Compare the2022 Kia SoulVS 2021 Ford Escape FHEV

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 FHEV doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Soul and the Escape FHEV 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 FHEV:

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 FHEV:

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

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 FHEV is only a standard “Top Pick” for 2019.

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 FHEV’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 FHEV. 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 FHEV ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Soul first among small suvs in their 2020 Initial Quality Study. The Escape FHEV 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.

The Soul Turbo’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder produces 1 more horsepower (201 vs. 200) than the Escape FHEV’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Soul is faster than the Ford Escape FHEV:

The Soul stops shorter than the Escape FHEV:

For better traction, the Soul X-Line/GT-Line/Turbo’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Escape FHEV (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 FHEV’s standard 65 series tires. The Soul X-Line/GT-Line/Turbo’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Escape FHEV Titanium’s 55 series tires.

The Soul Turbo handles at .86 G’s, while the Escape FHEV SE AWD pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Soul Turbo executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.5 seconds quicker than the Escape FHEV SE AWD (26.8 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

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

The Kia Soul may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 650 to 700 pounds less than the Ford Escape FHEV.

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

The Soul has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Escape FHEV with its rear seat folded (62.1 vs. 60.8 cubic feet).

The Soul uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Escape FHEV 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.

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 FHEV’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Marginal.”