Compare the2022 Kia SoulVS 2021 Mazda CX-5

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 CX-5 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Soul and the CX-5 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 Mazda CX-5:

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 CX-5.

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

There are over 39 percent more Kia dealers than there are Mazda dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Soul’s warranty.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Soul has a standard 150-amp alternator. The CX-5’s standard 100-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Soul first among small suvs in their 2020 Initial Quality Study. The CX-5 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 Mazda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in initial quality, above the industry average. With 48 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mazda is ranked 22nd, 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 Mazda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 24 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mazda is ranked 14th.

The Soul Turbo’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder produces 14 more horsepower (201 vs. 187) and 9 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 186) than the CX-5’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Soul 4 cyl. is faster than the Mazda CX-5 4 cyl.:

On the EPA test cycle the Soul gets better fuel mileage than the CX-5 FWD:

In heavy traffic or at stop lights the Soul’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be disabled at the start of a trip. The CX-5 doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Soul uses regular unleaded gasoline. The CX-5 with the 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder engine requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

A seven-speed automatic (SMG) is standard on the Kia Soul Turbo, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the CX-5.

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 CX-5 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 CX-5 doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The Soul stops much shorter than the CX-5:

For better traction, the Soul X-Line/GT-Line/Turbo’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the CX-5 (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 CX-5 Sport/Touring’s standard 65 series tires. The Soul X-Line/GT-Line/Turbo’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the CX-5 Grand Touring/Signature/Carbon Edition’s 55 series tires.

The Soul has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The CX-5’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Soul X-Line handles at .91 G’s, while the CX-5 Signature AWD pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Soul Turbo executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.7 seconds quicker than the CX-5 Grand Touring AWD (26.8 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 28.5 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Soul’s turning circle is 1.2 feet tighter than the CX-5’s (34.8 feet vs. 36 feet).

The Kia Soul may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 700 to 800 pounds less than the Mazda CX-5.

The Soul is 1 foot, 1.9 inches shorter than the CX-5, making the Soul easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Soul has .1 inches more front legroom and .5 inches more rear headroom than the CX-5.

The front step up height for the Soul is 1.4 inches lower than the CX-5 (16.2” vs. 17.6”). The Soul’s rear step up height is .8 inches lower than the CX-5’s (17.4” vs. 18.2”).

The Soul has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the CX-5 with its rear seat folded (62.1 vs. 59.6 cubic feet).

The Soul uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The CX-5 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 power windows standard on both the Soul and the CX-5 have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Soul is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The CX-5 prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

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 CX-5 doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Soul is less expensive to operate than the CX-5 because typical repairs cost less on the Soul than the CX-5, including $40 less for a muffler, $88 less for fuel injection, $37 less for a fuel pump and $62 less for front struts.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Kia Soul will be $5642 to $6115 less than for the Mazda CX-5.