Compare the2024 Kia SoulVS 2023 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
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 Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Soul and Eclipse Cross offer rear cross-traffic warning, but the Soul with Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning also has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Eclipse Cross’ Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

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 Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Soul and the Eclipse Cross 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, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available blind spot warning systems.

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 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross:

	Soul	Eclipse Cross
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	26%	38.7%
Neck Stress	168 lbs.	424 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	49/286 lbs.	184/324 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	39%	39.7%
Neck Stress	160 lbs.	182 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	237/154 lbs.	331/198 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 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross:

	Soul	Eclipse Cross
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	142	145

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 3.8% less likely to roll over than the Eclipse Cross.

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and with its optional front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Soul the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 231 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Eclipse Cross has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

There are over 2 times as many Kia dealers as there are Mitsubishi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Soul’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Soul has a standard 760-amp battery. The Eclipse Cross’ 520-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Soul second among small suvs in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The Eclipse Cross isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Mitsubishi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 23 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mitsubishi is rated below 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 Mitsubishi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 38 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mitsubishi is ranked 14th.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Soul is faster than the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross:

	Soul	Eclipse Cross
Zero to 60 MPH	6.9 sec	9.6 sec
Quarter Mile	15.2 sec	17.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91.3 MPH	78.9 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Soul gets better mileage than the Eclipse Cross:

		MPG
Soul
	EX 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	29 city/35 hwy
	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/33 hwy
Eclipse Cross
	ES 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/28 hwy
	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/26 hwy

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Soul’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

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 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross (5). This means the Soul produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Eclipse Cross every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Soul stops much shorter than the Eclipse Cross:

	Soul	Eclipse Cross
70 to 0 MPH	161 feet	178 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	116 feet	129 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	130 feet	134 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Soul GT-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Eclipse Cross (235/45R18 vs. 225/55R18).

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 Eclipse Cross ES’ standard 70 series tires. The Soul GT-Line’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Eclipse Cross LE/SE/SEL’s 55 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

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

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 Eclipse Cross.

The Soul handles at .91 G’s, while the Eclipse Cross SE pulls only .76 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 Eclipse Cross SEL (26.8 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 29 seconds @ .56 average G’s).

Chassis

The Kia Soul may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 500 to 550 pounds less than the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross.

The Soul is 1 foot, 1.8 inches shorter than the Eclipse Cross, making the Soul easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Soul has 5.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Eclipse Cross (102.2 vs. 96.7).

The Soul has .4 inches more front headroom, .2 inches more front legroom, .5 inches more front hip room, 2.2 inches more rear headroom, 1.7 inches more rear legroom and .8 inches more rear hip room than the Eclipse Cross.

Cargo Capacity

The Soul has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Eclipse Cross with its rear seat up (24.2 vs. 23.4 cubic feet). The Soul has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Eclipse Cross with its rear seat folded (62.1 vs. 50.1 cubic feet).

Servicing Ease

The Soul uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Eclipse Cross 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 power windows standard on both the Soul and the Eclipse Cross have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Soul is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Eclipse Cross prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Soul’s power locks have a lockout prevention feature. When the key is in the passenger compartment and the driver’s door is open, the locks unlock every time you lock them. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t provide lockout prevention.

The Eclipse Cross’ standard power locks don’t automatically lock the doors. The Soul’s standard doors lock when a certain speed is reached. This is an important feature for occupant safety. Locked doors are proven to open less often in collisions, and they are also effective in preventing crime at traffic lights.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Soul has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Eclipse Cross only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

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 Eclipse Cross has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the SE/SEL.

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 Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Recommendations

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

The Kia Soul outsold the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross by over five to one during 2022.

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