KIA SUV Models | Soul, Seltos, Sportage, Sorento, Niro

Kia SUV is a Korean automaker that, like Genesis, is a subsidiary of the parent corporation, Hyundai. The Sedona minivan is another option. Kia vehicles, regardless of size or class, often feature enough storage room and a smooth ride. The Kia SUV is also noted for offering a longer new-vehicle warranty than the majority of other automakers. Kia’s main competitors include Honda, Nissan, and Toyota.

2023 Kia Soul

The 2023 Kia Soul is a value-packed crossover with a low starting price, a large interior, and composed handling. This efficient Kia SUV has all the essentials – and more – but no all-wheel drive.

Pros and Cons

Competition of 2023 Kia Soul

The Hyundai Venue has many of the same advantages as the Soul. The Venue is quick and nimble, gets decent gas efficiency, has a comparable set of basic tech and safety features, and comes with a 10-year powertrain guarantee.

The Venue is even approximately $800 less expensive than the Soul in its base trim. However, unless you’re on a tight budget, the Kia is the clear winner. It boasts a more spacious back seat and a much larger load compartment. The Nissan Kicks has a comparable allure to the Soul.

At a little under $20,000, the Kicks is comparable in price and impresses with its abundant standard amenities, smooth driving, and large cabin. The Kicks outperforms the Soul and every other subcompact Kia SUV in terms of fuel efficiency (up to 31/36 mpg city/highway).

Nonetheless, the Soul appears to be the more sophisticated vehicle. It accelerates faster, has greater cargo room, and comes with a longer guarantee.

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Interior

The inside of the 2023 Kia Soul is well-built but slightly plasticky, with an extensive passenger room, a wide cargo area, and a fairly simple-to-use infotainment system.

There’s plenty of space for carry-on luggage for the entire family or the occasional large item. You may manage additional inside amenities like Kia Connect, navigation, and mood lighting with an available 10.25-inch touchscreen display, allowing you to set the tone for the trip.

The included 10.25-inch touchscreen display allows for navigation, split-screen viewing, and connecting your compatible smartphone to send texts with your voice, access popular apps, and more.

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Seating

There are five seats in the Soul. The front seats are appropriately padded and supportive, and there is enough headroom and legroom in both rows for people to sit comfortably. The standard upholstery on the front seats is a comfortable material, and they can be adjusted manually. One of the optional upgrades is synthetic leather upholstery.

Performance

The 2023 Kia Soul is nimble and simple to manage, and it zips about town with plenty of zest, but the engine loses power at higher speeds. The ride of the Soul is hard yet pleasant, and the fuel efficiency is above average for the class.

This four-cylinder engine gives enough zest to get the Soul around town, and it even has enough push to get it up to highway speed. However, there isn’t much power remaining to pass other vehicles at high speeds.

The CVT has been fine-tuned, with smooth functioning and rapid, albeit simulated, shifts. The Soul has an EPA-estimated 28 city/33 highway MPG. For EX models, these estimates rise to 29/35 mpg city/highway. For a small SUV, that’s really respectable gas mileage.

Handling and Braking

The Soul achieves an appealing blend between comfort and sportiness. The Soul feels grounded and nimble through corners, the steering is quick, and parking is a breeze, but its slab-sided body is prone to shake from crosswinds.

The brakes are effective at stopping. The suspension on the Soul softens the impact of bumps and potholes, resulting in a solid but pleasant ride.

Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist

These radars are installed in the front of the vehicle and can detect oncoming traffic and automatically apply the brakes in certain scenarios.

Support for Detecting and Avoiding Accidents in the Blind Spot

The included Blind-Area Collision Warning system will provide you visible and/or aural warnings if it detects an object in your blind area of a vehicle.

Furthermore, If you try to switch lanes after seeing anything, optional Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist can assist in maintaining your prior route by applying brakes to the outer tire under specific situations to help return the car to its lane.

Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist

As you back up, this accessible technology monitors for impending obstructions. If the system identifies a possible hazard in your route, it can assist you in avoiding it by generating auditory and visual alerts and may even apply the brakes.

2023 Kia Seltos

The interior spaciousness and cargo-hauling capability of the 2023 Kia Seltos are outstanding for such a compact, cheap Kia SUV.

Its appeal is increase by its user-friendly infotainment system, extensive list of standard safety features, and extended warranty. However, its engine may stand some improvements.

Pros and Cons

Competition of 2023 Kia Seltos

The revamped Kia Sportage stands just above the Seltos in the brand’s SUV lineup, and it has a few advantages over its smaller sister. The Sportage has more space for people and baggage, and it can pull a trailer, but the Celtics cannot.

The Sportage also boasts a more luxurious interior with features not found in the Seltos, such as ventilated seats, a motorized liftgate, and an all-digital instrument cluster.

Its engine range is also more versatile, with gas, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid powertrains available. Simply put, the Sportage is more SUV than the Seltos, and its somewhat higher starting price of around $26,000 reflects this.

If money is an issue, stay with the Celtics. Otherwise, Sportage may be a better choice, particularly if you have an expanding family. The Hyundai Kona may seem completely different, yet it shares mechanical components with the Kia Altos.

For example, both SUVs have the same gearboxes and engines (with the exception of the high-flying Kona N), and they have equal fuel efficiency ratings.

Both have many of the same safety and infotainment systems, and their interiors, while fashioned differently, seem appropriately expensive.

The Kona has a cheaper starting price (about $1,500 less) and somewhat crisper handling than the Altos. The Celtics, on the other hand, have a significantly larger back seat and cargo capacity. Overall, both are excellent choices in this category.

Interior

The inside of the 2023 Kia Seltos is stylish and well-appointed, and it offers more passenger and luggage capacity than most other subcompact SUVs. The Seltos’ infotainment system is very simple to operate.

The load space of the Kia Seltos is one of the largest of any subcompact Suv. The load space is boxy, making it simple to move big objects in and out.

Seating

The Kia Seltos is a 5-passenger SUV. The seats in the first row are cushion and supportive, and there is sufficient space in both the head- and legroom categories for passengers to relax in complete comfort in any row. In addition to that, the view to the outside world is breathtaking in every direction.

The front seats include a manual incline and recline adjustment, and they are upholster in fabric as standard. As optional features, you may choose to have upholstery made of synthetic leather, front seats that are heated, and a driver’s seat that can be adjusted electrically.

Performance

2023 Kia Seltos has assured handling, a generally pleasant ride, and a basic engine that is fuel-efficient but not exceptionally powerful. Although the optional turbocharged engine improves performance, it is hamper by an indecisive gearbox.

The standard engine on the Seltos does a good job of getting the SUV around town, but it begins to feel pokey at higher speeds when passing power is also lacking. The available engine has a turbocharged pulse of torque that propels the Seltos up to speed quickly.

Unfortunately, the dual-clutch gearbox that comes standard with this engine shifts slowly and shudders at low speeds. The Kia Seltos’ fuel efficiency ranges from excellent to acceptable for the subcompact SUV class.

Handling and Braking

Overall, the driving dynamics of the Kia Seltos are composed. It’s stable and planted through corners, albeit not especially athletic, and the steering is swift and substantial. The SUV is also confidently slow by the brakes.

The Seltos’ stiff suspension produces a very active ride feel over uneven road surfaces, which is typical of SUVs of this size, while larger bumps are absorb with decent comfort.

Help for Avoiding Accidents in Rear Cross Traffic

The available system provides auditory alerts if it detects vehicles crossing in front of you while you are reversing. Avoiding Collisions in Rear-Cross Traffic In the event of an impending accident, Assist is capable of applying the brakes automatically.

2023 Kia Sportage

The 2023 Kia Sportage stands out for its spacious luggage area, high-tech and well-crafted cabin, and well-balanced ride and handling. However, engine performance falls short, and many basic techs and safety features are only available in pricier models.

Pros and Cons

Competition of Sportage

Both the Kia Sportage and the Honda CR-V share a number of traits, including large load capacity, spacious seats, and upmarket interiors. In its basic variant, the Sportage gets a more contemporary interior, a less fussy infotainment system, and more standard tech features.

However, the CR-V features a more luxurious interior, a more powerful engine, and superior fuel efficiency. If you’re ready to spend extra for more amenities, the CR-V is worth considering.

The Toyota RAV4 outperforms the Kia Sportage in terms of fuel efficiency and ride comfort, but they are nearly identical in terms of basic amenities, handling capability, and build quality. The Sportage offers additional cargo space as well. The RAV4 has a hybrid brother, as well as off-road versions, like the Sportage.

Interior

The updated inside of the 2023 Kia Sportage is contemporary, large, and comfortable, with notably remarkable luggage capacity and rear-seat legroom. The infotainment system works well for the most part, albeit certain functions can be difficult to operate. The inside construction quality is excellent.

One of the 2023 Sportage’s strong points is the cargo room. Storage space may expand to a maximum of 39.6 cubic feet, which is respectable for a vehicle of this size in a small SUV.

When the back seats are fold down, cargo capacity expands to a whopping 74.1 cubic feet. The low leftover height of the Sportage enables simple loading and unloading. A motorized liftgate with hands-free operation is offer.

Seating

The 2023 Sportage has a seating capacity of five passengers. Front seats are manually adjustable and have cloth upholstery as standard. There are heated, vented, and power-adjustable front seats, as well as synthetic leather upholstery.

Seating in both rows is roomy and comfortable, and the back seats move and recline. The rear legroom is class-leading 41.3 inches. The cabin’s construction quality is outstanding, with only a few harsh plastic parts detracting from the luxury feel.

Performance

The 2023 Sportage’s lone engine choice provides acceptable power for city driving but struggles on the interstate. The ride and handling are generally well-balanced. The Sportage is capable of modest off-roading, but it is no Jeep Wrangler.

The amount of road noise is kept to a minimum. The 2023 Sportage just comes with one engine choice, and although it’s adequate for daily driving, it might seem underpowered when overtaking or merging on the interstate.

The new X-Pro trim levels add some off-road flare to the Sportage lineup. X-Pro versions have beefier tires and more ground clearance, but they don’t stand out when compared to rock crawlers like the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco Sport. You may have it with basic FWD or with optional AWD.

MPG Estimates

The 2023 Sportage has average fuel efficiency for a small SUV. Front-wheel drive Sportage models get 25/32 mpg city/highway. These figures drop to 23/28 mpg city/highway with all-wheel drive.

Handling and Braking

The new Sportage drives adequately but not sportily. The ride is typically smooth. Because of their bigger tires, X-Pro versions are said to have a harsher ride and more body roll. The majority of the time, road noise is kept to a minimum.

Lane Following Assist

The technology, which uses a front view camera on the windshield to monitor lane markings on the road, may deliver steering instructions to assist maintain your car centered in its lane.

2022 Kia Niro

The 2022 Kia Niro has excellent fuel efficiency, nimble handling, user-friendly technology, and a cheap starting price. However, it lags behind its larger competitors in terms of internal room and acceleration. Because it has not tested for dependability, this vehicle does not have an overall score or ranking.

Pros and Cons

Competition of 2022 Kia Niro

The Hyundai Kona Electric shares mechanical components with its Niro EV sibling. Both have the same electric motor, front-wheel drive, and many of the same technological and safety features. However, there are some significant variances.

The Niro offers a more spacious back seat, a wider luggage area, and a more comfortable ride. The Kona Electric, on the other hand, offers a longer driving range (258 miles vs. 239) and a lower starting price ($6,000) than the Niro. The popular Toyota RAV4 Hybrid has some advantages over the Niro Hybrid.

The RAV4 offers a more spacious cabin, hybrid technology that allows for quicker acceleration, and all-wheel drive. These features make the RAV4 more appealing to families, especially in the Snowbelt.

Interior

The inside of the 2022 Kia Niro is unobtrusive, with a mix of high- and low-quality materials. There is enough seating for people in both rows, and the cargo compartment is rather wide for a vehicle of this size, but it isn’t very accommodating overall.

The infotainment system in the Niro is simple to operate. The Kia Niro has less cargo capacity than its bigger hybrid and electric SUV competitors, but it still offers plenty of storage for bulkier stuff and bags.

There is a total of 54.5 cubic feet of room available behind the seats when they are not folded down, but there is only 19.4 cubic feet available when they are folded down.

Seating

Kia Niro features a total of five seats. There is adequate headroom and legroom in both seats for people to sit comfortably, and the Niro’s high position provides a superb forward view. Even so, children and teenagers will find the back seats more comfortable than adults.

Cloth upholstery is the norm. There are choices for upholstery made of leather and synthetic leather, as well as heated and ventilated seats. Additionally, leather and synthetic leather upholstery may be purchased separately.

Performance

The 2022 Kia Niro comes with three fuel-efficient engine options. The Niro is a delightful and nimble car to drive, yet its acceleration is only sufficient. The Kia Niro Hybrid and PHEV zip through town with aplomb, but reaching highway speeds and overtaking other vehicles needs forethought and patience.

The dual-clutch gearbox reduces engine drone, which may be a problem in certain hybrids under strong acceleration. However, shifts are occasionally slow. The best performance in the lineup is the Niro EV. The Niro’s electric motor propels it off the line quickly and softly.

Handling and Braking

The driving characteristics of the Kia Niro are largely enjoyable. It’s nimble and easy to fit into tight spaces, the suspension pleasantly absorbs most bumps and dips, and the Niro remains steady and surefooted in curves.

The brakes perform well in everyday driving, although some reviewers report that emergency stops necessitate longer than intended braking distances when compared to comparable hybrid vehicles.

2022 Kia Sorento (KIA SUV)

Thanks to its attractive cabin, practical features, and commendable performance, the 2022 Kia Sorento is ranked among the middle-range SUVs we consider best.

Pros and Cons

Competition of 2022 Kia Sorento

The Kia Telluride is bigger than its stablemate, with seating for up to eight people, significantly greater cargo capacity, and a more spacious third row. It also offers a broader list of basic features, which accounts for the greater price.

Both SUVs boast pleasant driving qualities, strong acceleration, and a well-equipped interior. As medium SUVs, both are highly recommended, but the Telluride has a few advantages.

The Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento have many similarities being vehicles of the same parent corporation.

They share two engine options, excellent fuel efficiency, composed handling, and outstanding interiors with comparable standard and optional equipment. The main distinctions are capacity and pricing.

Performance

The 2022 Kia Sorento comes with two competent engines, outstanding fuel efficiency, and a well-balanced ride. In addition, the improved engine is mated with a dual-clutch automatic transmission that is smoother than the gearbox found in the standard model. The 2022 Sorento offers excellent fuel efficiency for a midsize SUV with its basic engine.

Handling and Braking

The Kia Sorento has a generally smooth ride, although it feels rigid over larger road bumps. The steering is quick and the handling is composed.