SOUL SEARCHING

As one of Kia’s consistently best-selling models, the Soul has always been difficult to categorize. Tall wagon? Crossover? Maybe a little of both? Since its U.S. debut in 2010, the Soul has proudly marched to the beat of its own drum: boxy and dorky—and it’s ultimately cooler because of it. Now in its third generation, the Kia Soul adds a healthy dose of refinement while keeping its weird streak intact.

Soul competitors have come and gone through the years. Nissan lost faith in its dorm-fridge Cube and oddball Juke, replaced by the more conventionally styled Kicks for 2018. And the original subcompact box on wheels, the Scion xB, went from quirky and cool to flabby and boring in its second generation