News

2023 Kia Soul Gets Fresh Looks, Makes Safety a Bigger Priority

by Guillaume Rivard
All photos
Photo: Kia

With the Nissan Kicks and Hyundai Venue now firmly established as the best-selling urban crossovers on the market, the Kia Soul needs to make up lost ground. That’s the goal for 2023 with refreshed design elements, among other things.

For starters, the front end sports redesigned headlights and fog lights along with a new signature for the LED daytime running lights. The strip connecting them is where you’ll now find the Kia logo. Below, the large grille gets a different look and the bumper has cleaner surfaces, resulting in a more modern and techier appearance overall.  

Photo: Kia

On the sides, new 17- and 18-inch wheel designs are in store, while in the rear the bumper is revised and accompanied by new tailpipes. Kia also mentions new two-tone paint combinations including Clear White with a Fusion Black roof and Surf Blue with a Fusion Black roof—but their availability in Canada remains to be confirmed.

The interior is pretty much the same, highlighted by an 8- or 10.25-inch centre touchscreen depending on the trim level. However, the company has made previously optional safety features more accessible. These include Forward Collision Avoidance Assist with pedestrian detection, Lane Keeping Assist and Driver Attention Warning. Rear Occupant Alert, which helps prevent a child or pet from being left in the car, is added to the list.

Photo: Kia

Unsurprisingly, there are no changes under the hood. The 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine returns with 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, paired with a continuously variable transmission. In the U.S., the turbo engine has been eliminated. As for the Soul EV which we have here but our neighbours don’t, expect the same specs including a range of 248 or 383 kilometres depending on the battery.

The 2023 Kia Soul will arrive in dealerships this summer. Pricing will be announced closer to launch along with full equipment details. The Canadian lineup will continue to offer five trim levels—LX, EX, EX+, EX Premium and GT-Line. Don't miss our photo gallery up top!

Share on Facebook
GalleryNews, reviews, videosKia dealersUsed vehiclesKia

More on the subject

NewsThe Car Guide's Best Buys for 2022: Nissan Kicks
Every year, The Car Guide unveils a list of Best Buys covering all the different vehicle categories in the industry. Urban crossovers are small utility vehicles that aren’t really SUVs. Many of them don’t even offer the option of all-wheel drive. And yet we see a lot of them on …
BuzzKia Turns Pre-Production Soul EV into Surfer’s Dream
Kia ’s UK division is swimming in different waters with the Kia Soul Boardmasters Edition. This groovy concept is made for eco-friendly surfing, and uses a pre-production unit that was meant to be destroyed by the manufacturer. Recycled AND electric. Right on! At first glance, you’ll notice that this Soul …
RecallsKia Seltos, Forte, Soul Recall Hits 20,000 Units in Canada
Kia Canada is announcing a recall on the all-new 2021 Seltos as well as the 2020-2021 Soul and 2020 Forte . Nearly 20,000 units are affected. It’s the first time the Seltos, which hit the market about a year ago, has been recalled. The problem is found in the naturally …
NewsThe Best Subcompact Cars of 2023
There are now just three subcompact cars left in Canada, and The Car Guide will tell you right here which one is the best money can buy. Unsurprisingly, it happens to be the same exact model that we gave our Best Buy award to for the past three years. 1.
Test Drives2024 Kia Soul: The Best Urban Crossover You Can Buy
There are now just four contenders in what we call the small, urban-oriented crossover segment—the Kia Soul , Chevrolet Trax , Hyundai Venue and Nissan Kicks . The first one is even losing its zero-emission variant, which won’t return for 2024. That’s too bad, because the Soul EV offered up …