Compare the2023 Kia SoulVS 2023 Chevrolet Equinox

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Kia Soul are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Chevrolet Equinox doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The Soul’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Equinox doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Soul and the Equinox have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, 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 Chevrolet Equinox:

	Soul	Equinox
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Stress	168 lbs.	190 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	49/286 lbs.	363/349 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, results indicate that the Kia Soul is safer than the Chevrolet Equinox:

	Soul	Equinox
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	1 inches	1.1 inches
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	611 lbs.	630 lbs.

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

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Soul is 1.7% to 3.8% less likely to roll over than the Equinox.

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 Equinox has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

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

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Soul has a standard 760-amp battery. The Equinox’s 700-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

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 Chevrolet vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 26 more problems per 100 vehicles, Chevrolet is ranked 10th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 11 places higher in reliability than Chevrolet.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Soul is faster than the Chevrolet Equinox:

	Soul	Equinox
Zero to 60 MPH	6.9 sec	9.2 sec
Quarter Mile	15.2 sec	16.9 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91.3 MPH	81.2 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Soul gets better mileage than the Equinox:

			MPG
Soul
	FWD	EX 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	29 city/35 hwy
		2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	28 city/33 hwy
Equinox
	FWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	26 city/31 hwy
	AWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/30 hwy

Transmission

The Soul has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Equinox doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Soul stops much shorter than the Equinox:

	Soul	Equinox
70 to 0 MPH	161 feet	182 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	120 feet	135 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	130 feet	145 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

The Soul LX/S’ standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Equinox LS/LT’s standard 65 series tires. The Soul GT-Line’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Equinox’s optional 50 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Soul handles at .91 G’s, while the Equinox LT AWD pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Soul executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.3 seconds quicker than the Equinox LT AWD (26.8 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Soul’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the Equinox’s (34.8 feet vs. 37.4 feet). The Soul’s turning circle is 6.8 feet tighter than the Equinox RS’ (34.8 feet vs. 41.6 feet).

Chassis

The Kia Soul may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 400 to 500 pounds less than the Chevrolet Equinox.

The Soul is 1 foot, 5.9 inches shorter than the Equinox, making the Soul easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Soul has .2 inches more front legroom, 1 inch more rear headroom and 1.1 inches more rear hip room than the Equinox.

Servicing Ease

The Soul uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Equinox 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.

Ergonomics

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 Equinox doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Soul has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Equinox doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Soul owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Soul with a number “1” insurance rate while the Equinox is rated higher at a number “8” rate.

The Soul will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Soul will retain 46.79% to 50.48% of its original price after five years, while the Equinox only retains 44.91% to 45.97%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Soul is less expensive to operate than the Equinox because it costs $327 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Soul than the Equinox, including $136 less for a water pump, $615 less for a muffler, $162 less for front brake pads, $61 less for a starter, $203 less for fuel injection, $458 less for a fuel pump and $229 less for a timing belt/chain.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Kia Soul will be $2539 to $6480 less than for the Chevrolet Equinox.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Kia Soul and the Chevrolet Equinox, based on reliability, safety and performance.