Compare the2023 Kia SoulVS 2022 Nissan Rogue Sport

Both the Soul and the Rogue Sport 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, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available 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 Nissan Rogue Sport:

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 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 Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 175 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Rogue Sport has not been fully tested, yet.

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

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Soul has a standard 150-amp alternator. The Rogue Sport’s 120-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 11 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is ranked 10th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 60 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is ranked 20th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 6 places higher in reliability than Nissan.

The Soul’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 6 more horsepower (147 vs. 141) than the Rogue Sport’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Soul is faster than the Nissan Rogue Sport:

On the EPA test cycle the Soul gets better mileage than the Rogue Sport:

In heavy traffic or at stoplights 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 manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Rogue Sport doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia Soul higher (7 out of 10) than the Nissan Rogue Sport (5). This means the Soul produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Rogue Sport every 15,000 miles.

The Soul stops much shorter than the Rogue Sport:

For better traction, the Soul GT-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Rogue Sport (235/45R18 vs. 225/45R19).

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

The Soul handles at .86 G’s, while the Rogue Sport SL 4x4 pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Soul executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.8 seconds quicker than the Rogue Sport SL 4x4 (26.8 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 29.6 seconds @ .53 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Soul’s turning circle is 2.1 feet tighter than the Rogue Sport’s (34.8 feet vs. 36.9 feet).

The Kia Soul may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 450 to 500 pounds less than the Nissan Rogue Sport.

The Soul is 7.6 inches shorter than the Rogue Sport, making the Soul easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Soul has 6.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Rogue Sport (102.2 vs. 96).

The Soul has .1 inches more front hip room, 1.2 inches more rear headroom, 5.4 inches more rear legroom and 5.9 inches more rear hip room than the Rogue Sport.

The Soul has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Rogue Sport with its rear seat up (24.2 vs. 22.9 cubic feet). The Soul has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Rogue Sport with its rear seat folded (62.1 vs. 61.1 cubic feet).

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

The power windows standard on both the Soul and the Rogue Sport 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 Rogue Sport prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Soul’s power window, power lock and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Rogue Sport’s power window (except driver window) switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

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

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Kia Soul and the Nissan Rogue Sport, based on reliability, safety and performance.