A total of four trim levels make up the 2022 Kia Soul lineup. They are the LX, S, GT-Line, and EX. All trim levels come with the same 147-hp naturally aspirated 2.0-liter engine. The base-level trim comes with remote keyless entry and a tilt-and-telescopic multifunction steering wheel as well as a six-way manually adjustable driver's seat and an eight-inch touchscreen that enables Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Bluetooth streaming. Some higher trims upgrade the interior with additions like ten-way power-adjustable seating and heated front seats. From S level up, automatic dual-zone climate control, wireless smartphone charging, and a 10.25-inch touchscreen that enables navigation, and SiriusXM are standard. This year, all the most important driver assists are fitted to all trims.
One of the main appeals that the Soul has is that it's extremely affordable. At the base level, the Kia Soul LX is priced at just $19,790. At this base price, the Soul manages to be quite a bit more affordable than the Kona's entry-level SE model. Moving up to the S will cost $22,290 and the GT-Line has an MSRP of $23,390. The Kia Soul EX costs $24,090. None of these prices include the $1,295 destination charge.
There aren't many options when it comes to customization, presumably because there are enough trims that you should be able to find one that suits your needs pretty easily. Nevertheless, there are a few available options. Now that most driver-assistance features are standard on the S trim, last year's LX Technology Package that contained some of these items drops in price from $900 to $500 and now only adds the S trim's 16-inch alloy wheels, blind-spot and rear cross-traffic collision avoidance, and lane-change assist. You can opt for sporty pedals for the base model for $100 or a rearview mirror with HomeLink for $350. From this year, the GT-Line gets access to the optional GT-Line Technology package that adds heated front seats, a premium Harman Kardon audio system, LEDs for the headlights, taillights, positioning lights, and foglights, navigation-based adaptive cruise control, an electronic parking brake, Highway Driving Assist, automatic emergency braking with junction turning detection, and a dual-level cargo board with a cargo cover for $2,400.
If you are absolutely determined to save every penny, the S model is a grand choice. We'd avoid the LX despite its attractive asking price and newly standard driving assists, because it makes do with those drab steel wheels and misses out on desirable features such as the significantly better infotainment system with the big screen, navigation, dual-zone climate control, and power driver's seat. The S model has all these features as standard, tipping the balance in its favor. There is not much substance to the GT-Line's additions besides the large wheels, sporty appearance package, and sunroof, but considering that it looks very fetching and only adds $1,100 to the price of the S, many people would consider this the sweet spot.