I thought that I would do a bit more of an in-depth comparison between the Chevy Trax and the Kia Soul. We will start with a comparison of the exterior and interiors of the vehicles, and then we will move on to compare the specifications of each vehicle. Last I'll give my final thoughts.
Exteriors
The Chevy Trax and the Kia Soul differ quite a bit from each other on the outside. The Kia Soul is a bit more boxy, but overall it is pretty unique in the segment. Compared to the Chevy Trax I would say the Soul looks more youthful and playful. For many the Soul is too playful though, and the more refined and serious looks of the Trax will be more appealing.
Interior
Moving to the interior of these vehicles, I think that the clear winner here is the Trax. The Trax had a very similar interior to the more luxurious Buick Encore. The design is basically the same, it just has a few less features. Compared to the Soul's interior, the Trax looks more expensive and elegant. The Soul's interior looks a bit cheap since it only uses black plastic, and there just isn't as much design to the dash.
Specs
Chevy Trax
Engine: ECOTEC 1.4L I-4 turbo VVT (Variable Valve Timing)
Horsepower: 138 hp
Torque: 148 lb-ft
Est. MPG: 35.0 / 48.0 / 40.0 (for the FWD Automatic model)
Transmission: Six-speed transverse, electronically controlled, automatic overdrive transmission
Cargo Volume: 18.7 cu. ft. seats up, 48.4 cu. ft. seats down
Kia Soul
Engine: 1.6L I-4 DOHC Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) (Base Model)
Horsepower: 130 hp
Torque: 118 lb-ft
Est. MPG: 24/30 (Automatic Transmission)
Transmission:6-speed manual
Cargo Volume: 24.2 cu. ft. without under tray, 18.8 cu. ft. with under tray
The two vehicles are pretty similar as far as how they drive with the Trax edging out the Soul by a bit. You'll get a bit more power, torque, cargo volume and fuel efficiency if you go with the Trax. There are other drivetrains available for both models too, so these specs can change depending on that.
I like both, they look much more appealing to me than the Honda HRV, which is apparently coming to the states.
Kia Soul is popular as ever and likely Kia own this segment right now, going to be interesting to see how well the trax can do and if it can overtake it.
This thread actually inspired me, I did a little volume comparison between the Soul and TRAX in Canada and then attempted to forecast US expectations based on that.
Basically the TRAX sells 92% of the Souls volume in Canada, so if you apply that back to the US Soul numbers you can probabaly get a ballpark figure...
Ok but that doesnt change the fact that the two will relate to each other percentage wise. If I scaled the Canadian numbers to represent the US numbers based on a scaling of the SOuls Candian figure to the US figure, yes there would be a problem.
Don't get caught up in the fact that its CANADIAN numbers, its about the cars.
For reference in Europe the TRAX in Daewoo and Chevrolet trims out sold the Soul 17,658 to 3,202. But the soul has really fallen off a cliff from its debut year of 20,169... So 2009 was the souls first year in europe and they moved 20K, the TRAX's debut and only year they moved 17K. So to compare debut volumes, the TRAX sold at 17% of the Souls volume.
Ok but that doesnt change the fact that the two will relate to each other percentage wise. If I scaled the Canadian numbers to represent the US numbers based on a scaling of the SOuls Candian figure to the US figure, yes there would be a problem.
Don't get caught up in the fact that its CANADIAN numbers, its about the cars.
For reference in Europe the TRAX in Daewoo and Chevrolet trims out sold the Soul 17,658 to 3,202. But the soul has really fallen off a cliff from its debut year of 20,169... So 2009 was the souls first year in europe and they moved 20K, the TRAX's debut and only year they moved 17K. So to compare debut volumes, the TRAX sold at 17% of the Souls volume.
For reference in Europe the TRAX in Daewoo and Chevrolet trims out sold the Soul 17,658 to 3,202. But the soul has really fallen off a cliff from its debut year of 20,169... So 2009 was the souls first year in europe and they moved 20K, the TRAX's debut and only year they moved 17K. So to compare debut volumes, the TRAX sold at 87% of the Souls volume.
I also think they look horrible, but it could be worse to be honest. Overall im not a big fan of their designs but a lot of people seem to love it. They do well enough to make the sales they are.
I think the TRAX looks far more elegant as the Encore or the Mokka in Europe. The soul has always been a bit bug ugly in my opinion. Probably why I've never considered it
Its tough to do great design in this segment. the tall ride and roof heights and compact length/width always make it tough to escape that awkward squashed box look. The only one IMO that escapes this is the Juke...
For a Chevy the Trax is what I would expect it to look like, not amazing not disappointing, but just right for what it is. Still prefer some elements of the Encore over it.
I honestly believe Chevy is going for lightning in a bottle with the TRAX here, they're playing a bit of me too with the Soul. For a company wavering wildly like they are this type of news would be welcome!
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