I'm at 75k miles. Just did the first brakes, and I swapped the tired at 65k. I've never been back to the dealer or had any other repairs. Fantastic car.
I just hit a deer with my 2010 soul and it was totaled. I had almost 250,000 miles on it. Only maintenance I did were oil changes, tires, and brakes as well as a basic tune up over this past summer and it was solid. Just put my order in for a 2019 Soul exclaim. I agree the Soul is reliable.
My 2012 Soul has the same size engine as the 2018 and at 60k+ miles, I'm getting an average of 32mpg. I run about 90 miles round trip each day. Bear in mind, I'm 6'2" and 330 pounds. Lots of room in the Soul. I still have about 2" of space between my head and the headliner. There is more hip and knee room in the Soul than my wife's 2007 Saturn Outlook SUV.
He didn't mention the fact that you can't get a sunroof or satellite radio on the CH-R either, but yet he says you'll be disappointed if you want features and luxury in the Soul just because it lacks dual zone climate control? If you get the EX Luxury trim you get leather seats, air cooled front seats, adaptive cruise and lane keep assist, HID headlights and LED tail lights.
Considering the current gen Soul came from 2014, I think it speaks volumes about how well the design has aged. It even got a 2018 Top Safety Pick + without any modifications. I'd still choose the Soul over the C-HR any day of the week. If the Soul was moved to a newer platform, it'd be that much better.
I've owned a Jeep Grand Cherokee for over twenty years. I rented a Kia Soul a few weeks ago on a trip and I loved it. The visibility is amazing for cars today, and I didn't have to change my driving style on one bit. I'm keeping the Jeep, but I'm seriously considering getting a Soul for daily driving.
I had a 2014 soul..traded in for a 2018 and love it...it's comfortable for a long ride, plenty of cargo space..as long as your not going with 4 people to an airport...but as my everyday car in Toronto..Urban SUV.. IKEA runs..done!, Christmas shopping..done!, Baseball gear..done..
201 horsepower from the 1.6L turbo and a fast dual clutch transmission gives you that speed the CH-R just can't give. And all the slopes and curves of the CH-R simply means it can't compete with the boxy Soul for space and practicality. Hard to believe, but the Soul is pretty much what VW or Audi would have come up with if they competed in this segment: a pimped up, taller wagon with a turbocharged engine (probably a 1.4L TFSI) with a dual clutch transmission for fuel efficiency and speed. It's surprisingly Euro-centric despite being Korean.
I bought 2018+ Soul - this car feels so damn sturdy and I love how quiet and smooth it feels. It looks huge inside for a small car there’s plenty of room. They are cheap but not cheap feeling at all.
Your forgot to mention the Soul outlived the Scion xB. In fact, when it first came out, it outsold the xB, Cube, & Element combined, by almost double. Also, you can't get leather seats, or even the SofTex vinyl seats in the CH-R.
2015 kia soul exclaim owner here. Never broke down, still going strong with 89000 miles on her. My favorite ride of all time. My advice is get the soul! Your welcome!
I'm currently driving the Soul as a rental while my Jetta is in the body shop after it got rear-ended. I was hesitant to take the Soul, but I'm glad I did. It's a straight up great city car. It's very practical and simple to drive. I really like the Soul, and will most likely buy one for my wife because she digs the practicality, and I feel it's perfect for her. I'm not down with Toyota like so many because I've had three bad experiences that left a bad taste in my mouth when I hear about Toyota. Overall Toyota purposely underpowers their vehicles for reliability sake, which makes them seem good, but in reality all tuners I've met, including myself spent thousands of dollars replacing Toyota parts with aftermarket parts because they break as soon as you try to give the car competing power compared to other brands. Kia has it down now. They have a good engine, drivetrain, and a 100k, 10 year warranty. Also if you ever sell your Kia, the 60k warranty transfers over.
Moe Anthony No! But I would buy it for my wife. My needs are different than her's, and the Kia Soul is perfect for her. I normally do a 185 mile commute driving into different environments at high speed. Having a German engineered car is perfect for that as they are meant for the autobahn and can handle the stresses associated with the drive. I tried driving the Kia Soul on the freeway, and it was okay, but the lack of aerodynamics leans it to be susceptible to being pushed around by the wind. The transmission also leaves something to be desired.
Yeah I am glad he mentioned that other tiers of the soul have more features. The one I drive doesn't have turbo but it has 4 drive modes, lane keep assist, auto braking, blind spot detection, cross traffic alert and much much more. Had my soul for about a year and a half now and love it like the day I bought it! :)
I'd take the Soul because I'm not buying a crossover for the handling, I'm buying it for the space! I like the idea of the CHR, and the color choices are out of this world, but can it be less aggressive and more practical?
alak58 Hmmm, everybody I’ve ever talked to say they like the look of the Soul.... probably depends on where you live. I have one and I’m always getting compliments on it.
I did an extended drive on a 2018 CHR and it felt sluggish, the CVT really sucks for providing power. The back and hatch aren’t really all that big. I mean I like small vehicles but it isn’t even comfortable. I would hands down choose the Soul. Also for it having America’s best warranty.
We have both, I have a 2015 soul and my wife has a 2018 c-hr, both are great but we always find ourselves using the Soul for out of town trips due to the extra space.
You aren’t very informed when it comes to the Kia Soul. They do offer the PRIMO LIT package which comes with all of the driver assistance systems and everything that EXCLAME package has minus the turbo. So the Soul you chose to compare was not the right choice. However you forgot to mention that Soul has lane change assist and Navigation unit installed along with the android auto and apple car play you mentioned. The Soul also comes with the UVO system that does something in terms of safety that is ultimately the best thing Kia offers for free and that is the 911 connect feature where the car will call for dispatch in the event you got into an accident. So you didn’t really give the Soul enough light like you did with the Toyota.
Soul, in any flavor, even the base w/manual, all day, any day, over the chr. It is a nice, 4-door hatch that is easy to ingress/egress and has enough room for people or stuff.
I have a 2014 Soul+ with a little over 50,000 miles on it. It is without a doubt the best most trouble free car I have had (In the past 60 years I have had 49 cars) I live in AZ. and have made 3 cross country trips (Yuma AZ to new Jersey about 7000 miles each) Great long trip vehicle. Only service has been Oil changes, Everything else is original. You can't go wrong with a Soul! Thank You KIA! Yuma Bpb
I thought that I'd share our journey as we just finished a 3+ month search for a 2nd family vehicle that would compliment a recent AWD truck purchase. Our parameters were subcompact crossover with good gas mileage, sunroof, XM and 50 to 60 cubic feet of cargo capacity (this removed the CX3 from consideration). AWD was low on the needs scale but would have been welcomed, if we could have stayed at budget. Our candidates were the CHR, the Soul, Niro, HRV, Crosstrek, and the new Hyundai Kona. Our budget was $25k or less... We eventually settled on a lightly used 2017 fully loaded Kia Niro hybrid with 3000 miles. It is the Touring model with heated/cooled leather, memory seats. Sunroof, 8 inch screen with CarPlay/Android auto and a 47.5 mpg average on our first tank. Our price was well below the $25k budget. Our 2nd place finisher was shockingly the turbo Soul! This Exclaim model was really quick and easy to drive, essentially comes with standard Navigation (Apple CarPlay/Android), heated steering wheel, a REAL backup camera being properly displayed in the 8inch screen and of course the best warranty (5 year bumper to bumper plus 10yr/100,000mi warranty). The mid level loaded Soul Plus is even a better value as it comes with nicer full leather seating with heated and cooled front seat, the lane keep and the advanced cruise control options (something not offered on the turbo, however, you lose the turbo 1.6 for the mid level 2.0 liter naturally aspirated engine with a traditional 6 speed auto. A loaded PLUS or EXCLAIM can be optionally equipped with the panoramic roof. Expect a $3500 to $5000 discount off the top optioned models in the $26 to $28,000 MSRP qrange. We really wanted XM and a sunroof, so the Crosstrek removed itself as a contender as satellite radio can only be had in the highest limited trim which was around $28000, after discounts. I will say that the Crosstrek was the smoothest riding of all the cars tested. The CHR's ride was very nice but the back seat and rear visibility were extremely poor. A lack of a Nav option or CarPlay and the CVT drone sealed its fate to almost last place (the HRV took that title). The HRV was the real disappointment as it was on paper the vehicle that I thought would finish first. The HRV was the most unrefined with an interior that seemed cheap and old. It did offer a Nav and AWD option, the best cargo space but ZERO personality. The Kona surprised us as it drove well and even came with an option for AWD and a turbo. Ultimately, it was just released which meant the possibility not having any reliability history.
I love my Kia Soul. The true comparison was parking....my F150 extended cab....does not pull doughnies in a parking lot. First thing I did was alot of small circles . And i brought home a futon in the back. No problem...drop the seat. Also i got squeezed on the ferry ...last car....cuz its little. Yay.
Soul for sure. Drove both twice for test drives, ended up taking home the Soul Ex+ (Canadian) - Way cheaper here than the C-HR equipped similarly. Gets better fuel economy than you stated as well, perhaps the Turbo engine is to blame for that, but I'd still think a 1.6L turbo would do better than my 2.0L NA. Currently getting ~35mpg, but it's been a bit more highway than normal lately, so I'd expect 30-32 in more normal stints.
I think Toyota designers are all blind. I just don't understand a car like this. It's a car focused on style, but it's ugly, it's meant to appeal to youthful buyers, but I've only ever seen one, and in traditional Toyota fashion, it was being driven by an old man. The only people who would be able to fit in the back with that sloping roofline are little kids, who can't even reach the door handle because the rear door handle is mounted near the top of the door. I just don't know who this is designed for, aside from, maybe old people who want to appear youthful. No wonder this initially debuted as a Scion, should have been scrapped with the rest of the brand.
The Toyota C-H4 is like when you like someone because they're physically attractive, but when you finally get to know them, you get disappointed. The C-HR looks astoundingly on the outside, but on the inside... Well... not so much. It's not nearly as cool as I thought it'd be.
I don’t get this guy. The soul beat out the CHR on everything but handling and he still recommends the TOYOTA. Sorry but this guy just lost my respect as a auto reviewer. The soul is KIA’s number one best seller at 250000 units a year in the U.S. The CHR has yet to sell over 50000 in a year. The Soul is the true winner here.
The CH-R looses what little luster it had with the release of the new Corolla hatch. The Corolla hatch is more powerful, efficient, spacious, feature-rich and practical at a price about $1,000 USD less when comparing base trims, and you can actually see out of it. The Soul is the most sensible choice in this comparison though.
Confusing. Im guessing the Soul is the + version but he didnt specify. The soul has 3 levels not sure if the c-hr does but im guessing it has different levels as well. So now, what the hell 25000 and no andriod or apple play??? Im pissed off cause my Soul base model only has siri enabled voice commands - yikes. 1st they take away the spare tire now they cant give you a simple choice of andriod or apple. Next they will charge extra for the steering wheel.
The Kia Soul has more trim levels. They do make a base model that costs only 16-18k and does have a manual transmission. Most owners of the manual transmission actually get better mpg ratings than the window sticker would indicate - 32-34 mpg being the norm. Not good enough on mpg? Try the Kia Nero - 50+mpg almost all of the time under any variety of driving conditions. The trip computer rarely goes below 50mpg. But it gets better with time. Wait for the 2019 Kia/Hyundai models to come out. In addition to what they have presently; the Kia Soul will be getting the Nero engine configuration, and then boost up the mpg to 60+mpg, also offering awd
I wanted to be a Toyota guy so bad had a 17 Corolla it got totaled . I ended up with a 16 soul the build quality is leaps and bounds better . The Corolla reminded me of a early ninety's Chevy car it was that bad .
The C-HR was not designed to be a Scion, as it's available world wide and Scion was only in the US and Canada. It was however packaged to be a Scion which is why it's not available with AWD here as Scion did had the monospec business model. Hopefully it'll be addressed with the mid lifecycle refresh. The 3rd gen Soul due as a 2020 is also expected to get AWD.
I like this little Toyota, it might be my next car. I agree 25k isn't cheap, this ppl just seem to live in an alternate reality where the minimum wage is 50 dollars an hour, cheap to me is like 10k Lol. But 25k is reasonable enough.
Khu NoPie Sound racist and insult to Asian. Then you should go to listento reggaeton or salsa latin music. Might as well buy garbage ugly Honda instead if you insult and being racist to all asian car.
well the chr does have awd,’just not in the states Besides, does the option of awd make it a cross over or having awd make it a cross over? Like my rav4 is front drive, but has awd option in those years ( of course), now is it a cross over because it had the option? Or no?
The C-HR was NOT designed to be a Scion. It was already sold overseas as a Toyota before its debut in North America. AWD , hybrid and manual versions of the C-HR are sold in other markets but no matter where you live, the huge rear blind spots will be just as dangerous to the driver and other road users. Get the new Corolla hatch if you want a far superior small Toyota at a better price.
Right Lane Hog for the North American market it was absolutely supposed to be under the Scion brand. Hence many monospec items and lower feature availability. They’ve expanded the lineup for subsequent model years.
No matter how much I look at C-HR, it never looks balanced. There is something really really weird and unbalanced going on with the exterior design. Oh and that rear seat leg room isn't helping either.
I have a 2015 Kia Soul, and absolutely LOVE it! Best damned car I have ever had! And, I bought it USED! I can't wait to get a used 2019 model in a couple of years! These cars are simply fantastic! Roomy, reliable, practical, fun to drive, and totally cool looking (IMHO).
This guy flip flops. While he drove the CHR, he said the car wasn't all that. Since it lacked any real power. Towards the end, he said the car was his choice because how the car handles. The car should handle well if it lacks power! My money is on the Kia Soul! And $25k IS NOT CHEAP!!!
Due to oening a Kia Sedona /Hyundai Entourage and not having any major.problems with it just bought the 2019 Kia Soul ! Exclaim Turbo and have not broken it in but I will say it has a lot of get up and go, is easy to get in and out of, and a ton of space inside. Read that Kia sells 100,000 Souls per year. Don't know the numbers on the Exclaim Turbo and I'd estimate but each person I've run accross driving a SOUL has given theirs a tumbs up. Did Not get the sunroof $1,000, or the tech package $3,000 as couldn't find them. Wish Kia would offer heated seats on all the Exclaims, and AWD.
I believe the Soul has its own segment..... its the " one of its kind" thing ...car manufacturers just wont go out of the "subcompact crossovers" segment to go back to classic boxy style vehicle. THe Soul is unique
ACTUALLY ... I REALLY liked your review ... it was awesome ... but I test drove both and bought the Soul because the CVT transmission was really actually annoying and the Soul is actually far sportier and enjoyable ... really.
I was looking at the Soul when I was going to buy a new car earlier this year, but ended up with a Cerato. 1 it is better suited fro my dog, but the main reason was, I don't see any Soul's on the road. If a car is good it will be popular, and you will see the popular cars on the road. I am not saying it isn't a good car, it's just not very popular. Maybe it's the shape?
In the US, the Kia should is much worse than in Canada. In the us all of those safety things( lane departure warning, blind spot detection, Forward Collision warning,etc) is optional on one of the trims. In Canada we have more than 5 Kia Soul trim levels, while the US has only 3. On most of those trims, you can get all of those cool safety gadgets, and a 165 hp engine for around 26000 CAD, or around 20000 USD. The soul is much more worth it in Canada than in America.
THey should have put the Kia Soul ! or + with the 2.0 L naturally aspirated engine instead of the Turbo model.... it just doesn't fit.! And obviously the Turbo model doesn't compete directly against any other car in the segment (as far as I know) unless is those 2 models I mention earlier... I own the 2016 ! (exclaim) version and its amazingly better than the C-HR in so many ways, its even cheaper (coworker bought it recently) I mean , hello.!! Wrong pick for this comparison.
Soul > CH-R Practical, pano roof, better interior quality, interior space > Better handling (this is not a sports car anyway), essentially a Scion, limited room, claustrophobic rear seats, not as nice interior.
Wife's Kia Soul has 130000 miles on it. Oil, tire and brake pad change are the only thing done to the car... Damn reliable.
Funny. My car has been towed twice and broke down 3 tines
@@Memerino-ly7yr Kia Soul?
I'm at 75k miles. Just did the first brakes, and I swapped the tired at 65k. I've never been back to the dealer or had any other repairs. Fantastic car.
@@dragonba2006 yep
I just hit a deer with my 2010 soul and it was totaled. I had almost 250,000 miles on it. Only maintenance I did were oil changes, tires, and brakes as well as a basic tune up over this past summer and it was solid. Just put my order in for a 2019 Soul exclaim. I agree the Soul is reliable.
My 2012 Soul has the same size engine as the 2018 and at 60k+ miles, I'm getting an average of 32mpg. I run about 90 miles round trip each day. Bear in mind, I'm 6'2" and 330 pounds. Lots of room in the Soul. I still have about 2" of space between my head and the headliner. There is more hip and knee room in the Soul than my wife's 2007 Saturn Outlook SUV.
thanks for the feedback! If a person tall as you can fit there and feel comfortable. I cant imagine myself 5' 6" and my wife 5' will feel like!!!!
He didn't mention the fact that you can't get a sunroof or satellite radio on the CH-R either, but yet he says you'll be disappointed if you want features and luxury in the Soul just because it lacks dual zone climate control? If you get the EX Luxury trim you get leather seats, air cooled front seats, adaptive cruise and lane keep assist, HID headlights and LED tail lights.
Was just choosing between these two cars this week. Went with the Soul.
lemonade so beyable love it. Wish it had a little more get up and go and wish the normal handling was like the sport setting, but all in all, love it
Considering the current gen Soul came from 2014, I think it speaks volumes about how well the design has aged. It even got a 2018 Top Safety Pick + without any modifications. I'd still choose the Soul over the C-HR any day of the week. If the Soul was moved to a newer platform, it'd be that much better.
definitely, it will soon be announced as a redesigned Soul is set to debut later this year.
I've owned a Jeep Grand Cherokee for over twenty years. I rented a Kia Soul a few weeks ago on a trip and I loved it. The visibility is amazing for cars today, and I didn't have to change my driving style on one bit. I'm keeping the Jeep, but I'm seriously considering getting a Soul for daily driving.
I just bought a 2018 Kia Soul Exclaim Turbo. Passed over Toyota with no hesitation. Really enjoying My Kia and the outstanding Warranty it comes with.
Just bought a brand-new 2018 Soul. It's fantastic.
Me too!!!
I had a 2014 soul..traded in for a 2018 and love it...it's comfortable for a long ride, plenty of cargo space..as long as your not going with 4 people to an airport...but as my everyday car in Toronto..Urban SUV.. IKEA runs..done!, Christmas shopping..done!, Baseball gear..done..
201 horsepower from the 1.6L turbo and a fast dual clutch transmission gives you that speed the CH-R just can't give. And all the slopes and curves of the CH-R simply means it can't compete with the boxy Soul for space and practicality. Hard to believe, but the Soul is pretty much what VW or Audi would have come up with if they competed in this segment: a pimped up, taller wagon with a turbocharged engine (probably a 1.4L TFSI) with a dual clutch transmission for fuel efficiency and speed. It's surprisingly Euro-centric despite being Korean.
I bought 2018+ Soul - this car feels so damn sturdy and I love how quiet and smooth it feels. It looks huge inside for a small car there’s plenty of room. They are cheap but not cheap feeling at all.
Your forgot to mention the Soul outlived the Scion xB. In fact, when it first came out, it outsold the xB, Cube, & Element combined, by almost double. Also, you can't get leather seats, or even the SofTex vinyl seats in the CH-R.
2015 kia soul exclaim owner here. Never broke down, still going strong with 89000 miles on her. My favorite ride of all time. My advice is get the soul! Your welcome!
Rosie thank you for this review 🙏🏾
I have driven both. I bought the Soul because the design looks conservative and better and I love it. ❤️
The C-HR looks like a Transformer mecha toy.
I'm currently driving the Soul as a rental while my Jetta is in the body shop after it got rear-ended. I was hesitant to take the Soul, but I'm glad I did. It's a straight up great city car. It's very practical and simple to drive. I really like the Soul, and will most likely buy one for my wife because she digs the practicality, and I feel it's perfect for her. I'm not down with Toyota like so many because I've had three bad experiences that left a bad taste in my mouth when I hear about Toyota. Overall Toyota purposely underpowers their vehicles for reliability sake, which makes them seem good, but in reality all tuners I've met, including myself spent thousands of dollars replacing Toyota parts with aftermarket parts because they break as soon as you try to give the car competing power compared to other brands. Kia has it down now. They have a good engine, drivetrain, and a 100k, 10 year warranty. Also if you ever sell your Kia, the 60k warranty transfers over.
definitely, and it does not depreciate as fast like before
Wife's Kia Soul has 130000 miles. Oil, tire and brake pad change are the only thing done to the car. Damn reliable.
Cary Majano would u take it over the Jetta?
Moe Anthony No! But I would buy it for my wife. My needs are different than her's, and the Kia Soul is perfect for her. I normally do a 185 mile commute driving into different environments at high speed. Having a German engineered car is perfect for that as they are meant for the autobahn and can handle the stresses associated with the drive. I tried driving the Kia Soul on the freeway, and it was okay, but the lack of aerodynamics leans it to be susceptible to being pushed around by the wind. The transmission also leaves something to be desired.
Cary Majano thanks Cary. I appreciated the feedback
Yeah I am glad he mentioned that other tiers of the soul have more features. The one I drive doesn't have turbo but it has 4 drive modes, lane keep assist, auto braking, blind spot detection, cross traffic alert and much much more. Had my soul for about a year and a half now and love it like the day I bought it! :)
I'd take the Soul because I'm not buying a crossover for the handling, I'm buying it for the space! I like the idea of the CHR, and the color choices are out of this world, but can it be less aggressive and more practical?
Rearward visibility would be nice too.
Soul looks better and drives better. I driven both
alak58 Hmmm, everybody I’ve ever talked to say they like the look of the Soul.... probably depends on where you live. I have one and I’m always getting compliments on it.
alak58 And the Soul won several design awards over the years.
alak58 really? everyone likes the soul because of how unique it looks. plus it’s boxy shape inherently allows for a lot more room
We just bought a kia soul Great Khali driving and great quality buttons great quality everything truly worth it
I luv my Kia Soul!!!!😍😍😍😍
Between C-HR and Soul, in my opinion Soul is definitely the better choice.
The Soul, for the win!
The Soul please!
Kia should be the winner
Kia for me
Give me the Soul all day
Less safety crap, the less useless beeps you have to turn off. Prefer the Soul
I did an extended drive on a 2018 CHR and it felt sluggish, the CVT really sucks for providing power. The back and hatch aren’t really all that big. I mean I like small vehicles but it isn’t even comfortable. I would hands down choose the Soul. Also for it having America’s best warranty.
We have both, I have a 2015 soul and my wife has a 2018 c-hr, both are great but we always find ourselves using the Soul for out of town trips due to the extra space.
You aren’t very informed when it comes to the Kia Soul. They do offer the PRIMO LIT package which comes with all of the driver assistance systems and everything that EXCLAME package has minus the turbo. So the Soul you chose to compare was not the right choice. However you forgot to mention that Soul has lane change assist and Navigation unit installed along with the android auto and apple car play you mentioned. The Soul also comes with the UVO system that does something in terms of safety that is ultimately the best thing Kia offers for free and that is the 911 connect feature where the car will call for dispatch in the event you got into an accident. So you didn’t really give the Soul enough light like you did with the Toyota.
Soul, in any flavor, even the base w/manual, all day, any day, over the chr. It is a nice, 4-door hatch that is easy to ingress/egress and has enough room for people or stuff.
I’ll take the soul
I have a 2014 Soul+ with a little over 50,000 miles on it. It is without a doubt the best most trouble free car I have had (In the past 60 years I have had 49 cars) I live in AZ. and have made 3 cross country trips (Yuma AZ to new Jersey about 7000 miles each) Great long trip vehicle. Only service has been Oil changes, Everything else is original. You can't go wrong with a Soul!
Thank You KIA!
Yuma Bpb
Just bought 2019 Kia Soul+ and absolutely love it! 2.0 litre engine pumps 161 hp making this little buggy get up and go quite nicely.
Update? im planning to get the same car too ( 2019 soul plus) and wondering if its really worth it
I'm from Australia, my family and I got the soul. It's the best car yet that I have driven. The soul also looks good.
The CH-R looks like it would have some serious blind spots (I know, I know cameras but I'm old school).
"these two cars aren't comparable" so why say "Comparison" in the title? A C-HR is comparable to a Soul +.
EXACTLY.!!!!!! I thought I was the only one who saw that.!
@@izaakwilliamz3120 He is drunk, notice the way he shhhpeak lol
You cannot go to heaven without your SOUL...kia soul is very smooth...
Love my 2019 Kia Soul +!
Kia Soul is way better
I thought that I'd share our journey as we just finished a 3+ month search for a 2nd family vehicle that would compliment a recent AWD truck purchase.
Our parameters were subcompact crossover with good gas mileage, sunroof, XM and 50 to 60 cubic feet of cargo capacity (this removed the CX3 from consideration). AWD was low on the needs scale but would have been welcomed, if we could have stayed at budget.
Our candidates were the CHR, the Soul, Niro, HRV, Crosstrek, and the new Hyundai Kona. Our budget was $25k or less...
We eventually settled on a lightly used 2017 fully loaded Kia Niro hybrid with 3000 miles. It is the Touring model with heated/cooled leather, memory seats. Sunroof, 8 inch screen with CarPlay/Android auto and a 47.5 mpg average on our first tank. Our price was well below the $25k budget.
Our 2nd place finisher was shockingly the turbo Soul! This Exclaim model was really quick and easy to drive, essentially comes with standard Navigation (Apple CarPlay/Android), heated steering wheel, a REAL backup camera being properly displayed in the 8inch screen and of course the best warranty (5 year bumper to bumper plus 10yr/100,000mi warranty).
The mid level loaded Soul Plus is even a better value as it comes with nicer full leather seating with heated and cooled front seat, the lane keep and the advanced cruise control options (something not offered on the turbo, however, you lose the turbo 1.6 for the mid level 2.0 liter naturally aspirated engine with a traditional 6 speed auto.
A loaded PLUS or EXCLAIM can be optionally equipped with the panoramic roof. Expect a $3500 to $5000 discount off the top optioned models in the $26 to $28,000 MSRP qrange.
We really wanted XM and a sunroof, so the Crosstrek removed itself as a contender as satellite radio can only be had in the highest limited trim which was around $28000, after discounts.
I will say that the Crosstrek was the smoothest riding of all the cars tested.
The CHR's ride was very nice but the back seat and rear visibility were extremely poor. A lack of a Nav option or CarPlay and the CVT drone sealed its fate to almost last place (the HRV took that title).
The HRV was the real disappointment as it was on paper the vehicle that I thought would finish first.
The HRV was the most unrefined with an interior that seemed cheap and old. It did offer a Nav and AWD option, the best cargo space but ZERO personality.
The Kona surprised us as it drove well and even came with an option for AWD and a turbo. Ultimately, it was just released which meant the possibility not having any reliability history.
Love the Kia Soul!!
hate kia soul
A.L T.C - who cares.
I love my Kia Soul. The true comparison was parking....my F150 extended cab....does not pull doughnies in a parking lot. First thing I did was alot of small circles . And i brought home a futon in the back. No problem...drop the seat. Also i got squeezed on the ferry ...last car....cuz its little. Yay.
Soul for sure. Drove both twice for test drives, ended up taking home the Soul Ex+ (Canadian) - Way cheaper here than the C-HR equipped similarly. Gets better fuel economy than you stated as well, perhaps the Turbo engine is to blame for that, but I'd still think a 1.6L turbo would do better than my 2.0L NA. Currently getting ~35mpg, but it's been a bit more highway than normal lately, so I'd expect 30-32 in more normal stints.
I have a 2011 kia soul with 200k miles. Most fucking reliable car I've ever had and I've had many
The 2020 kia soul GT LINE TURBO has all the goodies and is priced the same, buying one this week.
I can't wait for Kia to release their Type R Soul.
C-HR : form over fonction . Soul better in that aspect , minus the too narrow rear opening .
I think Toyota designers are all blind. I just don't understand a car like this. It's a car focused on style, but it's ugly, it's meant to appeal to youthful buyers, but I've only ever seen one, and in traditional Toyota fashion, it was being driven by an old man. The only people who would be able to fit in the back with that sloping roofline are little kids, who can't even reach the door handle because the rear door handle is mounted near the top of the door. I just don't know who this is designed for, aside from, maybe old people who want to appear youthful. No wonder this initially debuted as a Scion, should have been scrapped with the rest of the brand.
The Toyota C-H4 is like when you like someone because they're physically attractive, but when you finally get to know them, you get disappointed. The C-HR looks astoundingly on the outside, but on the inside... Well... not so much. It's not nearly as cool as I thought it'd be.
Soul is MUCH better car!
I don’t get this guy. The soul beat out the CHR on everything but handling and he still recommends the TOYOTA. Sorry but this guy just lost my respect as a auto reviewer. The soul is KIA’s number one best seller at 250000 units a year in the U.S. The CHR has yet to sell over 50000 in a year. The Soul is the true winner here.
Someone (not telling who) bot a Kia Soul today I LUV IT
The CH-R looses what little luster it had with the release of the new Corolla hatch. The Corolla hatch is more powerful, efficient, spacious, feature-rich and practical at a price about $1,000 USD less when comparing base trims, and you can actually see out of it. The Soul is the most sensible choice in this comparison though.
You didn't mention car crash ratings or long term dependability. I would also like to know average cost per mile over a five year period.
I tried both and the Soul "!" is the better car between the two by a long shot. I honestly don't think you can compare the two cars
The CHR is a beautiful car in terms of design but it needs more things inside and horsepower.
Confusing. Im guessing the Soul is the + version but he didnt specify. The soul has 3 levels not sure if the c-hr does but im guessing it has different levels as well. So now, what the hell 25000 and no andriod or apple play??? Im pissed off cause my Soul base model only has siri enabled voice commands - yikes. 1st they take away the spare tire now they cant give you a simple choice of andriod or apple. Next they will charge extra for the steering wheel.
This guy sounds like he can voice a Disney character. Very unique. Thanks for the info
Just bought a soul and damn love it🥰❤️🥰
My mom has a kia soul 2014 version
The Kia Soul has more trim levels.
They do make a base model that costs only 16-18k and does have a manual transmission. Most owners of the manual transmission actually get better mpg ratings than the window sticker would indicate - 32-34 mpg being the norm.
Not good enough on mpg?
Try the Kia Nero - 50+mpg almost all of the time under any variety of driving conditions. The trip computer rarely goes below 50mpg.
But it gets better with time. Wait for the 2019 Kia/Hyundai models to come out. In addition to what they have presently; the Kia Soul will be getting the Nero engine configuration, and then boost up the mpg to 60+mpg, also offering awd
I wanted to be a Toyota guy so bad had a 17 Corolla it got totaled . I ended up with a 16 soul the build quality is leaps and bounds better . The Corolla reminded me of a early ninety's Chevy car it was that bad .
You’re yelling at us dude.. ouch my ears!
Suffering sukatash
C-HR: No kid wants to sit in the back. A horrible view out for them, like in a dungeon. In Europe you get as hybrid too ...
The C-HR was not designed to be a Scion, as it's available world wide and Scion was only in the US and Canada. It was however packaged to be a Scion which is why it's not available with AWD here as Scion did had the monospec business model. Hopefully it'll be addressed with the mid lifecycle refresh. The 3rd gen Soul due as a 2020 is also expected to get AWD.
Unfortunately no awd for 2020
Kia is clearly run by twits!
I like this little Toyota, it might be my next car. I agree 25k isn't cheap, this ppl just seem to live in an alternate reality where the minimum wage is 50 dollars an hour, cheap to me is like 10k Lol. But 25k is reasonable enough.
The interior of the Toyota has a zen-like ambient to me
They should have called the Kia a 'Seoul', because it has:
ope
ope ope...
Oppa Gangnam Style....
Khu NoPie Sound racist and insult to Asian. Then you should go to listento reggaeton or salsa latin music. Might as well buy garbage ugly Honda instead if you insult and being racist to all asian car.
Khu NoPie wack as fukkkkk. Wtf.
Khu NoPie im korean and that was not racist at all lol
오빤 강남스타일!
WRXIMPREZARED2018 SUBARU it's a kia,kia it's from korea,kia soul it's manufactured in south Korea and seoul it's located in south Korea,so your point?
Got the Soul ...and I LOVE it...
well the chr does have awd,’just not in the states
Besides, does the option of awd make it a cross over or having awd make it a cross over?
Like my rav4 is front drive, but has awd option in those years ( of course), now is it a cross over because it had the option? Or no?
The C-HR was NOT designed to be a Scion. It was already sold overseas as a Toyota before its debut in North America. AWD , hybrid and manual versions of the C-HR are sold in other markets but no matter where you live, the huge rear blind spots will be just as dangerous to the driver and other road users. Get the new Corolla hatch if you want a far superior small Toyota at a better price.
Right Lane Hog for the North American market it was absolutely supposed to be under the Scion brand. Hence many monospec items and lower feature availability. They’ve expanded the lineup for subsequent model years.
Yes, it was going to be sold as a Scion in North America but it was designed for world wide consumption by non-discerning car buyers.
Every other car I see...is a Kia Soul!
No matter how much I look at C-HR, it never looks balanced. There is something really really weird and unbalanced going on with the exterior design. Oh and that rear seat leg room isn't helping either.
I have a 2015 Kia Soul, and absolutely LOVE it! Best damned car I have ever had! And, I bought it USED! I can't wait to get a used 2019 model in a couple of years! These cars are simply fantastic! Roomy, reliable, practical, fun to drive, and totally cool looking (IMHO).
This guy flip flops. While he drove the CHR, he said the car wasn't all that. Since it lacked any real power. Towards the end, he said the car was his choice because how the car handles. The car should handle well if it lacks power! My money is on the Kia Soul! And $25k IS NOT CHEAP!!!
Kia Soul hands down. I predict that the C-HR will go away since there sales have been weak.
Due to oening a Kia Sedona /Hyundai Entourage and not having any major.problems with it just bought the 2019 Kia Soul ! Exclaim Turbo and have not broken it in but I will say it has a lot of get up and go, is easy to get in and out of, and a ton of space inside. Read that Kia sells 100,000 Souls per year. Don't know the numbers on the Exclaim Turbo and I'd estimate but each person I've run accross driving a SOUL has given theirs a tumbs up.
Did Not get the sunroof $1,000, or the tech package $3,000 as couldn't find them. Wish Kia would offer heated seats on all the Exclaims, and AWD.
Does Kia even market the Soul as a crossover? Isn’t it just a boxy hatchback...
I believe the Soul has its own segment..... its the " one of its kind" thing ...car manufacturers just wont go out of the "subcompact crossovers" segment to go back to classic boxy style vehicle. THe Soul is unique
My insurance says...crossover.
AutoGuide chose a Toyota? Wow, I thought I was dreaming.
I’m waiting for the alleged Kia Soul Awd trailster to pull the trigger. The concept version makes my fingers tremble to grab the wheel
LOVE the CHR.
It crying out for a higher performance turbo model. That would looks badass... Gazoo Racing you hear me ??
ACTUALLY ... I REALLY liked your review ... it was awesome ... but I test drove both and bought the Soul because the CVT transmission was really actually annoying and the Soul is actually far sportier and enjoyable ... really.
I was looking at the Soul when I was going to buy a new car earlier this year, but ended up with a Cerato. 1 it is better suited fro my dog, but the main reason was, I don't see any Soul's on the road. If a car is good it will be popular, and you will see the popular cars on the road. I am not saying it isn't a good car, it's just not very popular. Maybe it's the shape?
David Edwards I live in the midwest and they are everywhere, more so than many vehicles out here. Souls are the top selling car for KIA.
Am I the only one who hates dual climate control?
Yes, you're the only one
Will Weaton with a speech impediment
Clutch has a manual mode in case you didn't notice.
Soul wins hands down no comparison.
Love my Kia Soul.
Hate Kia Corp. because they dropped the price so much,
you can buy a new one for less than I owe.
NEVER will buy from them again!
My man was quite mad when talking about no navigation system on the C-HR
In the US, the Kia should is much worse than in Canada. In the us all of those safety things( lane departure warning, blind spot detection, Forward Collision warning,etc) is optional on one of the trims. In Canada we have more than 5 Kia Soul trim levels, while the US has only 3. On most of those trims, you can get all of those cool safety gadgets, and a 165 hp engine for around 26000 CAD, or around 20000 USD. The soul is much more worth it in Canada than in America.
i need the cargo space, would go with the SOUL
A car with a COG of a crossover but isn't available with AWD is the last thing I want
THey should have put the Kia Soul ! or + with the 2.0 L naturally aspirated engine instead of the Turbo model.... it just doesn't fit.! And obviously the Turbo model doesn't compete directly against any other car in the segment (as far as I know) unless is those 2 models I mention earlier... I own the 2016 ! (exclaim) version and its amazingly better than the C-HR in so many ways, its even cheaper (coworker bought it recently) I mean , hello.!! Wrong pick for this comparison.
( IMO )
Soul > CH-R
Practical, pano roof, better interior quality, interior space > Better handling (this is not a sports car anyway), essentially a Scion, limited room, claustrophobic rear seats, not as nice interior.
Yes, L/100Km!! Thank you
25k isn't cheap
RellupNorth it is by today’s standards of price
Graham Schaper 26000 in Canadian
If buying used go with 2014 and above much more refined then 1st generation. I own both a 2012 plus and 2014 base soul
Soul is cuter !
I'll take the soul please!! I have a 2016 and can't wait to upgrade!
Finally they don't diss on Toyota!!!!