The ice under the Kia Soul appears to be getting real thin. The third-generation hatchback is entering its fifth model yr for 2024, and despite small visual tweaks for 2023, news for going into 2024 continues Kia’s trend of creating the merest of changes and a sales trend on the decline. From a high of 154,768 sales within the U.S. in 2016, sales in 2022 amounted to 56,740 units. It looks like dealers should hit that number again this yr unless the underside falls out, but with the Soul not far behind the Seltos in sales figures or price, we can’t be surprised at some rationalizing within the crossover lineup. Until then, the largest change for 2024 is a $100 MSRP increase on all 4 trims. Recent pricing after the $1,325 (!) destination fee is:
- LX: $21,315
- S: $23,815
- GT-Line: $24,915
- EX: $25,615
The highest latest feature is a Designer Package for the EX trim. It stiches up the cabin in cloth and artificial leather seats and an Umber Interior Color Package, and bolts on a set of 18-inch alloys, an inch larger than standard. The suite means the EX can match the GT-Line, these two being the one trims available with 18-inch wheels. The Umber Interior Color Package should let the EX stand apart. While the GT-Line interior is available in cloth and Syntex imitation leather, the one interior tones available right away for any Soul of any trim are black, white, and grey.
The ultimate tweak is a further security feature for models that include Kia’s Smart Key, which is all however the entry-level LX. The vehicle will activate a brand new Sleep Mode 40 seconds after being locked that makes it harder for signal stealers to duplicate the Smart Key frequency.
Every Soul comes powered by a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, mated to a repeatedly variable transmission.
This Article First Appeared At www.autoblog.com
