as a car reviewer I actually get asked quite frequently about what's a good new
car to buy friends and family come and ask me this question and it's usually
because they already have a vehicle in mind and they're hoping that I'm going
to name that car and make them feel better about their intended purchase but
every now and then they genuinely want to know what is something that's new and
affordable and spacious and efficient and reliable and increasingly I find
myself recommending this thing this is the latest Kia Soul and it seems to tick
the boxes for so many people for so many reasons now for 2020 kia has updated the
soul significantly to make it even more appealing to even more people from the
outside you wouldn't think he has done much to the 2020 soul it has the same
shape as before with some revised front and rear styling but they've been sneaky
and actually rides on an all-new platform one that features a longer
wheelbase it comes with some new powertrain options as well
it also has upped the trim count to five different versions two of them with some
distinctly different flavors than before what this means is that there's pretty
much a soul for everybody looking for an efficient affordable model that can
carry four passengers in comfort or five in a pinch the base trim levels are
already very well equipped and come with a snappy 2-liter engine made it to
either a 6-speed manual or a new continuously variable automatic
transmission the new engine is perfectly adequate for moving the soul smartly
around town or even out onto the highway with plenty of power for passing or
accelerating up to highway speeds some continuously variable transmissions are
better than others and the souls new one is actually one of the good ones the
cars steering handling and braking aren't terribly sporty but not every car
needs to be a sports car it's perfectly good everyday commuter hatchback with
the automatic it'll even get an average 30 miles per gallon which is stellar by
small car standards but it is a solid rating now if you want something sporty
or the soul has you covered here too if you want the looks of a tougher
off-roader without any of the mechanical bits to actually take you off the
pavement there's the new ex line trim and that adds these rugged looking
plastic fender trim body bit things fog lights roof rail inspired trim up top an
optional two-tone paint all meant to evoke an off-roady vibe of course there
is no all-wheel-drive offered on the soul so a Subaru Crosstrek competitor
this is not at the top of the range is a genuinely sporty variant the Jeep
it features significant styling differences from the lesser models with
a sporty or front and rear end side cells with red accents integrated fog
lights and 18-inch wheels and tires but most notable is the option to spec a
turbocharged 1.6 liter engine package but also comes with a dual-clutch
7-speed automatic a sports suspension and larger brakes it doesn't exactly
make the soul into a Volkswagen GTI like hot hatch but it definitely ups the
entertainment value of this tiny truckster and it looks pretty wicked too
but what really sells a lot of people on the soul is not the way it looks
although many do find its styling to be an appealing factor no it's more about
the way the soul can swallow people and stuff in surroundings that are
surprisingly stylish for the price that they're asking the interior features top
quality materials it's screwed together beautifully and it's extremely
comfortable visibility in every direction is excellent thanks to the
Souls high driving position tall roof and low beltline there's plenty of room
up front and even plenty of room in the backseat for real sized adult humans
something you wouldn't figure from looking at the soul from the outside
choo there isn't much trunk space so you won't be taking a family of four on
vacation in it but for a young couple with a single child did it work
drop one or both of the split folding seat backs and you've got adequate space
for three plus luggage now you might remember the souls original TV ads
starring some dancing hip hop hamsters and that's because kia has made this car
their style setter for younger crowds including some flashy lightshow bits on
the interior the company's up their game in this department for 2020 now offering
a system that allows you to select one of six interior mood lighting themes
based on whatever music you're playing the music can sync up to the lighting
and the doors and the speaker's to flash with the beat moods you can choose from
include quote hey yo party time traveling romance midnight city or
cafe depending on if you're jamming to Frank Ocean or Frank Sinatra or Frankie
Goes to Hollywood it's all controlled through one of the best multimedia
systems on the market Kia screens are big clear and easy to use and navigate
even when under way you can opt for a huge ten and a quarter inch touchscreen
on the top trim levels to make you for an even better user experience now the
downside Kia only makes its flashy mood lighting and big screen tech available
on the very top spec GT line 1.6 turbo so you're gonna have to spend some coin
to get it what's all this flash and Dash run you
at the lower end of the trim level if the soul is very reasonably priced a Bay
LX model starts at 18,845 including delivery but you don't want that one as
it doesn't have any of the latest modern electronic safety gear one step up from
that is the S model and that's really where you should start
standard forward collision warning with autonomous emergency braking lane keep
assist lane departure warning blind spot detection area cross traffic alert and
driver attention warning even comes with a standard apple carplay and android
auto function a nicely equipped sole with all the necessities will set you
back about 21,285 but if you want all the goodies including the top safety
gear the flashy interior big multimedia screen and adaptive cruise control you
have to opt for the top-line GT 1.6 turbo trim which will cost you a minimum
of twenty eight thousand eight hundred forty-five dollars now for what you get
for that price a pretty spacious little hatchback with quite peppy performance
lots of great technology and a pretty stellar warranty that's really not a bad
price at all today I have recommended a lot of these Kia souls to people over
the years and what these new 2020 updates I think I want to keep on
recommending them if you'd like to learn more about the new 2020 Kia Soul you can
look everything up on cars.com