Compare the2022 Kia SoulVS 2021 Hyundai Tucson

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 Tucson doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Soul and the Tucson 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, 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 Hyundai Tucson:

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

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Soul has a standard 760-amp battery. The Tucson’s 600-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

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 Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in initial quality, above the industry average. With 17 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked 10th.

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 Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 4 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked 7th.

The Soul Turbo’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder produces 20 more horsepower (201 vs. 181) and 20 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 175) than the Tucson’s optional 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Soul is faster than the Hyundai Tucson:

On the EPA test cycle the Soul gets better fuel mileage than the Tucson 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 Tucson doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

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 Tucson.

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 Tucson 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 Tucson doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The Soul stops much shorter than the Tucson:

The Soul Turbo handles at .86 G’s, while the Tucson Limited AWD pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Soul Turbo executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the Tucson SE (26.8 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

The Kia Soul may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 450 to 700 pounds less than the Hyundai Tucson.

The Soul is 11.2 inches shorter than the Tucson, making the Soul easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Soul has .3 inches more rear headroom and .6 inches more rear legroom than the Tucson.

The front step up height for the Soul is 2.8 inches lower than the Tucson (16.2” vs. 19”). The Soul’s rear step up height is 2.6 inches lower than the Tucson’s (17.4” vs. 20”).

The Soul uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Tucson 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 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 Tucson doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

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 Tucson 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 Tucson only retains 47.11% to 48.69%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Soul is less expensive to operate than the Tucson because it costs $18 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost less on the Soul than the Tucson, including $2 less for a water pump, $153 less for a muffler, $41 less for fuel injection, $34 less for a fuel pump and $27 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 $4461 to $5644 less than for the Hyundai Tucson.