Compare the2022 Kia SoulVS 2021 Ford Escape

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Soul are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Escape doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Soul and the Escape have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Kia Soul is safer than the Ford Escape:

	Soul	Escape
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Stress	160 lbs.	181 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH, results indicate that the Kia Soul is safer than the Ford Escape:

	Soul	Escape
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	142	197
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	611 lbs.	816 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Soul is 2.2% to 2.7% less likely to roll over than the Escape.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, with its optional front crash prevention system, and its headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Soul its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2019, a rating granted to only 103 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Escape is only a standard “Top Pick” for 2019.

Warranty

The Soul comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Escape’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Soul 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Ford covers the Escape. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Escape ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

Reliability

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Soul’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the Escape’s camshafts. If the Escape’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Soul first among small suvs in their 2020 Initial Quality Study. The Escape isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2020 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in initial quality, above the industry average. With 38 more problems per 100 vehicles, Ford is ranked 16th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 33 more problems per 100 vehicles, Ford is ranked 22nd.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 7 places higher in reliability than Ford.

Engine

The Soul Turbo’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder produces 20 more horsepower (201 vs. 181) and 5 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 190) than the Escape’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Soul 4 cyl. is faster than the Ford Escape turbo 3 cyl.:

	Soul	Escape
Zero to 60 MPH	6.9 sec	8.4 sec
Quarter Mile	15.2 sec	16.6 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91.3 MPH	84.5 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Soul EX CVT with its standard engine gets better fuel mileage than the Escape FWD turbo 3 cyl. (29 city/35 hwy vs. 28 city/34 hwy).

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Soul uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Escape with the 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder engine requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Transmission

The Soul has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Escape doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Soul offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Escape doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

The Soul stops much shorter than the Escape:

	Soul	Escape
70 to 0 MPH	161 feet	162 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	114 feet	128 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	130 feet	137 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Soul X-Line/GT-Line/Turbo’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Escape (235/45R18 vs. 225/65R17).

The Soul LX/S’ standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Escape’s standard 65 series tires. The Soul X-Line/GT-Line/Turbo’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Escape’s optional 55 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Soul X-Line handles at .91 G’s, while the Escape SE AWD pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Soul Turbo executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.4 seconds quicker than the Escape SE (26.8 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 28.2 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Soul’s turning circle is 2.4 feet tighter than the Escape’s (34.8 feet vs. 37.2 feet).

Chassis

The Kia Soul may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 450 to 550 pounds less than the Ford Escape.

The Soul is 1 foot, 3.3 inches shorter than the Escape, making the Soul easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Servicing Ease

The Soul uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Escape uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

The Soul has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Escape doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Soul’s available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Escape’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Marginal.”

For greater rear passenger comfort, the Soul has standard rear heat vents to keep rear occupants more comfortable. The Escape S doesn’t offer rear vents.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Soul owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Soul with a number “1” insurance rate while the Escape is rated higher at a number “5” rate.

The Soul will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Soul will retain 51.21% to 55% of its original price after five years, while the Escape only retains 45.76% to 46.58%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Soul is less expensive to operate than the Escape because typical repairs cost much less on the Soul than the Escape, including $1222 less for a muffler, $23 less for front brake pads, $21 less for a starter, $85 less for a fuel pump, $49 less for front struts and $490 less for a timing belt/chain.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Kia Soul will be $6789 to $7842 less than for the Ford Escape.