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10 Best Used Cars Under $8,000

2010 Kia Soul

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Overview

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2010 Kia Soul Review

By KBB.com Editorial Staff

With the arrival of the 2010 Kia Soul and 2009 Nissan Cube, the original Scion xB becomes the progenitor of a bona fide little sub-segment defined by funky practicality. Surely, there's a good chance the Soul and Cube wouldn't be here today - in this country, anyway - if not for the success of the original box on wheels. While the Nissan Cube is more reminiscent of the smaller, first-generation xB, the Kia Soul is a more direct competitor to the latest xB. Does the Soul's mix of style, value and technology make it the right choice for you? Keep reading to find out.

You'll Like This Car If...

Versatility and affordability are admirable qualities in a car, but they sound so boring. The 2010 Kia Soul wraps both in look-at-me styling, creating a vehicle that combines niche appeal with well-rounded practicality.

You May Not Like This Car If...

If you're looking for zip, you'll have to look elsewhere (outside the category, really). A four-speed automatic transmission doesn't help matters, and the Soul's highway mpg rating of 30 mpg (31 mpg for the smaller, less powerful base model) isn't anything to write home about.

What's Significant About This Car?

The arrival of the Kia Soul puts an end to Scion's near monopoly on economical, versatile, boldly styled cars aimed directly at the younger set.

Driving the Soul

Driving Impressions The 2010 Kia Soul is interesting to look at, roomy for people or cargo and offers an impressive array of audio and connectivity features. Less notable is the way it...

drives: like a run-of-the-mill economy car. It isn't particularly slow (although we haven't driven a base model with the smaller engine) or ill-handling, but the driving experience doesn't live up to the car's otherwise playful demeanor. The five-speed manual transmission doesn't offer the kind of car-driver connection you might want from a manual, and the four-speed automatic is at least one speed shy of flexible. Would the driving experience keep us from buying a 2010 Kia Soul? Absolutely not. Around town and on the highway, the 2010 Kia Soul is as easy and as comfortable as some of today's better compact cars. Just don't expect it inspire you to take the fun way home.

Favorite Features

Comprehensive Audio System
The 2010 Kia Soul base model might be hampered with small steel wheels and a lack remote keyless entry, but Kia saw fit to make sure every single Soul has a full-featured AM/FM/CD/MP3/Sat/Aux/USB audio system. That's cool.

iPod Bin
The 2010 Kia Soul has the best iPod station we've seen (outside of another Kia or Hyundai): an open bin, in plain view and within easy reach, with readily accessible power and connection ports.

2010 Kia Soul Details

Interior

The first thing new Soul owners show their friends are the available speaker lights in the front door speakers, which pulse to the beat of the music or cycle softly with adjustable intensity. Far more important in the long run are the Soul's overall interior design and quality, which we find especially impressive for a car that starts under $14,000. One of our favorite features is the front-and-center iPod bin, detailed further in the Favorite Features section of this review. The 2010 Kia Soul sport is offered exclusively with a very red-themed interior, our favorite part of which is the red glove box interior that makes it easier to see what's inside. Not surprisingly, the tall, boxy 2010 Kia Soul is a roomy and versatile little car.

Exterior

We like the simultaneously sporty, quirky and utilitarian look of the 2010 Kia Soul. We like it much better, of course, with the range-topping 18-inch five-spoke wheels than the base model's 15-inch covered steel wheels. The entry Soul is also hindered by black door handles and mirrors in contrast with body-color pieces across the rest of the line. At the opposite end of the price spectrum, the 2010 Kia Soul sport is distinguished visually by unique front and rear fascias and side sills.

Notable Equipment

Standard Equipment

For a Lincoln less than $14,000, the 2010 Kia Soul offers a 122-horsepower four-cylinder engine, five-speed manual transmission, air conditioning, power windows and locks, a four-speaker AM/FM/CD/MP3/Sat/Aux/USB audio system and an impressive list of standard safety equipment that includes six airbags and electronic stability control.

Optional Equipment

Check all the option boxes and your 2010 Kia Soul will include a 142-horsepower engine, four-speed automatic transmission, 18-inch alloy wheels, front fog lamps, moonroof, upgraded audio system, leather-covered steering wheel and shift knob, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, cruise control and Bluetooth phone connectivity. The Soul sport gets a sport-tuned suspension, unique front, rear and side styling elements, metal-finish pedals and interior accents, and a red/black interior color scheme.

Under the Hood

Although the base model 2010 Kia Soul features a smaller 1.6-liter engine that's paired only with a five-speed manual transmission, Kia doesn't anticipate selling too many. And we probably wouldn't buy it, either. Most 2010 Kia Souls will feature a 2.0-liter engine, offered with a four-speed automatic or the five-speed manual.

1.6-liter in-line four
122 horsepower @ 6,300 rpm
115 lb.-ft. of torque @ 4,200 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 26/31

2.0-liter in-line four
142 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm
137 lb.-ft. of torque @ 4,600 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 24/30

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2010 Kia Soul Consumer Reviews

Overall Rating

4.4

Out of 5

Based on 140 Ratings for the 2010 - 2012 Kia Soul models.

Review this car

Value

4.5/5

Quality

4.2/5
Reliability

4.6/5

Performance

4.1/5
Comfort

4.3/5

Styling

4.5/5

Great Vehicle For The Money....I have the 2012

By lisa (TX) on Wednesday, February 08, 2012

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 460

5 5.0

overall rating 5 of 5rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 5/5
Value: 5/5
Reliability: 5/5
Quality: 4/5
Performance: 5/5
Styling: 5/5
Comfort: 5/5

Pros: "Just about everything"

Cons: "Paint chipping and dash chiping paint"

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

"I have only had the car for a short time but I love it...the paint does chip easy and the interior dash chips easy but the car it great other wise. The gas miles are amazing, it is roomy I can fit ALL FOUR of my children in the car. I love it!"

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Good for big

By dino_freebird on Friday, February 03, 2012

I want this car

5 4.0

overall rating 4 of 5rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 4/5
Value: 4/5
Reliability: 4/5
Quality: 4/5
Performance: 4/5
Styling: 4/5
Comfort: 5/5

Pros: "Sporty, roomy, economical"

Cons: "Sparse interior"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 8

"Beings as I am a big man (6'5" tall), one of the first things I look at in a vehicle is entry/exit ease, and overall fit. It amazed everyone of my friends that I could fit into this car. But the best part is, four of me could fit into this car... comfortably! The seats are like they were made for me. I rented one for an extended test drive and took it on the road for a 250 mile trip. The car was very comfortable and delivered very good mpg. Three things that i did not like were 1) lack of "pep" on the open road, but what can you really expect from a 2-liter engine? 2) The size of the fuel tank. Yeah I hit close to 30 mpg, but I wound up re-fueling in transit. 3) Bluetooth connectiveity. This may have been operator error, but when I connected my phone, all call receivers said that I sounded scratchy and broken. This was both in-town and on the open road. And the volumn on connected calls was so low, that I was unable to properly hear them. Again, this may have been operator error, and it will have little effect on my decission to buy. The susspension is sporty and a little stiff, but much better than the F-250 Diesel that I also own. I wish that Kia would reprogram their radio display to enlarge the time and temp display and minimize the radio station. I want to view at a glance the time/temp, I already know what station I'm on."

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