Soul Searching - 2020 Kia Soul

Kia’s basic box adds sophistication while staying true to its funky roots

- Derek Powell

As one of Kia’s consistently bestselling models, the Soul has always been difficult to categorize. Tall wagon? Crossover? Maybe a little of both? Since its U.S. debut in 2010, the Soul has proudly marched to the beat of its own drum: boxy and dorky—and it’s ultimately cooler because of it. Now in its third generation, the Kia Soul adds a healthy dose of refinement while keeping its weird streak intact.

Soul competitors have come and gone through the years. Nissan lost faith in its dorm-fridge Cube and oddball Juke, replaced by the more conventionally styled Kicks for 2018. And the original subcompact box on wheels, the Scion xB, went from quirky and cool to flabby and boring in its second generation before Toyota pulled the plug on the brand altogether. The jury is still out on Toyota’s curiously styled spiritual successor, the C-HR.

Neither of these models can touch the Soul when it comes to horsepower. A 147-hp 2.0-liter naturally aspirated I-4 is new for 2020 on all trim levels (except the GT-Line 1.6T), and it drives the front wheels through Kia’s own CVT, first seen on the 2019 Forte and replacing the six-speed automatic. That’s 14 fewer horses than last year’s 2.0 (and 17 horsepower more than the outgoing car’s 1.6-liter base engine), but fuel economy bumps up from 25/30 mpg city/highway to 27/33 mpg (or 29/35 mpg on a special economy-minded model). A six-speed manual remains on the option sheet, but it’s only available on the base LX model.