Compare the2023 Volkswagen GTI VS 2023 Kia Soul

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volkswagen GTI have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Kia Soul doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The GTI has a standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Soul doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The GTI has standard Maneuver 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 GTI’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 GTI 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 and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the Soul’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the GTI 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 GTI’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 GTI has standard Car-Net, 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 GTI and the Soul have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 and driver alert monitors.

The GTI’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Soul’s (7/100,000 vs. 5/100,000).

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the GTI for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Kia doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Soul.

The Volkswagen GTI’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Soul’s engine uses an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

The GTI’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 94 more horsepower (241 vs. 147) and 141 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 132) than the Soul’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Volkswagen GTI is faster than the Kia Soul (automatics tested):

	GTI	Soul
Zero to 60 MPH	5.4 sec	8.6 sec
Quarter Mile	13.9 sec	16.7 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	103.9 MPH	83.8 MPH

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the GTI’s fuel efficiency. The Soul doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The GTI Automatic’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Soul doesn’t offer launch control.

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

	GTI	Soul
Front Rotors	13.4 inches	11 inches
Rear Rotors	12.2 inches	10.3 inches

The GTI’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.

The GTI stops much shorter than the Soul:

	GTI	Soul
70 to 0 MPH	150 feet	161 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	104 feet	118 feet	Motor Trend

For better traction, the GTI has larger standard tires than the Soul (225/40R18 vs. 205/60R16).

The GTI’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Soul LX/S’ standard 60 series tires. The GTI Autobahn’s tires have a lower 35 series profile than the Soul GT-Line’s 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the GTI has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Soul LX/S. The GTI Autobahn’s 19-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Soul GT-Line.

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

The GTI offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The Soul’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The GTI 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 GTI’s wheelbase is 1.2 inches longer than on the Soul (103.6 inches vs. 102.4 inches).

The GTI Autobahn handles at .98 G’s, while the Soul GT-Line pulls only .85 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The GTI has .1 inches more front legroom and .4 inches more front shoulder room than the Soul.

The front step up height for the GTI is 1.2 inches lower than the Soul (15” vs. 16.2”). The GTI’s rear step up height is 2.4 inches lower than the Soul’s (15” vs. 17.4”).

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the GTI easier. The GTI’s trunk lift-over height is 26.5 inches, while the Soul’s liftover is 29.8 inches.

When three different drivers share the GTI (except S), the optional memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for all three. 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 GTI (except S)’s optional easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Soul doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The GTI’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Soul does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The GTI’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Soul has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The GTI’s front and rear power windows all 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.

The GTI’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Soul’s power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The GTI’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Soul’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the GTI to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Soul doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

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

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the GTI has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Soul doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The GTI’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Kia only offers heated mirrors on the Soul EX/GT-Line.

When the GTI with available tilt-down mirrors is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Soul’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The GTI’s standard 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.

The GTI has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the Soul, and aren’t available on the Soul LX/S. The GTI Autobahn also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Soul.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the GTI (except S) keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Soul doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

On extremely cold winter days, the GTI’s standard heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the car heater warms up. The Soul doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

Both the GTI and the Soul offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the GTI 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.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volkswagen GTI has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Soul S/EX/GT-Line offers wireless charging.

The GTI Autobahn’s Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Soul doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The GTI was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 16 of the last 16 years. The Soul has never been a Car and Driver “Top Ten” pick.

Motor Trend selected the GTI as their 2015 Car of the Year. The Soul has never been chosen.

The GTI was chosen as one of Automobile Magazine’s “All Stars” for 5 of the last 15 years. The Soul has never been an “All Star.”