I initially overlooked the Soul but base models with three pedals can be found. Anybody around here have one? Looks like it has decent cargo space and reasonably fun to drive and good mileage to boot.
I initially overlooked the Soul but base models with three pedals can be found. Anybody around here have one? Looks like it has decent cargo space and reasonably fun to drive and good mileage to boot.
Wife has had one for 4 years now. Overall a good value. Fun to drive with the 5 speed (never drove the slushbox so no opinion)
Cargo room is reasonable but it depends on your needs, its a bit smaller than it may seem.
Unimpressed with fuel economy on it but she doesn't drive much and mostly just in town so it's hard to judge.
My understanding is the engine in the base model is a bit wheezy and uninspiring. We have the + model with the 2.0
Bought one for my wife, LOVE IT. Hers is the Soul+ (IIRC) which at the time meant the slightly bigger engine and more stuff inside (bluetooth integration, handsfree, steering wheel buttons) but still a 5-speed. It's no race car, but it is fun to drive, is very practical, and has held together very well.
Compared to other cars (like the Fit and Elantra Touring) the Soul was $5 less for the same gear, had a better warranty and more features. And my wife loves the higher seating and the boxy look, and in the end, her liking it is all that matters.
The day we brought her home.
I think the new ones all have a larger engine, and no base engine.
My girlfriend has one (its a 6 speed) and i like driving it. Not fast but very fun and it seems to be practical enough for grocery runs and we have even stuffed two bikes in the back.
the fit seemed larger inside to me when we test drove them back to back a few years ago. just an observation.
We did like the kia, it was our second choice for a new car but we went with a Focus.
My GF has a 2011 soul. Black with auto. I don't care for it at all. It has decent rear leg room but my Mk4 GTI has more space in the hatch. The hatch is also too narrow on the soul so you have to load some things in through the rear doors when the seats are folded down. Where a 2006 Scion XB is cavernous inside the soul is kinda pointless.
When I bought a new dishwasher we had to actually turn around and go home because it wouldn't fit in the Soul. I grabbed the little GTI and it popped right in with plenty of room to spare. It is that narrow hatch, it is just useless.
The automatic is a lazy POS that never seems to be in the right gear and reaffirms my love of manual transmissions and the engine just sounds thrashy and bad. There is no music at all to it.
She likes the car because she can sit way up high in it and it is cute. Every woman over 40 agrees. I see it as something that sacrifices utility for bad style.
Oh yeah. The blind spots in that thing can hide a whole convoy of truckers
Wife and I drove one of the newer 1.6GDi 6-spds. Drove really well. With the 138hp engine it was alright for what it was intended to do. Main reason we drove it was the fact that we were looking at the Accent/Rio in a 6-spd at the time and it uses the same drivetrain.
I had one and wish I didn't get rid of it. Overall value and options it is a great vehicle, negatives are the handling and the MPG, but I had the first model and know those have since improved.
I don't own one, so I'd go with their advice, but I did take one on a test drive about a year ago. I really liked it. Only reason I didn't buy one was it felt slightly like a small minivan (higher ride height, etc...) and my wife wanted more of a sporty hatchback feel.
My main concern would be the slightly narrow hatch opening. I know the Fit I am currently driving might have the magic seats in the back and a little more cargo room but it is simply not comfortable some days. I figure I wouldn't be taking too much of a mpg hit from the Fit to a Soul..
I have a 2013 Soul as a daily driver. + level with a 2.0 liter and 6 speed. Thats the mid-level. Car mags say 0-60 in 7 seconds and it feels like it if you get it right. The problem is, it's hard to get right. The shifter is a little sloppy and the clutch is hard to modulate. You tend to either bog down or spin the tires. Mine also has traction control which adds another odd sensation in the mix. It can be turned off though. I believe that it is based on the Accent (could be wrong) or something similar platform so it's an econobox underneath. I tend to get upper 20s lower 30s mpg around town and have actually achieved lower 40s on the freeway in ideal conditions. Overall it's soft and a little squishy but I'm a hard core guy use to lowered Miatas, STis, 911s etc. so it would feel (very)soft compared to them.
I know up until this point it sounds somewhat negative but I think overall Kia has done a very good job overall. Obviously it's not a sports car and it's not meant to be. It's a reliable, well built (no squeaks or rattles after a year), generally economical vehicle which is exactly why I bought it. It's not a slug, has a manual which I have to have and I think with the back seat down quite a useable carrying space. Not too big, not too small, not too fast and not slow either. It's probably just about right for many people. Mine came with the optional sound system with a sub-woofer and it's by far the best stock sound system I have ever had in a car which seems weird in a Kia.
Anyway, hope this helps some.
This video tells me everything I want to know about the Kia Soul:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrHYl9D5CTI
92dxman wrote: I figure I wouldn't be taking too much of a mpg hit from the Fit to a Soul..
What mileage are you getting with the Fit? We got 38-41 with our '08. Not sure the Soul could match that in normal use.
I have been getting 32-34 lately. I did get slightly higher when I first got it.
I really like the idea of a manual Mazda 5...
Sky_Render wrote: This video tells me everything I want to know about the Kia Soul: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrHYl9D5CTI
That is the first time I've seen a crash test that rivals the Trabant's! 
Watch the steering column. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF4phDLfGF4
We purchased a new 2011 Sport for my wife in December of '10. She loved it and after replacing the original Hankoooks with a set of Conti DWS so did I. I've logged several hundred miles behind the wheel of my MIL's 2nd generation Fit and prefer the Kia by a wide margin. By January of 2013 the Soul had 95,000 miles on the clock (did I mention that she racks up A LOT of miles?) and had been back to the dealer exactly once---so they could help her program the bluetooth. Never so much as a hiccup. Tires, wiper blades and oil changes...that's it. We sold it and bought a friend's mother's 2,000 mile 2011 Forester thinking it was a good idea. Wife hates it and wants her "hamster car" back. I expect the Subi will be leaving us soon; if not to be replaced by one of the new '14 Souls then for a low mile first generation.
Jeff
We have a 2012 Soul +
Bought it for the wife and she absolutely loves it, the Soul is our do everything, road trip reliable car and so far its been awesome. We've put 17k miles on it in the year we've owned it with zero issues. Average around 30mpg highway and a little less around town.
Go with a 2012 or newer as they got 6spd in both auto and manual forms. Ours is the auto and shifts are crisp and fast. Quicker than you would imagine as well.
Hungary Bill wrote:Sky_Render wrote: This video tells me everything I want to know about the Kia Soul: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrHYl9D5CTIThat is the first time I've seen a crash test that rivals the Trabant's!
The Rav4 was just as bad. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ9ZuExRJjo The CRV's steering column moves over a full foot to the right but it earned a "marginal". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xwyMR4aR80&list=PLq8V5YlXuAmowwcr0j3OHOzATCP3HDRfM as does the CX5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xwyMR4aR80&list=PLq8V5YlXuAmowwcr0j3OHOzATCP3HDRfM
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