Kia Motors America’s all-new 2014 Soul has earned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) 5-Star overall safety rating.

With its extensive list of standard safety features and use of high-tensile steel, Soul earned five stars in the frontal and side-impact crash tests and four stars in the rollover test.

Sixty-six percent of the Soul’s chassis uses either Ultra High Strength Steel (35 percent) or High Strength Steel (31 percent).

The 2014 model offers several standard safety features, including six standard airbags (dual advanced front and front seat-mounted side air bags, full-length side curtain air bags) and a four-channel, four-sensor Antilock Brake System (ABS) with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD). The EBD, according to Kia, takes into account vehicle load and weight distribution and applies the appropriate stopping force to improve control and stability.

Additional standard safety equipment for Soul includes Hill-start Assist Control (HAC), Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and a Traction Control System (TCS).

In conjunction with the ABS, the TCS uses brake and engine torque intervention to enhance traction on slippery road surfaces. If the ABS system detects wheel slip, it signals the engine control unit to adjust torque output accordingly. TCS also senses when one or more wheels spin faster than the vehicle's speed, and if necessary, applies the brakes accordingly. Working together, the two systems limit wheel spin and help the driver maintain control, Kia said.

Working with the standard ABS with EBD and TCS, the ESC system can apply individual brakes selectively to help control over-steer and under-steer as needed to help the driver maintain control on slippery surfaces or during certain emergency maneuvers.