$22,665

The Soul is a cool and practical compact car for a nice price. While its boxy sheetmetal is somewhat unorthodox, the car's 147-hp 2.0-l I-4 powerplant is conventional. The Soul scores 30 mpg in combined driving on the EPA test, providing a great combination of spacious practicality and fuel efficiency. We have specified the "S" model as the best value rather than the cheap base model because the extra $2,500 adds features like forward collision avoidance assist, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot warning, lane change assist, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance assist,10.25-inch display with navigation, dual automatic climate control, push-button engine start, wireless phone charging pad, and dual USB  charging ports.

Previously, the one appealing aspect of the base Soul was the availability of a manual transmission, but that option has beenn dropped for 2022, making the decision to upgrade to the S even easier.