Compare the2025 Kia SoulVS 2025 Subaru Impreza

Both the Soul and Impreza offer rear cross-traffic warning, but the Soul with Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning also has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Impreza’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Soul and the Impreza have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 and available blind spot warning systems.

The Soul comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Impreza’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Soul 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Subaru covers the Impreza. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Impreza ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

There are over 24 percent more Kia dealers than there are Subaru dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Soul’s warranty.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Soul has a standard 150-amp alternator. The Impreza’s 130-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Soul has a standard 760-amp battery. The Impreza’s 530-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Soul third among small suvs in their 2024 Initial Quality Study. The Impreza isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 20 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is ranked 12th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in long-term dependability. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Subaru is rated below average.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Kia Soul is faster than the Subaru Impreza 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder:

On the EPA test cycle the Soul gets better mileage than the Impreza:

The Soul stops much shorter than the Impreza:

For better traction, the Soul GT-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Impreza (235/45R18 vs. 225/40R18).

The Soul has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Impreza; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

The Soul has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Impreza doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Soul is 1 inch wider in the front and 1.2 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Impreza.

The Soul handles at .91 G’s, while the Impreza RS pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Kia Soul may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 350 pounds less than the Subaru Impreza.

The Soul is 11 inches shorter than the Impreza, making the Soul easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Soul has .1 inches more front headroom, 1.5 inches more rear headroom and 2.3 inches more rear legroom than the Impreza.

The Soul uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Impreza uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The Soul Turbo has a standard heads-up display that projects speed in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Impreza doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the Soul and the Impreza have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Soul is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Impreza prevents the driver from operating the rear windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Soul’s power window, power lock and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Impreza’s power window switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

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

The Kia Soul outsold the Subaru Impreza by 73% during 2024.