While in Los Angeles this past week I was lucky that Kia allowed me to borrow another car from them. Lord knows I have a bad track record with borrowed vehicles. I want to come out and say straight away that this car was returned damage free. Victory is mine. The Kia Soul had some serious attitude, those hamsters weren’t wrong.
Much like the Kia Optima Hybrid I reviewed a few months back, the Soul had a full computer navigation system. This was so helpful in a city I’m not completely familiar with. Before I left for my destination I found the address and programmed it into the device and reaching “point B” was a breeze. The voice guidance was exactly what I needed since I am terrified of taking my eyes off the road. Distracted driving is certainly a fear of mine and the last thing I need in LA is an accident.
The Infinity audio system with center speaker, subwoofer, external amplifier and speaker lights was a huge hit with me. I love music and I love to blast music in the car, dance and sing along at the top of my lungs. I don’t know anything about the speaker jargon I mentioned above, but I will say the sound of the speakers was far more crisp than most cars I’ve driven in the past. The speakers light up with a color of your choice. I changed the color based on my mood, because much like the hamsters, that’s how I roll! I utilized the steering wheel controls the entire time, because again, distracted driving is a huge danger and I love anything that keeps me from looking away from the road.
The Kia Soul also has a lot of room on the inside. This is a compact car, but not a small car. There is plenty of room to get comfy, leg room and all. Sure, if you have 5 people and there are car seats involved it’s going to be tight, but that’s a lot of cars. But for the basic 4 person drive you’ll be happy. Also, if you get in an accident the car turns into an air mattress. At least that is what I always call it. The side curtain airbags always make me think of a duvet cover or something. But they could save your life so they are important to have. There are a lot more airbags situated around this vehicle to keep you safe and some front and rear 3 pt. seat belts. On the exterior you have 4 wheel anti lock breaks to keep you grounded and in line. You can trust in Kia’s dedication to safety.
Of course speaking of exterior, the Kia Soul’s colors are super fun and exciting. I drove the Molten, which is a bright red but Alien (an odd green) and Titanium (a mechanical grey) are favorite color names as well. I appreciate that Kia had fun with this model. It’s obvious they are targeting a younger audience. Their commercials prove this, who can forget the hamsters!
As far as things that can be improved upon, I’d have appreciated if the navigation system would work when you are on the phone. I didn’t realize it basically stopped talking to you and I drove far out of my way because I missed so many exits on the Freeway. What a pain, especially in Los Angeles. I would have been fine with the voice interrupting my phone conversation to navigate me safely on my path. Not only does it not navigate during a conversation, but it makes you take your eyes off the road to push buttons to return to navigation. Boo on that. That was about it, otherwise it’s a fun little car.
Finally price points. The Kia Soul comes in around 14k and the higher end models go up as high as 20k. I recommend this car for just about anyone who wants a fun car. It might not be perfect for the serious business person, but there are plenty of other Kia’s to choose from. That 10 Year/100,000-Mile Warranty is hard to beat. Check them out at http://www.kia.com
*I received a car to review. All opinions are my own.
Great review! I really liked this car!
That car is amazing, it’s just so nice looking inside it and outside it. Amazing review, and article.