Compare the2025 Subaru ImprezaVS 2025 Kia Soul

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Impreza have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Kia Soul doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Subaru Impreza has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Soul doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Impreza has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Soul doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Impreza has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Soul doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Impreza Sport/RS has standard STARLINK Connected Services, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Soul doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Impreza and the Soul have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Subaru Impreza is safer than the Kia Soul:

	Impreza	Soul
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	222	253
Neck Injury Risk	22.4%	26%
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	170	324
Chest Compression	.5 inches	2 inches
Neck Injury Risk	28.8%	39%
Neck Stress	158 lbs.	160 lbs.
Neck Compression	51 lbs.	86 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Subaru Impreza is safer than the Kia Soul:

	Impreza	Soul
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.9 inches	1 inches
Abdominal Force	144 lbs.	259 lbs.
Hip Force	6 lbs.	490 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	291	422
Spine Acceleration	59 G’s	73 G’s
Hip Force	423 lbs.	611 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	3 Stars
HIC	254	322
Hip Force	721 lbs.	1090 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Impreza, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 5.4% less likely to roll over than the Soul, which received a four-star rating.

Warranty

The Impreza’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Soul runs out after 100,000 miles.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Impreza’s reliability 31 points higher than the Soul.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru first in overall reliability. Kia is ranked 9th.

Engine

The Impreza’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 5 more horsepower (152 vs. 147) and 13 lbs.-ft. more torque (145 vs. 132) than the Soul’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Impreza RS’ standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 35 more horsepower (182 vs. 147) and 46 lbs.-ft. more torque (178 vs. 132) than the Soul’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Impreza RS 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder is faster than the Kia Soul:

	Impreza	Soul
Zero to 60 MPH	7.4 sec	8.6 sec
Quarter Mile	15.7 sec	16.7 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90.1 MPH	83.8 MPH

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Impreza lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Soul doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Impreza 2.0 DOHC flat-4 gets better fuel mileage than the Soul 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder (27 city/34 hwy vs. 27 city/33 hwy).

The Impreza has 2.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Soul (16.6 vs. 14.3 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Impreza’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Soul:

	Impreza	Impreza Sport/RS	Soul
Front Rotors	11.6 inches	12.4 inches	11 inches
Rear Rotors	11.2 inches	11.2 inches	10.3 inches

The Impreza’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Soul are solid, not vented.

Tires and Wheels

The Impreza’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Soul LX/S’ standard 60 series tires. The Impreza Sport/RS’ tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Soul GT-Line’s 45 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Subaru Impreza has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Kia Soul has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Impreza has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Impreza flat and controlled during cornering. The Soul’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Impreza’s wheelbase is 2.7 inches longer than on the Soul (105.1 inches vs. 102.4 inches).

Chassis

The front grille of the Impreza uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Soul doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Impreza has 1.8 inches more front legroom, 1.6 inches more front hip room, 1.3 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear hip room and .6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Soul.

Cargo Capacity

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Impreza easier. The Impreza’s trunk lift-over height is 26 inches, while the Soul’s liftover is 29.8 inches.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Impreza is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Soul. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Subaru service is better than Kia. J.D. Power ranks Subaru third in service department satisfaction. With a 56% lower rating, Kia is ranked 27th.

Ergonomics

The Impreza’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch. The Soul has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The Impreza’s front power windows open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Soul’s passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

The Impreza’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Soul’s standard halogen headlights. LED lights also light instantly and last over twenty times longer than halogen.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Impreza has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Soul doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Impreza’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Soul offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Impreza has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Soul S/EX/GT-Line.

Compared to traditional radio, the Subaru Impreza’s standard SiriusXM satellite radio provides an unmatched listening experience. Its extensive coverage guarantees consistent, crystal-clear reception across the continental U.S., and access to over 100 channels dedicated to a multitude of genres, including music, news, sports, talk shows, and comedy, many with only limited commercial breaks. Satellite radio is only offered on the Soul S/EX/GT-Line.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Subaru Impreza and the Kia Soul, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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