Compare the2023 Kia SoulVS 2023 Jeep Renegade

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

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Soul are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Renegade doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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 Renegade doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Soul and the Renegade 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, 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 Jeep Renegade:

	Soul	Renegade
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	26%	26%
Neck Stress	168 lbs.	332 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	49/286 lbs.	343/366 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	324	363
Neck Stress	160 lbs.	221 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	237/154 lbs.	290/322 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 Jeep Renegade:

	Soul	Renegade
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	142	161
Chest Movement	1 inches	1 inches
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	3 Stars
Spine Acceleration	73 G’s	73 G’s
Hip Force	611 lbs.	1157 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 3.2% to 8.1% less likely to roll over than the Renegade.

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 Renegade last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2019.

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 Renegade’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 Jeep covers the Renegade. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Renegade 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 Renegade’s 500-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

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 Soul’s reliability 16 points higher than the Renegade.

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 Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 43 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is ranked 23rd, below the industry average.

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 Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 56 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is ranked 19th.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Soul is faster than the Jeep Renegade:

	Soul	Renegade
Zero to 60 MPH	6.9 sec	9.3 sec
Quarter Mile	15.2 sec	17.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91.3 MPH	78.1 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

		MPG
Soul
	EX 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	29 city/35 hwy
	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	28 city/33 hwy
Renegade
	1.3 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/29 hwy
	Trailhawk 1.3 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Soul uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Renegade requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Soul has 1.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Renegade (14.3 vs. 12.7 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia Soul higher (7 out of 10) than the Jeep Renegade (6). This means the Soul produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Renegade every 15,000 miles.

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 Renegade doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Soul stops much shorter than the Renegade:

	Soul	Renegade
70 to 0 MPH	161 feet	181 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	116 feet	133 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	130 feet	133 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 Renegade Trailhawk’s standard 65 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

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

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Soul’s wheelbase is 1.2 inches longer than on the Renegade (102.4 inches vs. 101.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Soul is 1.4 inches wider in the front and 1.8 inches wider in the rear than on the Renegade.

The Soul handles at .91 G’s, while the Renegade Latitude pulls only .74 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Soul executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.2 seconds quicker than the Renegade Trailhawk (26.8 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 29 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Soul’s turning circle is .5 feet tighter than the Renegade Trailhawk’s (34.8 feet vs. 35.3 feet). The Soul’s turning circle is 1.5 feet tighter than the Renegade’s (34.8 feet vs. 36.3 feet).

Chassis

The Kia Soul may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 450 to 550 pounds less than the Jeep Renegade.

For excellent aerodynamics, the Soul has standard flush composite headlights. The Renegade has recessed headlights that spoil its aerodynamic shape and create extra drag.

Passenger Space

The Soul has 2.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Renegade (102.2 vs. 100.1).

The Soul has .4 inches more front hip room, 3.7 inches more rear legroom and .9 inches more rear hip room than the Renegade.

The front step up height for the Soul is 3.2 inches lower than the Renegade (16.2” vs. 19.4”). The Soul’s rear step up height is 2.2 inches lower than the Renegade’s (17.4” vs. 19.6”).

Cargo Capacity

The Soul has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Renegade with its rear seat up (24.2 vs. 18.5 cubic feet). The Soul has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Renegade with its rear seat folded (62.1 vs. 50.8 cubic feet).

Servicing Ease

The Soul uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Renegade 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 Renegade 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 Renegade doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Soul’s available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Renegade’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Poor.”

The Soul has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The Renegade only offers an automatic headlight on/off feature as an extra cost option.

The Soul EX/GT-Line has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Renegade doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

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 Renegade doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

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 Renegade is rated higher at a number “5” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Soul is less expensive to operate than the Renegade because typical repairs cost much less on the Soul than the Renegade, including $50 less for a water pump, $112 less for a muffler, $160 less for front brake pads, $364 less for a starter, $97 less for a fuel pump and $325 less for front struts.

Recommendations

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

The Kia Soul outsold the Jeep Renegade by over two to one during 2022.

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