Compare the2023 Subaru CrosstrekVS 2023 Kia Soul

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Subaru Crosstrek has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps 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.

The Crosstrek has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Soul doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Crosstrek Limited has standard Reverse 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 Crosstrek has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Soul doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Crosstrek Premium/Sport/Limited has standard STARLINK Safety and Security, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Soul doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Crosstrek and the Soul have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 parking sensors, 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 Subaru Crosstrek is safer than the Kia Soul:

	Crosstrek	Soul
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	122	324
Chest Compression	.7 inches	2 inches
Neck Compression	52 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 Subaru Crosstrek is safer than the Kia Soul:

	Crosstrek	Soul
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	138	142
Chest Movement	.7 inches	1 inches
Abdominal Force	196 lbs.	259 lbs.
Hip Force	346 lbs.	490 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	303	422
Spine Acceleration	58 G’s	73 G’s
Hip Force	428 lbs.	611 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	3 Stars
HIC	201	322
Hip Force	824 lbs.	1090 lbs.

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

Warranty

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

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 Crosstrek’s reliability 62 points higher than the Soul.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 7 places higher in reliability than Kia.

Engine

The Crosstrek’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 5 more horsepower (152 vs. 147) and 13 lbs.-ft. more torque (145 vs. 132) than the Soul’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Crosstrek Sport/Limited’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 35 more horsepower (182 vs. 147) and 44 lbs.-ft. more torque (176 vs. 132) than the Soul’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Crosstrek Sport/Limited 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder is faster than the Kia Soul (automatics tested):

	Crosstrek	Soul
Zero to 60 MPH	7.8 sec	8.6 sec
Quarter Mile	16 sec	16.7 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	87.7 MPH	83.8 MPH

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Crosstrek lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability without compromising ground clearance. The Soul doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Crosstrek has 2.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Soul (16.6 vs. 14.3 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Environmental Friendliness

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

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Crosstrek	Soul
Front Rotors	11.6 inches	11 inches
Rear Rotors	10.8 inches	10.3 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Crosstrek has larger tires than the Soul (225/60R17 vs. 205/60R16).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Crosstrek has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Soul LX/S.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Subaru Crosstrek 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 Crosstrek has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Crosstrek flat and controlled during cornering. The Soul’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Crosstrek’s wheelbase is 2.5 inches longer than on the Soul (104.9 inches vs. 102.4 inches).

Passenger Space

The Crosstrek has .4 inches more front headroom, 2 inches more front legroom, 1.6 inches more front hip room, 1.2 inches more front shoulder room, 2.4 inches more rear hip room and .9 inches more rear shoulder room than the Soul.

Cargo Capacity

The Crosstrek’s cargo area is larger than the Soul’s in almost every dimension:

	Crosstrek	Soul
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	32.3”/64.2”	26”/59”
Max Width	53”	45.6”
Min Width	43”	41.5”
Height	30”	33”

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Crosstrek. The Soul doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The Crosstrek has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The Soul has no towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Crosstrek is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Soul. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

The Crosstrek’s front power windows open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Soul’s power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Crosstrek’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Crosstrek Base). The Soul doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

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

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Crosstrek Limited has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Soul doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Crosstrek’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Soul offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Crosstrek is less expensive to operate than the Soul because typical repairs cost much less on the Crosstrek than the Soul, including $43 less for a muffler, $38 less for fuel injection, $22 less for a timing belt/chain and $542 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

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

The Subaru Crosstrek outsold the Kia Soul by 87% during the 2021 model year.