The Kona offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Soul doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.
The Kona’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.
The Kona 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 Kona 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 Kona’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.
The Kona SEL/N Line/Limited has standard Blue Link, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get turn-by-turn driving directions, 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 Kona 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, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors and available rear parking sensors.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Hyundai Kona is safer than the Kia Soul:
|
Kona |
Soul |
OVERALL STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
|
Driver | |
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
205 |
253 |
Neck Injury Risk |
20% |
26% |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
29/232 lbs. |
49/286 lbs. |
|
Passenger | |
STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
HIC |
217 |
324 |
Chest Compression |
.6 inches |
2 inches |
Neck Injury Risk |
37% |
39% |
Neck Compression |
70 lbs. |
86 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
59/27 lbs. |
237/154 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 Hyundai Kona is safer than the Kia Soul:
|
Kona |
Soul |
|
Front Seat | |
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
109 |
142 |
Chest Movement |
.8 inches |
1 inches |
Abdominal Force |
246 lbs. |
259 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat | |
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
326 |
422 |
Spine Acceleration |
66 G’s |
73 G’s |
|
Into Pole | |
STARS |
5 Stars |
3 Stars |
HIC |
196 |
322 |
Spine Acceleration |
34 G’s |
46 G’s |
Hip Force |
744 lbs. |
1090 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.