2012 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."

57 people out of 57 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."

38 people out of 38 found this review helpful

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First brand new Car

By Cheetah (FL) on Sunday, September 23, 2012

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 23,000

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

"I did a lot of research before I bought my Soul and have not been disappointed. Average 30.5 mpg. Handles the muddy road well, better with a 100lbs of feed in back. Love the tight turning. Good get up and go on the interstate. Will probably buy another one."

23 people out of 23 found this review helpful

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We're 64 and wanted a functional baby SUV

By Grandpop Mike (WA) on Friday, February 10, 2012

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 11,000

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

"We bought a 2011 Kia Soul Exclaim! in Dec 2011 with AT, sunroof, heated leather seats, premium sound, spoiler and more. I rented a 2010 Soul - took it to the dump and drove around before buying. I hadn't purchased a NEW CAR since 1976 for myself - 35 years and 5 kids/grandkids later - did my research online/Consumer Reports/KBB/etc. and drove a bunch of cars - nothing compared to it! Pros - very easy to get in/out - wife has bad knees very easy to load/unload groceries - it's higher easy fold down seats for trips to the dump window view's very good sound system's very good freeway gas mileage is good - over 30 mpg 5 speed AT is good very roomy inside front/back - wider/taller leather heated seats, sunroof are good steering wheel/dash controls easy to use 2.0L acceleration is good turning radius is outstanding super easy to park very low maintenance costs 2011 Exclaim price was great fits in the garage with room to spare wonderful dealer who washes/vacuums for free it's a fun car to drive! Cons - gas mileage around town - 2012 6 spd's better Exclaim has 18 inch wheels - prefer 15 or 16 I've owned it for over a year - 11000 miles and am very happy with this car - it's for anyone who's considering a roomy, affordable, functional baby SUV."

23 people out of 23 found this review helpful

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Love this car !! Only a couple hiccups.

By Nana's Ride (IL) on Sunday, August 14, 2011

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 6,000

Pros: "Fun to drive, easy to access, great stereo and very reasonably priced."

Cons: "Gas Milage is not as good as it should be."

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

"Love the looks of this car. It is so fun to drive. I have the White Tiger limited addition. The car is wonderful for the price. It was fully loaded for 19,000. Easy to get in and out of. Love the speakers. I only have a couple complaints. I have never got more than 24.8mpg even on the highway. I get better with my 2007 corvette. The break dust makes a mess on the white and hard to get off and the inside doors scratch easy."

20 people out of 20 found this review helpful

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