Asking for a friend: anybody out there have a Kia Soul?
August 25, 2016 6:39 AM Subscribe
A friend of mine is looking to buy a new car; her top choice right now is a Kia Soul (backup choices are the Honda Fit, Mazda3 and Nissan Juke). The thing is, while she's read every review she can find, is confident she can get a good deal, and has been happy with her test drives (plural), neither of us actually knows anyone with Soul, to ask an actual owner what they think of the car, would they buy another, that sort of thing.
So: does anyone out there own a Kia Soul? What can you tell us about it, good bad or indifferent? How is the car holding up --- is it high or low maintenance, how is road wear & tear treating it? Many thanks!
So: does anyone out there own a Kia Soul? What can you tell us about it, good bad or indifferent? How is the car holding up --- is it high or low maintenance, how is road wear & tear treating it? Many thanks!
I have a 2012 Kia Soul!
It's holding up pretty well - no big repairs since I bought it new.
It has about 70k miles on it and I've replaced the tires twice (I used to do a lot of gravel road driving). It's a great little car. My husband is 6'5" and can drive it comfortably. 90% of the time the back seats are down so that I can haul stuff/my dog around, but the back seat has plenty of legroom for humans as well.
A few quirks:
There is a gargantuan blind spot on the back passenger side. This is a common complaint of Soul drivers. Entire trucks can disappear into this blind spot if you don't have your mirrors set well. When I drive the Soul after my husband has (and moved all of the mirrors), I have to be really careful when I set the mirrors for my driving. Actually, I'd recommend getting one of those little stick-on accessory mirrors for the passenger side mirror to help minimize the blind spot.
It does NOT go through snowbanks very well. For roads and plowed streets, it's fine. For blasting through a snowbank...no.
If you have both of the back windows open at the same time, it creates a wind tunnel and a very annoying whistling sound.
Otherwise, I've been really happy with it. It's small enough to be a Little Car but there's plenty of space in back for hauling stuff.
posted by Elly Vortex at 7:15 AM on August 25, 2016 [4 favorites]
It's holding up pretty well - no big repairs since I bought it new.
It has about 70k miles on it and I've replaced the tires twice (I used to do a lot of gravel road driving). It's a great little car. My husband is 6'5" and can drive it comfortably. 90% of the time the back seats are down so that I can haul stuff/my dog around, but the back seat has plenty of legroom for humans as well.
A few quirks:
There is a gargantuan blind spot on the back passenger side. This is a common complaint of Soul drivers. Entire trucks can disappear into this blind spot if you don't have your mirrors set well. When I drive the Soul after my husband has (and moved all of the mirrors), I have to be really careful when I set the mirrors for my driving. Actually, I'd recommend getting one of those little stick-on accessory mirrors for the passenger side mirror to help minimize the blind spot.
It does NOT go through snowbanks very well. For roads and plowed streets, it's fine. For blasting through a snowbank...no.
If you have both of the back windows open at the same time, it creates a wind tunnel and a very annoying whistling sound.
Otherwise, I've been really happy with it. It's small enough to be a Little Car but there's plenty of space in back for hauling stuff.
posted by Elly Vortex at 7:15 AM on August 25, 2016 [4 favorites]
I just bought my Kia Soul a little over a month ago, so I can't speak to reliability and I'm still in the "my new car!" phase, but I absolutely love it so far.
Pros:
- I feel like it defeats the laws of physics: somehow it's a compact (subcompact?) car and I can park it anywhere, and yet it feels spacious and roomy inside. I actually spent a few hours in the backseat on a day trip this week and was able to stretch my legs out very comfortably.
- The interior in general seems to be quiet high-quality. Some other cars I test-drove in this price range had interiors that felt a bit chintzy, but the Soul feels solid, and again, very comfortable.
- The turning radius on this thing is insane, which is really nice for city driving (makes it easier to parallel park, or to make a U-turn on a small street)
- I love that you sit up a bit higher than you do in a normal hatchback.
- The warranty is amazing - 10 years! So if reliability is an issue for you, that's really nice.
- Was easy to pair my cell phone with the car's system - which sounds simple but it's been a pain on other cars I tried.
Cons:
- I bought the base model with an automatic transmission and the smallest engine, and the engine is not the most powerful. It's fine, especially given the amount of city driving I do, but there have been a few times I wish it had a bit more pickup. However, if you buy the + or the ! then the engine is bigger and apparently more powerful.
- Elly Vortex is right about the blind spot. I actually almost got into an accident while merging on the freeway in my second week of having it.
posted by lunasol at 7:36 AM on August 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
Pros:
- I feel like it defeats the laws of physics: somehow it's a compact (subcompact?) car and I can park it anywhere, and yet it feels spacious and roomy inside. I actually spent a few hours in the backseat on a day trip this week and was able to stretch my legs out very comfortably.
- The interior in general seems to be quiet high-quality. Some other cars I test-drove in this price range had interiors that felt a bit chintzy, but the Soul feels solid, and again, very comfortable.
- The turning radius on this thing is insane, which is really nice for city driving (makes it easier to parallel park, or to make a U-turn on a small street)
- I love that you sit up a bit higher than you do in a normal hatchback.
- The warranty is amazing - 10 years! So if reliability is an issue for you, that's really nice.
- Was easy to pair my cell phone with the car's system - which sounds simple but it's been a pain on other cars I tried.
Cons:
- I bought the base model with an automatic transmission and the smallest engine, and the engine is not the most powerful. It's fine, especially given the amount of city driving I do, but there have been a few times I wish it had a bit more pickup. However, if you buy the + or the ! then the engine is bigger and apparently more powerful.
- Elly Vortex is right about the blind spot. I actually almost got into an accident while merging on the freeway in my second week of having it.
posted by lunasol at 7:36 AM on August 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
I got a Soul this spring. I'm mostly enjoying it.
Pros:
-I'm 6'4". There were not many new cars in my budget that fit me and allowed me to carry sometimes weirdly shaped stuff (I'm also a musician) (My last car was an Element, and if they still made them, I would have bought another).
-Parkability
-I can't figure out how I can fit so much stuff in such a tiny car.
-I really hate being as low as sedans, and while this isn't a monstrously tall car, its nice and up high.
-The base features are more than I need and the cabin is comfortable to sit in.
Cons:
-I have the midlevel, and when my car is full of people the power is not great. It's fine when I'm on my own.
-I drive about 20 miles a day on only local roads. Gas mileage is not great (around 18 local roads only, I've found). I've taken a few trips and it maxes out around 25 when I do highways only. This is lower than advertised. I can't speak to other cars having this issue?
I haven't even used the service warranty once yet, so I can't speak to that, but everyone says its great, so I'm not worried.
posted by lownote at 7:50 AM on August 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
Pros:
-I'm 6'4". There were not many new cars in my budget that fit me and allowed me to carry sometimes weirdly shaped stuff (I'm also a musician) (My last car was an Element, and if they still made them, I would have bought another).
-Parkability
-I can't figure out how I can fit so much stuff in such a tiny car.
-I really hate being as low as sedans, and while this isn't a monstrously tall car, its nice and up high.
-The base features are more than I need and the cabin is comfortable to sit in.
Cons:
-I have the midlevel, and when my car is full of people the power is not great. It's fine when I'm on my own.
-I drive about 20 miles a day on only local roads. Gas mileage is not great (around 18 local roads only, I've found). I've taken a few trips and it maxes out around 25 when I do highways only. This is lower than advertised. I can't speak to other cars having this issue?
I haven't even used the service warranty once yet, so I can't speak to that, but everyone says its great, so I'm not worried.
posted by lownote at 7:50 AM on August 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
My Soul is a '13, which i bought for a good price right before they refreshed in '14. I've had it for 3 full years now, putting on about 45,000 km so far (so ~30k miles?)
I love it, especially for the price. Except for one annoying rattle in the back that no can can diagnose but doesn't seem to affect anything, and a loose connection to the rear-view camera, it's been completely problem free. It carries a ton, turns on a dime, sits a little higher up than other hatchbacks which I really like, and in general is just a trusty companion. Because of the price I was able to afford all the little extras (sunroof, upgraded stereo) which although may seem trivial, are good quality-of-life features for me. Also, I really like my dealership's setup - they have comfy seats, good coffee and good wifi, so hanging out for regular service isn't painful at all.
The blind spot is real, but once you know it's there, you adjust. Mirrors are good.
I came from a VW world. I'll be honest, the interior quality is not the same as say the GTI/Golf. It's not bad, but it's a step down. But compared to other cars in the Soul's price bracket, it's definitely not at cheap-feeling as some. I'd say it's more than adequate.
Overall though, if you're into the unique look of them, then I can definitely recommend them based on my experiences so far.
posted by cgg at 8:03 AM on August 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
I love it, especially for the price. Except for one annoying rattle in the back that no can can diagnose but doesn't seem to affect anything, and a loose connection to the rear-view camera, it's been completely problem free. It carries a ton, turns on a dime, sits a little higher up than other hatchbacks which I really like, and in general is just a trusty companion. Because of the price I was able to afford all the little extras (sunroof, upgraded stereo) which although may seem trivial, are good quality-of-life features for me. Also, I really like my dealership's setup - they have comfy seats, good coffee and good wifi, so hanging out for regular service isn't painful at all.
The blind spot is real, but once you know it's there, you adjust. Mirrors are good.
I came from a VW world. I'll be honest, the interior quality is not the same as say the GTI/Golf. It's not bad, but it's a step down. But compared to other cars in the Soul's price bracket, it's definitely not at cheap-feeling as some. I'd say it's more than adequate.
Overall though, if you're into the unique look of them, then I can definitely recommend them based on my experiences so far.
posted by cgg at 8:03 AM on August 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
I love my Kia Soul! It can carry a lot more than it looks like (which is perfect for me, because I'm always moving weird set pieces from homes to the theater and back again), it runs really nicely, and it's required minimal upkeep.
I do find it louder in driving than other cars, and the suspension is such that I feel every bump in the road, so there's that. It also takes a little more time to get up to speed on highways than I'd like, but that's the curse of the smaller car, I think.
posted by xingcat at 8:40 AM on August 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
I do find it louder in driving than other cars, and the suspension is such that I feel every bump in the road, so there's that. It also takes a little more time to get up to speed on highways than I'd like, but that's the curse of the smaller car, I think.
posted by xingcat at 8:40 AM on August 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
My wife drives a 2013 Soul. Aside from being slightly lacking on the power end, it's a fantastic car. We throw kayaks on top and dogs in the back but it still cleans up nice for when we have it full of people. It's really spacious inside, handles great, and gets good gas mileage.
posted by donnagirl at 8:56 AM on August 25, 2016
posted by donnagirl at 8:56 AM on August 25, 2016
Soul 11. Agree with pros and cons. Get an aftermarket backup cam system, over sized rear view mirror and side mirror extras for blind spots. I grew up driving trucks so the blind spots are nbd but I like the coverage extras provide.
posted by tilde at 9:12 AM on August 25, 2016
posted by tilde at 9:12 AM on August 25, 2016
One point: I think they may have improved the road noise factor in the last few model years - I actually noticed that it was quite a bit quieter than other cars in its class that I test-drove (the small Prius, Honda Fit, Ford Fiesta, Toyota Yaris). So not as quiet as a luxury car, but definitely more quiet than other small hatchbacks I tested.
posted by lunasol at 9:29 AM on August 25, 2016
posted by lunasol at 9:29 AM on August 25, 2016
My gearhead husband loves his Soul. It's comfortable, gets good mileage, and even the base model has some goodies (Bluetooth etc). And it's hard to beat the price.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 9:49 AM on August 25, 2016
posted by rabbitrabbit at 9:49 AM on August 25, 2016
I've rented them and liked them a lot. Budget has them all the time. You could rent one and drive it for a couple of days.
posted by bongo_x at 11:46 AM on August 25, 2016
posted by bongo_x at 11:46 AM on August 25, 2016
FWIW, I rented a 2016 Soul for the drive from Boston's Logan airport back to my home in western Massachusetts a couple weeks ago, and I got 32 miles per gallon on what was about 75% Interstate highway and 25% back roads. That's according to the car's electronic fuel economy gauge, but it squares with the amount of gas it took to fill up before I returned the car.
posted by brianogilvie at 12:41 PM on August 25, 2016
posted by brianogilvie at 12:41 PM on August 25, 2016
We bought a 2014 back in January and we really like it. It's roomy. It drives well, although as others have said the base model engine sometimes leaves you wanting more HP. I tell people that it's very roomy for people, but maybe not so much for cargo (the back hatch area is not all that big.) It's already gone on several long trips and it's comfortable. Did I mention it's roomy? Tons of headroom and legroom up front. The base model comes with lots of bells and whistles. Bluetooth AM/FM stereo, so you can play music from your phone or make calls. Cruise control. Trip computer. Power windows and locks. Oh, I should tell you that it's roomy inside.
posted by azpenguin at 3:37 PM on August 25, 2016
posted by azpenguin at 3:37 PM on August 25, 2016
Have one. Love it. I don't have a problem with the blind spot. I got the Plus (which has the larger engine - 2.8L, I think?) and am glad I did. Only minor problem I have is that it revs a bit when climbing a mountain at highway speeds, but hey, it still gets me there.
Unreservedly recommend.
posted by mudpuppie at 4:13 PM on August 25, 2016
Unreservedly recommend.
posted by mudpuppie at 4:13 PM on August 25, 2016
Oh - and my mpg average hovers at about 28. More if I'm strictly on the highway and using cruise control.
posted by mudpuppie at 4:16 PM on August 25, 2016
posted by mudpuppie at 4:16 PM on August 25, 2016
Counterpoint! I love my 2015 Mazda3 hatchback. I'm super picky about handling and steering feel and the 3 feels fantastic in that regard. Almost as good as one of my old BMWs (almost). The automatic transmission doesn't feel like shit either and it returns 40MPG on road trips on our sad slow Oregon highways. On a more realistic 1300-mile trip down to Visalia and back we got 37MPG combined. Still pretty solid.
posted by tmt at 4:51 PM on August 25, 2016
posted by tmt at 4:51 PM on August 25, 2016
Love my 2012 Kia, too. It's one of the few recent makes that's economical but is still available with a manual. Agreed on its maneuverability, good mileage & yeah, the blind spot, too.
Two drawbacks for me: There's kind of a slump when going from 1st to 2nd gear, but it responds pretty soon after that. Overall, it is a smidge slower to respond than I expected from a manual, but as said above, one adjusts. Also, if you drive this model faster than say, 20mph with any windows down, it makes an ear-assaulting jet engine noise. These are minor, though, compared to the good points.
posted by JulesER at 5:58 PM on August 25, 2016
Two drawbacks for me: There's kind of a slump when going from 1st to 2nd gear, but it responds pretty soon after that. Overall, it is a smidge slower to respond than I expected from a manual, but as said above, one adjusts. Also, if you drive this model faster than say, 20mph with any windows down, it makes an ear-assaulting jet engine noise. These are minor, though, compared to the good points.
posted by JulesER at 5:58 PM on August 25, 2016
Second that the Mazda 3 is in a different class altogether
posted by tillsbury at 6:47 PM on August 25, 2016
posted by tillsbury at 6:47 PM on August 25, 2016
This thread is closed to new comments.
be prepared to give a "soul wave" to other Kia Soul drivers when you encounter them on the road.
posted by Dressed to Kill at 7:02 AM on August 25, 2016