This summer, I have been driving lots of Kia cars. Each impressed me in their own way… but the Kia Soul, well, it just may have been my favorite to date (I need to drive the Sportage for my 100% Kia Opinion).
The Kia Soul, at first glance, is different. It’s not an SUV nor is it a typical sedan or compact. It’s kinda what us LA people refer to certain food truck food as “fusion.” A blend of different worlds to create something awesome.
…and something awesome it is.
It has all the space of an SUV, but the gas mileage (26 in the city, 34 highway) and speedyness of a compact vehicle. One of my favorite things to do while I had the Soul was pull up next to a little speedster and when the light turned green, tapped on my gas an vrooooooooooom. They were usually surprised that I kicked their.. I mean, uh…so, it’s fast.
Unlike most bigger vehicles, it was very easy to manuever and the brakes work like a dream. In all my car reviews, you hear me talk about the brakes a lot. Well, in LA, we hit them often. Or “ride” them because WEAREALWAYSINTRAFFIC… but less about traffic, more about the Soul.
The dashboard is neat and clear. Nothing crazy fancy but also a little on the tech side. I am short- 5’2 and my husband is 6’3, and we both fit the Soul with ease and comfort. It had radio/satellite/etc.. all on the steering wheel, along with volume, so you could concentrate on not running anyone over while also drowing out your kids in the background, and not once take your hand off the steering wheel.
The UVO system, which comes in most of the newer model Kia vehicles, os one of my favorite features, HOWEVER– and this part is kinda meh. It has no navigation system, no GPS and no maps. I really enjoyed this aspect of the Optima and the Sorento as I usually have to google map stuff on my phone and then keep checking it as I drive. Which is fine, but not the safest. That would be my one request- add a GPS!
Also, the trunk space is a little lacking… it’s not built for spreading stuff out the trunk, but more for stacking. They opted for more leg and people room in this model vs. trunk space. Again, while it’s not the ideal, it wasn’t too much of a bother.
The Kia Soul is economically price at $13,900 and you can find more info over at Kia’s website. You can also check them out via Facebook and Twitter. Trust me– you need a little Soul in your life.
Disclosure: I received a Kia Soul to test drive for my reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.
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