The Kia Soul is a car that looks tall and boxy, but it doesn’t really look like an SUV. It melds excellent practicality with a good drive and quirky looks to attract buyers, and the all-new 2020 Soul continues this tradition, only it does it better in every single area. The car debuted at the 2018 Lost Angeles Auto Show, and it is just now starting to hit showrooms.

2020 Kia Soul Video Reviews

Chances are, if you didn’t like the old Soul, you won’t like this one too much, either. It retains the same overall aesthetic and boxy look, but it feels more modern all around. The headlight clusters are slim, so they lend the car an aggressive look, while the rear light clusters emphasize just how tall and boxy it really is. From the front and rear you may not know this is a new Soul, but when you see it from the side, you will be left in no doubt.

The interior has also been significantly improved in all areas: assembly and materials, quality, ergonomics, comfort, and tech. It’s still not the most premium feeling interior in a vehicle in this price bracket, but it is well-screwed together. There is space for five Abraham Lincolns inside, and the driving experience is much better than before too - Abe will have a blast driving the Soul, particularly the 201 horsepower Soul GT.

The latter seems to really have impressed automotive journos who expected it to be practical and quirky, but they didn’t expect it to drive and handle as well as it apparently does. The Soul GT certainly looks by far the best out of the entire Soul lineup, even trumping the trendy all-electric model. It looks like a properly sporty box that you would actually want to throw around a twisty road.

There are hardly any negative points mentioned in any of the reviews posted below. Everybody seems to be impressed by the evolution of the Soul formula, its blend of qualities, and just how well the GT version drives, in contrast to what you might expect just looking at it. In the U.S., the Soul starts from $18,845, but the GT Turbo you actually want is $28,485, but it also comes pretty much fully kitted out, on top of having the most powerful engine.

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2020 Kia SOUL.

Read our full review on the 2020 Kia SOUL EV.