Have You Driven the Kia Soul?

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You should!

It’s small, but you get A LOT in that space. Two weeks ago, I had the privileged of test driving the Kia Soul for a week. When I found out I would be driving it, my first thought was:

I hope I get a lime green one!!

However, every car I’ve test driven has either been silver or red, so I figured the likelihood of me getting the cool lime green one was pretty slim. But guess what, I got the lime green one!! You have to understand something, lime green used to be my color. I even had lime green roses at my wedding.

We normally lease our cars and I have yet to find a car that comes in lime green…until now! Just the name of the car color is awesome…Alien II! How does that not sound cool?

So Mrs. Kanaan, what color car are you thinking you’ll go with?

Hmm…I think I’ll take Alien II please.

I mean, come on! OK…Enough about the color! Here are some other features I thought were pretty great…

Mechanical

2.0L Gas Direct Injection (GDI) 4-Cyl Engine
6-Speed Automatic Transmission with Active Eco System
Electric Power Steering
17″ Alloy Wheels

Safety

Dual Front Advanced Airbags
Front Seat-Mounted Side Airbags
Full-Length Side Curtain Airbags
Lower Anchors an Tethers for Children (LATCH)
Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) w/Brake Assist (BAS)
Traction Control System (TCS)
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
Vehicle Stability Management (VSM)
Hill-Start Assist Control (HAC)
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)

Interior

Air Conditioning
Power Windows and Door Locks
AM/FM/MP3 Audio System
SIRIUS/XM Satellite Radio w/free 3 month Subscription
USB and Auxillary Input Jacks
Bluetooth® Wireless Technology
Multi-Adjustable Front Seats
Center console w/Armrest & Storage Bin
60/40 Split Folding Rear Seats
Rear Seat Center Armrest
Remote Keyless Entry
Cruise Control
Tilt & Telescopic Steering Column
Steering Wheel Mounted Audio Controls
Trip Computer
Dual Front 12V Power Outlets, Single Luggage Outlet
Cargo Cover

Exterior

Pwr Heated Outside Mirrors w/Turn Signal Indicators
Privacy Glass

OK…so all of the features above are great. I like having those features, but the following features is what made me completely FALL IN LOVE with the Kia Soul:

Air Conditioned Front Seats (for real…best feature ever)
Heated Front AND Back Seats (my kids went nuts for this, even though it was in the high 70s when I had the car)
Panoramic Sunroof
Heated Steering Wheel (living in Michigan, this would be awesome in the winter!)

My Thoughts

One of the things I like most about Kia is their warranty. They offer a 10 year/100,000 mile Limited Powertrain Warranty; 5 year/60,000 mile Limited Basic Warranty; and 5 year/60,000 mile Roadside Assistance. That’s pretty good, if you ask me! The next thing I like is that the Kia Soul is VERY reasonably priced. The one I drove, with all the extras, has a sticker price of $24,010. If you are looking to purchase a car for your teenager, the Kia Soul is a nice option. You get the peace of mind with the warranty, the price is pretty darn right and it is great on gas mileage.

The trunk is small, but this is a smaller car so I wasn’t expecting a huge trunk. However, it comfortably held my weekly groceries. Overall, I would definitely recommend this car to someone that was looking for something with good gas mileage, reasonably priced, and extra features. I would not recommend this car to someone with a child in a rear facing carseat…mainly because the carseat would not fit very well in the rear position. If it were forward facing, I don’t see any problems. My kids are seven and almost 10 and they fit just fine.