Compare the2022 Nissan Rogue SportVS 2022 Kia Soul

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The Nissan Rogue Sport has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Soul doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Rogue Sport has standard Rear Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Soul doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Rogue Sport offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Soul doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Rogue Sport’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Soul and is only available on Soul X-Line/S/EX/GT-Line/Turbo.

The Rogue Sport (except S) offers an optional Around View® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Soul only offers a rear monitor.

The Rogue Sport has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Soul’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Rogue Sport has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Soul.

Compared to metal, the Rogue Sport’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Kia Soul has a metal gas tank.

Both the Rogue Sport and the Soul 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 and available 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 Nissan Rogue Sport is safer than the Kia Soul:

	Rogue Sport	Soul
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	132	324
Chest Compression	.5 inches	2 inches
Neck Injury Risk	35.3%	39%
Neck Compression	34 lbs.	86 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 and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Nissan Rogue Sport is safer than the Kia Soul:

	Rogue Sport	Soul
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	106	142
Chest Movement	.9 inches	1 inches
Abdominal Force	156 lbs.	259 lbs.
Hip Force	408 lbs.	490 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	211	422
Spine Acceleration	38 G’s	73 G’s
Hip Force	504 lbs.	611 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	3 Stars
Spine Acceleration	45 G’s	46 G’s
Hip Force	590 lbs.	1090 lbs.

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

Warranty

The Rogue Sport’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Soul runs out after 100,000 miles.

There are over 40 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Kia dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Rogue Sport’s warranty.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Rogue Sport’s reliability 61 points higher than the Soul.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Kia vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan fifth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 1 more problems per 100 vehicles, Kia is ranked 6th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 2 places higher in reliability than Kia.

Engine

The Rogue Sport’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 15 lbs.-ft. more torque (147 vs. 132) than the Soul’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Rogue Sport’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the Soul:

	Rogue Sport	Soul
Front Rotors	11.65 inches	11 inches
Rear Rotors	11.5 inches	10.3 inches

The Rogue Sport’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Soul are solid, not vented.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Rogue Sport has larger standard tires than the Soul (215/60R17 vs. 205/60R16).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Rogue Sport S/SV has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Soul LX/S. The Rogue Sport SL’s 19-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Soul X-Line/GT-Line/Turbo.

The Rogue Sport has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Soul doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Nissan Rogue Sport has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Kia Soul has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Rogue Sport has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Rogue Sport flat and controlled during cornering. The Soul’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Rogue Sport has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Soul doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Rogue Sport’s wheelbase is 1.8 inches longer than on the Soul (104.2 inches vs. 102.4 inches).

Passenger Space

The Rogue Sport has .2 inches more front headroom, 1.7 inches more front legroom, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room and 1 inch more rear shoulder room than the Soul.

Cargo Capacity

The Rogue Sport’s cargo area is larger than the Soul’s in every dimension:

	Rogue Sport	Soul
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	33.3”/62.3”	26”/59”
Max Width	54.2”	45.6”
Min Width	43.5”	41.5”
Height	33.3”	33”

Ergonomics

When different drivers share the Rogue Sport SV/SL, the optional memory seats and mirrors make it convenient. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Soul doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Rogue Sport’s driver’s power window opens or closes with one touch of the window control, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths. The Soul’s power windows’ switch has to be held the entire time to close it fully.

The Rogue Sport’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Soul’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Consumer Reports rated the Rogue Sport’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Soul’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

While driving with high beams on, sensitive light sensors standard on the Rogue Sport detect other vehicles which could be blinded and automatically switch to low beams. The Soul doesn’t offer automatic dimming high beams.

Both the Rogue Sport and the Soul offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Rogue Sport has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Soul doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Nissan Rogue Sport, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Kia Soul isn't recommended.

The Nissan Rogue outsold the Kia Soul by almost four to one during the 2021 model year.

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