Eclaim come with a 6-speed automatic transmission with sportmatic and active Eco.

Safety and Security
The list of standard safety equipment on the 2016 Kia Optima is long and impressive. You’ll find a lot of airbags from driver and passenger advanced front airbags, side curtain airbags, driver’s knee airbag and front seat mounted side airbags.

4-wheel antilock brakes system (ABS) , Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), Electronic Stability Control  (ESC), Vehicle Stability Control (VSM), Hill-start Assist Control (HAC), Traction Control System (TCS) and a Tire Pressure Monitor System (TPMS) are standard on all Optima’s.

Several technologies are available including Advanced Smart Cruise Control as well as several detection assists such as Front Collision Warning System (FCWS), Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS), Blind Spot Detection (BSD) with Lane Change Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) and Rear Parking Assist System (RPAS).

Get a Free Price Quote on a 2016 Kia Soul.