2017 Kia Soul: Best Compact Car for the Money

2017 Kia Soul Is U.S. News & World Report’s Best Compact Car for the Money

Saving money on a new car, while not sacrificing your needs and wants, and the vehicle’s safety and reliability, is not an easy task. The U.S. News Best Cars for the Money awards are designed to assist you with this task. Winners are chosen by creating a composite score based on a combination of each vehicle’s overall quality and value.

The 2017 Kia Soul is this year’s winner of our coveted Best Compact Car for the Money award. The Soul’s long list of positive reviews, combined with its low long-term ownership costs, make it the best value in the class. It provides a smooth, comfortable ride in a hip interior, top-notch cargo and passenger space, outstanding safety scores, a myriad of available features, a long warranty, and it’s affordable.

Click through to check it out.

• Read the 2017 Kia Soul Full Review
• See 2017 Kia Soul Photos
• See Compact Cars Rankings

Why the 2017 Kia Soul Won: Quality

The 2017 Kia Soul earned a long list of positive reviews for its spacious interior and excellent build quality. Though it may turn some off with its funky styling, the Soul is without a doubt one of the best, and most versatile, vehicles in its class.

• Read the 2017 Kia Soul Full Review
• See 2017 Kia Soul Photos
• See Compact Cars Rankings

Why the 2017 Kia Soul Won: Value

According to TrueCar.com, the average price paid for the Soul is competitive compared to all other vehicles in the class. The 2017 Soul starts at $15,900. The top trim, which includes the all-new turbo four-cylinder engine, starts at $22,950.

The Soul has low five-year ownership costs as reported by Vincentric, LLC. These costs are determined by combining data including the vehicle’s market value, cost to insure, fuel costs, maintenance, and repairs.

• Read the 2017 Kia Soul Full Review
• See 2017 Kia Soul Photos
• See Compact Cars Rankings

Performance: Acceleration

For 2017, the Kia Soul gets a much-needed update to its performance in the form of a newly available turbocharged 201-horsepower 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine. However, it’s only available in the top-of-the-line (!) trim, and comes mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

The base Soul comes with a 130-horepower 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, paired with a six-speed manual transmission. A six-speed automatic transmission is optional. Also available, on the (+) trim, is a 161-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder paired with the automatic transmission.

The base engine will suit you fine around town, but if you do enough freeway driving or deal with hilly terrain, one of the upgraded engine options is a necessity. The 2.0-liter will fare better for most situations, but is still not exciting. The new turbo engine has some lag from the start, but provides adequate power as it builds speed. A sport mode helps by holding gears longer and increasing engine response.

According to the EPA, the base engine with the manual transmission provides decent fuel economy. It returns 24 mpg in the city and 30 on the highway. With the automatic transmission, you will get one more mile in the city and the 2.0-liter returns matching figures. The new turbo is a touch better, at 26 mpg in the city and 31 on the highway.

• Read the 2017 Kia Soul Full Review
• See 2017 Kia Soul Photos
• See Compact Cars Rankings

Performance: Handling

Though the boxy Soul doesn’t look aerodynamic, nor does it seem like it will handle curvy roads very well, its agility is a pleasant surprise. Steering is responsive and precise and brakes are strong, with a firm feel.

• Read the 2017 Kia Soul Full Review
• See 2017 Kia Soul Photos
• See Compact Cars Rankings

Interior: Space and Comfort

The Soul’s interior is stylish and constructed with quality materials. Though it’s not all soft-touch finishes and upscale details, Kia does a great job of making it look and feel nice where it counts.

The five-seater seats four adults with room to stretch out. Three children will be comfortable in the rear seats. Behind the rear seats, you will find an impressive 24.2 cubic feet of cargo space. However, what’s truly impressive is the whopping 61.3 cubic feet of space with those seats folded down.

• Read the 2017 Kia Soul Full Review
• See 2017 Kia Soul Photos
• See Compact Cars Rankings

Interior: Features and Technology

The Soul comes standard with Bluetooth and a USB port. The UVO infotainment system is intuitive and responsive. A 5-inch touch screen is available, and upper trims have an 8-inch touch screen with voice-controlled navigation and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability.

Also available is keyless entry and ignition, selectable drive modes, automatic climate control, an upgraded Harman Kardon sound system, a panoramic sunroof, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather trim, leather upholstery, a power driver’s seat and a power front passenger’s seat, heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel, and power-folding mirrors. 

• Read the 2017 Kia Soul Full Review
• See 2017 Kia Soul Photos
• See Compact Cars Rankings

Reliability

J.D. Power has not yet rated the Soul for predicted reliability. However, last year’s model earned a Better Than Most rating. Kia provides an industry-leading five-year/60,000-mile limited warranty and a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty.

• Read the 2017 Kia Soul Full Review
• See 2017 Kia Soul Photos
• See Compact Cars Rankings

Safety: Crash Test

The Soul received the top rating of Good in all crash tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave it five out of five stars overall. It earned five stars in both the front and side crash tests, and four stars in the rollover category.

• Read the 2017 Kia Soul Full Review
• See 2017 Kia Soul Photos
• See Compact Cars Rankings

Safety: Features

The Soul’s available active safety features include blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning, and forward collision warning. The top-tier (!) trim also offers xenon headlights. A rearview camera is optional on the base, and standard on upper trims.

• Read the 2017 Kia Soul Full Review
• See 2017 Kia Soul Photos
• See Compact Cars Rankings

Other Cars to Consider

The 2017 Kia Soul isn’t the only compact car to offer exceptional quality and good value. The compact car segment offers many vehicles that impressed critics and earned high scores.

The Mazda3 is another top choice when it comes to compact cars. The critics raved about it, awarding it a whopping score of 9.5 out of 10. If you desire a car that is a blast to drive, the Mazda3 is hard to beat. However, you won’t find the space or the reliability that the Soul offers, and the Mazda3 is more expensive.

The 2017 Honda Civic also costs more than the Soul. But, the critics loved it and it received a perfect 10 out of 10 safety score. It offers exceptional fuel economy, roomy seats, and ample cargo capacity. 

• Read the 2017 Mazda Mazda3 Full Review
• See 2017 Mazda Mazda3 Photos
• See Compact Cars Rankings

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The best way to save money on these award winners is to use U.S. News & World Report's Best Price Program. It can save you thousands off MSRP by helping you find the dealer in your area with the best price. You can save even more money by checking our new car financing deals and lease deals pages for manufacturer incentives.