Compare the2022 Kia SoulVS 2021 Jeep Cherokee

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
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 Cherokee doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Soul’s optional driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Cherokee doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Soul and the Cherokee 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 and rear cross-path warning.

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 Jeep Cherokee:

	Soul	Cherokee
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	26%	38.2%
Neck Stress	168 lbs.	408 lbs.
Neck Compression	38 lbs.	41 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	49/286 lbs.	368/516 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Stress	160 lbs.	218 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	237/154 lbs.	241/259 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 Jeep Cherokee:

	Soul	Cherokee
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	611 lbs.	938 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 Cherokee.

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 vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Soul the rating of “Top Pick” for 2021, a rating granted to only 121 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Cherokee has not been fully tested, yet.

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 Cherokee’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 Jeep covers the Cherokee. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Cherokee ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Soul has a standard 760-amp battery. The Cherokee’s 700-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Soul first among small suvs in their 2020 Initial Quality Study. The Cherokee 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 Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in initial quality, above the industry average. With 19 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is ranked 11th.

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 Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 44 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is ranked 24th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 4 places higher in reliability than Jeep.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Soul is faster than the Jeep Cherokee:

	Soul 4 cyl.	Soul Turbo	Cherokee 4 cyl.	Cherokee turbo 4 cyl.
Zero to 60 MPH	6.9 sec	6.5 sec	9.5 sec	7.5 sec
Quarter Mile	15.2 sec	15 sec	17.2 sec	15.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91.3 MPH	93.7 MPH	80.5 MPH	87.1 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Soul gets better fuel mileage than the Cherokee FWD:

		MPG
Soul
	EX 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	29 city/35 hwy
	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	28 city/33 hwy
	1.6 Turbo 4-cyl.	27 city/32 hwy
Cherokee FWD
	2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	22 city/31 hwy
	2.0 Turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/31 hwy
	3.2 DOHC V6	20 city/29 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Soul uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Cherokee 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 Cherokee 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 Cherokee doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

The Soul stops much shorter than the Cherokee:

	Soul	Cherokee
70 to 0 MPH	161 feet	183 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	120 feet	138 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	130 feet	153 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

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 Cherokee’s 65 series tires. The Soul X-Line/GT-Line/Turbo’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Cherokee’s optional 50 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Soul has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Cherokee’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Soul X-Line handles at .91 G’s, while the Cherokee Limited 4x4 pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Soul Turbo executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.8 seconds quicker than the Cherokee Trailhawk 4x4 (26.8 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 28.6 seconds @ .57 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Soul’s turning circle is 2.8 feet tighter than the Cherokee’s (34.8 feet vs. 37.6 feet). The Soul’s turning circle is 3.3 feet tighter than the Cherokee 4x4 Trailhawk’s (34.8 feet vs. 38.1 feet).

Chassis

The Kia Soul may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 750 to 1200 pounds less than the Jeep Cherokee.

The Soul is 1 foot, 5.7 inches shorter than the Cherokee, making the Soul easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Soul has 1 inch more rear headroom and 2.9 inches more rear hip room than the Cherokee.

The front step up height for the Soul is 1.7 inches lower than the Cherokee (16.2” vs. 17.9”). The Soul’s rear step up height is .7 inches lower than the Cherokee’s (17.4” vs. 18.1”).

Cargo Capacity

The Soul has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Cherokee with its rear seat folded (62.1 vs. 54.7 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Soul easier. The Soul’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 29.8 inches, while the Cherokee’s liftover is 30.9 inches.

Ergonomics

The Soul Turbo has a standard heads-up display that projects speed in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Cherokee doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

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 Cherokee 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 Cherokee’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Poor.”

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Kia Soul X-Line/S/EX/GT-Line/Turbo has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) on the dashboard. The Cherokee doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

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 Cherokee is rated higher at a number “10” 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 Cherokee only retains 39.21% to 48.58%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Soul is less expensive to operate than the Cherokee because typical repairs cost much less on the Soul than the Cherokee, including $94 less for a water pump, $485 less for a muffler, $68 less for front brake pads, $135 less for a starter, $393 less for a fuel pump, $143 less for front struts and $380 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 $9022 to $9240 less than for the Jeep Cherokee.