Latest news about the 2018 Kia Soul (release date, color changes, turbo engine and AWD availability)!
Kia Soul crossover vehicle represents a major success story for the South Korean brand.
In terms of sales, the Soul CUV has been the best-selling Kia vehicle in the United States, and the top-selling model in the small crossover segment.
The current Soul model has also been ranked as tops in quality in the segment for the third straight year, so there’s no wonder why it has won the hearts of so many US consumers.
The second-generation Kia Soul has been on sale in the U.S. market for the past three years, which is why the carmaker decided to freshen up the exterior and interior by giving it a mid-cycle refresh.
Already on sale at your local dealerships, the Kia Soul facelift received minor styling tweaks inside and out, as well as several mechanical improvements.
How about the 2018 Kia Soul?
For the 2018 model year, the Soul crossover hasn’t received any styling tweaks and changes! There are also no mechanical upgrades to report.
The Soul boxy car continues as a carryover model with minor enhancements to the trim levels. Let’s have a look.
Kia Soul 2018 model year changes
- Release date: already released in US
- Dealership arrival in Canada, U.S.: first models already in
- 2018 Soul Plus Primo Package adds smart cruise control and autonomous emergency braking
- Soul Plus Primo Lit package introduced with HID headlights and LED positioning lights
- Wild Orange paint joins the 2018 Soul Plus color palette
Soul MSRP (2018MY)
- Base manual gearbox: $16,100
- Base automatic gearbox: $17,700
- Plus: $20,300
- Exclaim: $22,800
2018 Soul EV electric car
The 2018 model year has brought some changes and improvements to the all-electric Soul. It has now a slightly larger battery and increased driving range (up to 111 miles).
Soul Trailster AWD launch?
The long-awaited Soul AWD will not be launched next year as previously reported.
It’s very likely that the Soul all-wheel-drive will most likely arrive to the market in 2019 when Kia unveils the third generation model.
We will keep you guys updated with all the latest news and rumors about the current generation Soul crossover, as well as the new generation Soul, which is coming in 2019. Stay tuned!
You do not need AWD on the Kia Soul SX. I put Yokohama all terrain tires, the same tires made to go on the Subaru Forester Outback. They are 16-inch tires, steel wheels which fit the Soul like the 18″ wheels & tires that come with it.
One gets a better ride than the thumpy stock tires and I have been driving off road & in the snow ever since with great traction.
Looking to find the colors available for the 2018 Kia Soul base models. I have a 2015 and want to buy a 2018 as my last car. Love it, it’s great in the snow in the northwestern part of Maine.
I live in Colorado and work extensively in the mountains. I am a bit frustrated to learn that the AWD option is being put of for yet another year. What is the hold-up on this!? This is, in my opinion, a HUGE mistake for your profits in the intermountain west. I was really hoping to be able to buy this car in the fall or winter of this year at the latest. This development means that I will likely have to go in a different direction, which is deeply disappointing to me.
I am so sick of the boring color choices offered in what is a fun car. The ultraconservative choices seems like an Asian thing. The Germans and the Italians with the Mini and the Fiat get it. Kia is stuck with the boring black, gray, silver, white, red for the most part, especially in the Exclaim.
Living in the northeastern US mandates AWD for an SUV, so as I consider a small SUV for 2018, the KIA Soul is off the list. It’s a shame. I agree with a prior comment that KIA is missing a huge opportunity to make money in this region.
Wait till the end of 2018 (or early 2019) when the new generation Soul comes out. That model will have AWD for sure!!
I bought a 2013 Green soul liked it so well I upgraded and bought a 2015 yellow Soul. I want to upgrade to a 2018 but only will if the yellow comes back. I love the yellow cause when i come out of a store or Mall I can spot my yellow Soul right away. So PLEASE bring back the Yellow!!!!!
I will be buying another. ( But only in Yellow)
Pls send Kia updates
Hi, I am going to lease a 2018 SOUL turbo, but not 4 wheel drive.
do not want or need 4 wheel drive, just want superior handling. Just after picking up my new Turbo Soul, I will be going to the fourth largest Walmart on this planet. They will be installing new Michelin tires on my Soul. Nobody makes a better tire. This new Soul will be my 232 car. Yes, I do know about cars. Who do you know that has had 32 Porsches.
I have a 2015 red zone. People comment all the time on the car. It’s black with red trim. i agree about the color choice. They need more pastel colors.
I have a 2015 KIA Soul and it’s our third Soul; so far we’ve been very brand-loyal. For the most part, we love the car, however I won’t be purchasing another one until two things are offered. You need to offer the Soul in a hybrid and you need to offer the power lift gate (foot-activated). We’re willing to wait until 2019 if those items will be available but if not, we’ll probably change brands. Thanks!
We have a 2012 Kia Soul ! in original Alien Green. Need to update to 2018 but want a “!” version in Alien 2 green. How many more years do we have to wait. I understand from several dealers Green is the most popular color but you only have in the Base model.
Kia needs to take a look at the great color options offered by fiat and Mini Cooper. The soul is supposed to be a fun car and the colors make it feel like just an old conservative car. Where is your imagination Kia and what about the fabric interior in the explain model. That’s your highest trim level and you cheap in it by putting fabric in the seats. not sure who is designing the colors and the interiors for the Kia soul but they really need to update their thinking and get with a more progressive color palette.
I too, am severely disappointed in the colors available thus far for all of the KIA SOUL MODELS!!! I hope & pray you Do Better, starting with your 2018 Models! Also, I truly hope all of this feedback from numerous people, is taken into consideration moving forward.
I actually like the white SOUL and bought a new base model with the six speed manual. Unfortunately this version was not available with the panoramic sunroof. If anyone from Kia is reading this how about offering the sunroof to anyone who buys any trim package. I would have loved to have purchased the SOUL with this sunroof option and almost went to the Ford Focus because they do offer their sunroof with a manual transmission. Or: make me up a panoramic sunroof-loaded white SOUL (with black interior and six speed manual) and you can have my brand new SOUL that just turned 3000 miles a day ago. Go ahead…make my day!
i just spoke to kia regarding color options and to say the least, they couldn’t have been more disinterested in what i had to say. they didn’t seem to care that their color palette is so boring for such an upbeat car. a similar car, the jeep renegade has the best colors….their anvil gray and dune sand would be great colors for the soul. but i guess we are stuck with black, red, white and silver !!! YAWN!
i just spoke to kia regarding color options and to say the least, they couldn’t have been more disinterested in what i had to say. they didn’t seem to care that their color palette is so boring for such an upbeat car. a similar car, the jeep renegade has the best colors….their anvil gray and dune sand would be great colors for the soul. but i guess we are stuck with black, red, white and silver !!! YAWN!
Love all the comments, great info. We in Australia only get the si soul, no turbo or awd. 2017 model valued at $25,000 how does that compare with the States.
john
Kia is losing out quite a number of people who waited for 2018 Soul to offer AWD. I wonder sometimes what goes thru the executives’ minds!
I agree with most of the comments above. I waited for the 2017 for months and was so disappointed in the color choices. I decided not to get one based on the ugly seat choice….and I do means choice, not choices ! how can you offer the top trim and only have 1 color choice for the interior and an ugly one? I want leather or at least something that looks like leather, not an ugly cloth with bright orange stitching. looks awful on the red exclaim. looks like the 2018 models will have no better options. from what I have read they will be offering the same basic colors but they might bring that ugly yellow back. I would love a yellow car but they’re yellow is the ugliest yellow I’ve ever seen. Kia should look at some of the other cars in the same class and see what other manufacturers are offering. I agree with the comment about the renegade and also saw that Saturn has some great colors. I think it’s time to stop wasting my time with Kia and get a car that is really fun to drive and has colors that echo that kind of fun..
Would love to see the “!” In metalic orange with leather interior , half sunroof (panarama sunroof throws too much heat. Put your hand on the roof inside on a hot day), and AWD. Also love the directional lighrs on the back of sideview mirrors. That would be my dream car. I have a 2012 alien green “!” Love it. 18″ wheels with chrome. My engine in this one is great, don’t know what happened to engines between 2012 and 2017 that would require a turbo. If it was because of gas mileage….I wouldn’t care it’s my fun car. I do like the improvement in the suspension in the newer Souls. Over all this is one heck of a car. Enough room for two dog cages in back and small enough to fit into parking spaces.
In response to those of you who think the Soul doesn’t come in “fun” colors. I agree!
I think Kia has given up on presenting the Soul as “fun”. When it failed to sell to the younger target demographic Kia then decided to go with the flow and appeal to the middle-age and older folks who were actually buying it. I’m in my sixties and I would buy a “fun, sporty” model with better handling, better colors and a tad more horsepower…but alas, it doesn’t seem to be going that way.
I now drive a 2015 Soul Exclaim with every option available at the time. It is Fathom Blue with tan leather interior. It reminds me of Jaguar Coventry Glove Leather available on some of the older Jags. I’m 75 and have owned several older Jags. Everyone comments on what a classy car my Exclaim is. I was looking forward to buying a 2018 Exclaim, but with the downgraded interior and lackluster exterior colors I have decided to keep my 2015 for another year or two to see if Kia wakes up to the demands of the market. My wife just bought a 2017 Honda CRV Touring AWD in Metallic Olive Green and everyone comments on what a beautiful car it is. We live in hilly terrain in Central California and her much bigger and heavier CRV gets 24+ MPG going up and down the hills while my smaller, lighter, sportier Exclaim only gets 21 MPG on the same route. I love my Kia, but I’m afraid that I’ll need to wait for their management to come on board.
offer the 2 .0 liter with a manual transmission or up the horsepower of the 1.6 liter .
I think it is truly amazing how many different comments people make about their Soul car. Do any of you know how much money it costs to change the entire car over to four wheel drive ?. Do any of these people know the disadvantages of four wheel drive ?. Most people think that four wheel is safer. Not true. Could be better in the snow. Only if there is a reasonable amount of snow on the road. Most people buy 4 wheel drive because that is what what the dealer has. Please give my red soul turbo, with Michelin tires.
I am going to lease a 2018 KIA SOUL TURBO. It will be red, my favorite color. Why A SOUL ?. IT has headroom, back seat people space and enough power to make lots of people happy. Like ME. Upon delivery, going to drive it to the fourth largest Walmart store on this planet, to install new Michelin tires. Then I am going to sell the take off tires, with about 11 miles on them, to the selling dealership. This will be my 232 CAR. Does this make me an expert or a fool ?. Idon’t know or care.
I’m starting on my second Soul. Just bought it. The first one, a 2010 made me a believer. The newest one is just as fun, but considerably more refined. I’ve never had an issue with snow or ice. The car slices through it like a ssaurabi warrior, as well or better than all those vaunted Jeeps that I’ve driven, that never seem to deliver. Never had an issue with the first one for 120K. Just routine maintenance.
I am a 64 y/o old woman driving a 2014 Kia soul in yellow. I agree with all the complaints about available colors. I love my car’s looks and handling but the color is what really makes it fun to drive. People stop me on a regular basis to talk about how cute the car looks. Someone made me an offer to buy it after seeing the car parked outside my office. When my car is at the dealership for maintenance, the staff comment on the unusual color. This is the first car I have ever owned that elicited this type of conversation.
Come on, Kia, be adventurous. Choose some new bright, appealing, fun colors. Eventually, I will have to replace my car and no current colors appeal to me.
My other more serious complaint: for a small car, my Soul needs to get better gas mileage. I get 24-28 miles per gallon and think it should be much higher.
Kia, I own a 2012 exclaim and bought it new and still love the car.I can’t say enough about the warranty AWESOME!I plan to buy another one if it comes out in an AWD.PLEASE keep the pricing at an affordable price.a very happy customer
I think the Kia Soul is a great little car, Pity it hasn’t got a 40kwt Battery, I think I would be very interested in Buying one. Hope they come to Australia.