Kia Soul

Great Car For The Money!

By DMC (GA) on Sunday, October 23, 2011

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 49,000

Pros: "Fun to drive, Great value, Roomy interior"

Cons: "Automoatic trans, easy to scratch door panels"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"I could take the time to complain about the shortcomings of this car, like the easy to scratch interior door panels and the erratic first to second gear shift of the automatic transmission. I could say that the engine noise is a little on the loud side in the interior cabin, but honestly those are the only shortcomings that I have found in this little car and they are minor in the overall driving experience. My family and I use this car for all of our outings and I drive it to and from work on a daily basis (6 days a week), a commute that consists of a 54 mile daily trek, round trip. So the Soul has earned all of its 48000 miles now showing on the odometer. The trip my wife and I took into the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia was an absolute blast. The Soul handled wonderfully throughout the curves and mountainous terrain. I seldom had to touch the brake pedal when descending the grades, turning off the overdrive switch allowed for the little car to use the engine braking of the 2.0L in-line 4 cylinder and maintained a quite manageable downhill speed. I had expected the climb through the mountains to be hard on the Soul, but found that the engine and automatic transmission handled it well. Equally surprising was that the fuel mileage did not suffer from the mountainous terrain either. I have experienced fuel mileage ranging from as low as 24 to a best of 31 mpg. My wife laughs at me each time we fill up because I write my mileage on each gas receipt and log it into a spreadsheet on my laptop. Due to such record keeping, I can tell you that the overall average mileage is currently just a tick under 26 MPG. The Kia Soul offers a lot of value for the money. I am extremely fond of the hands free Bluetooth and the Sirius Satelite Radio. The iPod connections are quite easy to use as is all of the steering wheel mounted controls (radio controls, cruise control, and hands free telephone controls). There is plenty of room up front for driver and passenger. More surprisingly is the abundant roominess for the rear seat passengers, plenty of leg room and the first small car in which I've experienced this. While I mentioned the shortcomings of this car in my opening remarks, the only real irritating shortcoming is the automatic transmission. While it doesn't do it all the time, I sometimes experience a sort of slip between first and second gear. It tends to only occur when I accelerate a little more than normal, but not quite at an aggressive rate. If I get aggressive with acceleration, it does not occur. Nor does it occur if I accelerate at a normal rate. I have become accustomed to it since I drive it daily, adjusting my driving habits to compensate, but my wife and daughter have yet to figure out exactly what I am talking about. My daughter no longer likes driving it because of the weird shift. I took it to the dealer and was told that the shift was a normal operation and it has never gotten any worse. Overall, I love this little car and have always been quite impressed with its handling and how zippy it is while driving. I would most certainly recommend this car to a friend and I would absolutely purchase another without hesitation."

47 people out of 47 found this review helpful

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Replacement for a Chevy Cobalt

By Smitty (MO) on Saturday, September 29, 2012

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 250

Pros: "Gas Mileage, feature packed, safety features"

Cons: "Stiff ride, dark interior"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 9

"Purchased a 2009 Cobalt new, loved the bells and whistles and drive-ability of car, but MPG was less than stellar. Only got over 30 MPG twice in 3 years and I am not a lead foot push it driver. A friend bought a 2012 Soul and my wife and rode in it several times and liked it. As an older individual, getting in and out of the Soul was much easier than the Cobalt. Traded it in for a 2013 Soul+ and very impressed to this point. Early MPG average of 32 has my attention. Roomy interior, stylish exterior. Has all the same features of my loaded Cobalt. Ride is stiffer than the Cobalt, but tighter turning, better visibility in front, telescoping and tilt steering, excellent safety ratings and a ton of car stability and tracking features. Active Eco system is a plus. Sound quality on the entertainment system is good. This car is a great value and a fun little wagon to drive. Only complaint is dark interior and lack of cup holders (bottle holders only) in the rear seat area."

35 people out of 35 found this review helpful

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owned for a year..Safe, good on gas, fun to drive!

By corey (FL) on Sunday, July 08, 2012

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 38,000

Pros: "fun to drive, space, safe, gas saver! style,"

Cons: "needs bit more power. 4 speed auto in 10'-11'."

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

my soul. the little box that could.

"I bought this car a year ago with 13,500miles bought it for 16,100 the car was built in 2010. I have really enjoyed owning the car i use it for work and college commute. I drive 100miles three days a week for college around 350miles or more a week during school semesters. The car is great on gas i get 24mpg city no problem with a/c blasting. On highway i have gotten 31mpg its hard but it can be done. i usually average 24city 26-28highway depending on speed. Unfortunately i was in two accidents with the car one a large very heavy chevy express work van was involved and i am safe and the car was fixed and runs and drives like nothing happens they say the car is safe and it truly deserves its high rating! i had another one less severe with a 2012 civic and once again the car saved my life. As for how it drives...this thing is really fun to drive for what it has under the hood considering the one thing it lacks is a bit of power at certain times. it handles quite well and the brakes are one of my favorite parts of the car . I have the automatic transmission the 4 speed :( and with the new 6 speed i imagine the gas mileage would increase even more! for those who think 24/31 mpg isnt to good keep in mind this is a BOX! not the most aerodynamic thing you can push threw the air! Also space is never a problem with the soul people...cargo...books whatever you want the soul will do it! it has a little cubby in the back for books and such which i used daily when going to college i love that feature...the a/c is great and the factory radio will suprise you even if you have the midrange one like i do in the soul (plus) it makes long drives not to bad at all. also i must say i love the conectivity in this car USB....AUX...whatever you can think of! also the plus and all other mods have steering wheel controls for the radio and cruise and the standard BLUETOOTH! this car has such great value for the money i kid you not. i know i said its lacking in power but i had a nissan versa as a rental once and it was pathetic how slow and lazy that car was the soul felt like a rocket when i got it back! 142horsepower and 137torque that comes in at 4600-4800rpm (quite high in the rpm range considering redline is about 6100. Tho not a race car mash you foot of the line and a little chirp from the tires may take you by suprise as traction control (STANDARD!) say that it will not let that fun continue...turn it off and the soul will be quite entertaining at times...but most of you are not a 21year old guy and most wont drive it sprited at all...the seats are amazingly forgiving! i have gotten water on them so many times for bottles and such and lucky for me the seats just dry up and no mildew or nothing! the car is built quick tough for the amount of money you spend and it will get you looks mines silver and im glad i got it because it doesnt attract as much looks as the crazy green ones! I never ever thought i would buy a kia but i must say it suprises me sometimes what a good purchase i made its not a civic si or a mazdaspeed 3 but its better than the cube in looks and in performance ( i know because my friend has one and we have childishly raced and i won) and i know someone who owns a honda element and thats a totally new box entirely thats a awesome car as well! another thing about the soul is to consider getting used to the one blind spot...looking out the back window the rear pillars (around the rear glass) can take some getting used to when backing up but over time you will get used to it. but in conclusion if your actually still reading this and are really looking to buy a soul. i think i covered all the things i can think of about the car! I almost bought a forte sedan and i just couldnt do it the forte is a okay car it just reminds me to much of a 2006-2011 civic and i think thats a better car! but its much more money and the soul delivers for the price! so many things standard it will make your head spin 5* crash rating and i have tested that ! good luck on your search for cars and test drive a soul...you will most likely be suprised by the soul! Just remember as the commercial says "you can go with this or you can go with that!" take care"

28 people out of 28 found this review helpful

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