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2020 Kia Soul vs. subcompact crossovers: How they compare on paper

At 10 years old, the 2020 Kia Soul has entered its third, and potentially best, generation yet. To get here, it fought off other boxy hatchbacks such as the Scion xB and Nissan Cube. But now it faces all new competition: subcompact crossovers. They offer similar sizes, prices and flexibility as the Soul, but with a veneer of ruggedness. But the Soul is ready with its own rugged trim, the X-Line, plus the return of its powerful turbocharged variant. To see how the Soul stacks up to the fresh competition, we've compiled vital stats on all the tall hatches. Considering the prodigious size of the subcompact crossover segment, we've limited our selection to a few options that are similarly priced and sized to the Soul, and that offer a bit of funky styling. They include the Toyota C-HR, Nissan Kicks, Hyundai Kona and Honda HR-V. There are of course many more options, and you can create your own comparisons using our Compare Cars feature. (You can also check out our Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross comparison that includes a few larger choices). In the meantime, though, check out all the numbers on our selected vehicles in the chart below, followed by analysis after. Performance, fuel economy and drivetrains The crossover segment is diverse when it comes to powertrains, with all different displacements, induction systems and drive wheels. A surprising number of these supposedly rugged and off-road-oriented vehicles (at least more than normal cars) are front-drive only. These include the Nissan Kicks, Toyota C-HR and Kia Soul. But the Kona and HR-V offer all-wheel drive, with the Hyundai offering it on both engine options. Speaking of engine options, only the Kia and Hyundai have two possibilities, either a base 2.0-liter naturally aspirated engine, or a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine. The base engines have identical outputs of 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, but the turbo engines differ. The Soul has 201 horsepower to the Hyundai's 175, but both make the same 195 pound-feet of torque. The Kicks, C-HR and HR-V all offer just one engine option, and they're all naturally aspirated. The Nissan's engine is the smallest and least powerful: a 1.6-liter engine making 125 horsepower and 115 pound-feet of torque. The HR-V is next with a 1.8-liter engine making 141 horsepower and 127 pound-feet of torque. The C-HR rounds out the trio at 144 horsepower and 139 pound-feet of torque from a 2.0-liter engine.

Next-gen Kia Sedona drops more camo, shows KV7 cues

It was just two weeks ago that we saw our first glimpse of the 2015 Kia Sedona testing in full camouflage, but now Kia has stripped away some of the heavy cladding to give us an even better idea what its new minivan will look like. As we pointed out before, the next Sedona doesn't use as many design cues from the 2012 Kia KV7 as we initially hoped, but it should be interesting enough to stand out from the current crop of minivans.
Even though most of the body is still covered with the black and white pattern and the side doors still have cladding, these spy shots show off plenty of details about the new Sedona. Starting up front, Kia gave its minivan a more upright shape that we've seen a lot of on current Kia designs, while the reduced camo also makes the van's new side window shape more obvious. This pinched daylight opening (DLO) along the side is the same as what we saw on the KV7, and the window line dips back down again for the liftgate glass. While we're focused on the rear of the Sedona, that liftgate spoiler looks a lot like what we're used to seeing on the back of a Porsche Cayenne.
Kia has still yet to announce when its new minivan will be unveiled, but as things seem to be pretty far along in development, we'd expect to see something on the 2015 Sedona fairly soon.

Kia Sedona shows off new 'comfortable and futuristic' interior

Last month Kia coined a new, fourth-generation minivan and the term "Grand Utility Vehicle" to go with it. Known as the Carnival in its home market of South Korea, and as the Sedona here, Kia's given us a look at the "comfortable and futuristic" interior we can expect when the model goes on sale. We like the current Sedona, but the imminent upgrade is immediately clear and comprehensive even in photos. The automaker calls the interior design theme "Spatial Talents," which sounds like a superpower your home mover or the guy at U-haul has, but it refers to the how designers made the most of a slightly larger body and roomier interior. The minivan's wheelbase grows 1.2 inches, overall length extends by 1.6 inches, 1.2 of that being rear overhang, and width gets an extra pip of 0.4 inches. Depending on market, seating arrangements for seven, nine or 11 people will provide more room for every occupant in every row. The star draw is the instrument panel, where Kia placed the 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and 12.3-inch infotainment screen in a cohesive enclosure under a single pane of glass. A full-width horizontal band separates the upper and lower areas of the instrument panel, vents tucked discreetly into the contrasting divider. Below that, dedicated buttons and another screen offer radio and climate controls, a shift-by-wire rotary knob set atop the transmission tunnel where a bulkier shift lever currently sits. More upscale materials are laid throughout the cabin. Second-row passengers benefit from new USB outlets on the front seatbacks, nets to hold electronic devices, and a storage drawer at the base of the rear console.     The only engine available in our Sedona is a 3.3-liter V6 with 276 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque. The next-gen Sedona will likely follow the powertrain lead of the new Sorento. That means a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder putting out around 277 horsepower and 310 pound-feet, and a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid with 227 hp and 259 lb-ft.   The Carnival goes on in South Korea in the third quarter of this year, with rollout to global market following that. Related Video: