Kia
The Kia Soul GT looks cool.
- I tested a 2020 Kia Soul GT-Line hatchback crossover.
- My test vehicle was priced at $29,055 and enjoyed some performance upgrades, including a theoretically punchy 1.6-liter turbocharged engine.
- The Soul GT-Line gives up too much speed to fuel economy, but it did wind up being fun to drive around corners and into twists and turns.
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I wanted to like the Kia Soul GT-Line. I was wildly impressed with the Kia Stinger, the South Korean carmaker's sport sedan that claimed Business Insider's 2018 Car of the Year award. More recently, I richly enjoyed the Telluride, an appealing new SUV from the brand.
The Soul has been with us since 2009. It was initially aimed at the entry-level market, with the idea that versatility, youthful styling, and a relatively cheap price tag could make the compact crossover a winner.
And a winner it has been. Since 2011, Soul sales have amounted to over 100,000 units annually, dipping below that figure in 2019 as the outgoing Soul made way for an all-new version.
My test vehicle was a 2020 Soul GT-Line, the high-performance(ish) trim level. The Soul starts at a scooch under $17,500, but that's for the bare-bones hatchback. My tester began at $27,490 and nabbed a few options - a $345 "Snow White Peal" paint job that in combination with some red trim put me in Tylenol frame of mind - on the way to a $29,055 as-sampled sticker.
What we have here is slightly-better-than-basic transportation with some go-fast goodies in the equation.
Kia
The 1.6-liter turbo four disappointed.
And therein resides the problem. While the 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder makes 201 horsepower and pipes the thrust though a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, and while the Soul GT-Line's 0-60 mph time is achieved in under seven seconds, I struggled to savor speed in this thing.
It all starts with the engine. Which is terrible. And the transmission. Which makes the terrible more terrible.
In concept, the fun should be on tap. The turbo four should be punchy, and the gears should wind a bit wildly, as the motor revs like a baby monster. But no. The power lags, even in Sport mode (and in that case, there's torque steer to contend with at the front wheels), and the automatic seven-speed's favorite gear is ... seventh.
Yes, this yields decent fuel economy: 27 mpg city/32 highway/29 combined. But I'd have been happy to abandon some MPGs for more performance presence.
Kia
The interior, however, is outstanding.
That was my first few days with the Soul GT-Line. My hatred mounted. I started to think this was among the worst cars currently on sale. But then I started to steer the car around some corners, and I found virtues. The Soul GT-Line is not un-engaging to pilot, despite the difficulty of holding it in a gear that retains any power. It gets about a third of the go-quick idea right.
That is of course not enough. So, sadly, I still disliked the Soul GT-Line, although my snap hatred receded.
A shame, because much of the rest of the Soul is pretty great. The interior is sporty and mostly comfortable, although not plush. The ergonomic layout of instruments and infotainment controls is superb - Kia is one of the top brands in the business for user-friendliness. I particularly liked that one can easily fire up both front seat heaters and the steering-wheel heater by punching three eminently findable buttons in quick succession.
The Harman-Kardon upscale audio system in my tester was superb, and the infotainment setup accomplished all duties with aplomb, from navigation to Bluetooth device-pairing. My tester had a fighter-pilot style head-up display that was useful.
In the end, however, although I like the Soul's now famous shape and size, and I found some thrills throwing it around. it couldn't steal my heart from the Mazda CX-3, my favorite joy-to-drive ride in this segment.