Kia has presented the refreshed 2023 Kia Soul, and revealed, most notably, reworked front and back extremities on the outside and newly standard equipment on the inside.
The 2023 Soul leads with a new, larger grille that more closely matches what we see on other recent Kia models. In contrast with before, the headlights and DRLs are now part of a single package above that grille. Higher trims get LED lighting for the new year.
In back, the bumper and lights have been reworked for a refreshed look. The red bar that used to run along the top of the hatch is now blacked out, so the effect is no longer of the taillights being of one whole. Otherwise, the rear reflectors are now vertically oriented and there’s a new shape to the exhaust tip lower down, just below the licence plate emplacement.
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The changes are subtler inside, but what matters most is the increased number of standard equipment and features included for 2022. Formerly optional but now standard systems include forward collision alert with pedestrian detection, lane keeping assist, driver attention assist, lane departure warning, the high beam assist and rear occupant alert. Thank you Kia for making the Soul even safer for buyers on a budget.
Mechanically, Kia changes nothing, so we’re still with the 2.0L 4-cylinder good for 147 hp and 132 lb-ft of torque working with the IVT (a CVT under another acronym).
Note that the updates revealed for the 2022 Soul may not be applied to the Soul EV, mainly because speculation has it that model (not available in the U.S., remember) will be dropped after the 2022 model-year as Kia readies the rollout of its next generation of all-electric models (the coming complements to the already-launched EV6).
Note as well that the details announced today concern the U.S. version, and there may be slight differences in the Canadian product offering, including which trims will be offered on our side of the border. Details on that, and on pricing and launch date for the 2023 Soul, should be forthcoming in the next few weeks.
