Hi there folks! And welcome to Road Reviews. Joseph Newby here today. Now, in the earlier years of my life i admit i’ve seen Kias and thought to myself: “Ugh god, look at that thing, like a go cart with a car engine.” In the eyes of most of my car loving friends and family Kias spelled J-U-N-K.
Such was my thinking right up until i drove into Lithia Kia of Anchorage’s parking lot and took a good look at my car for this week, the above mentioned Kia Soul. Bear in mind that in recent years all auto manufacturers are trying to either make cars more affordable by using cheaper materials or upping their price due to this artificial inflation bit. But more on that later I’m here to talk about the car.
As I said before, for a long while among a lot of true car fans Kia cars spell fear, the kind of thing your parents got you for a first car. They were ugly, unattractive and not well made.
Not the case with the Soul however. From this test drive and examination alone it almost completely changed my opinion about the car company. Let’s begin with the basics:
Starting with the price the car I tested went for about $20,000 roughly, and for that you got an automatic gearbox with clutchless manual, traction control, AM/FM radio with Bluetooth and iPod connectivity, switches on the wheel to control your phone when it’s connected, as well as radio and cruise control. The car itself is built quite well; comfortable seating for four but I’m sure you can squeeze five in the back if you need to. Even with the front seats pushed all the way back there’s enough legroom to keep your passengers from complaining. The headroom in this vehicle is quite good as well, and the way it’s proportioned it really doesn’t feel like you’re driving a car that’s about the same wheelbase as any other small hatch. You also get for your money a 2.0 litre four cylinder engine that does a fun little 142 horsepower. Also when running the car properly you should be able to average between 24 and 30 mpg city/hwy.
The car even looks attractive. A lot of small economy oriented hatchbacks are ugly, boxy and look like toasters. While the Soul has the toaster look down, it’s actually quite an attractive vehicle.
The steering is tight and responsive, the suspension is solid, the brakes are tight and quick to grip. The traction control is very reasonable, it doesn’t intrude upon your driving it only steps it in enough to keep the car from going out of control in sharp corners or on uneven ground. Turn off the traction control and slip it into manual and this car becomes an immensely fun sport hatch for your money.
Also, if you are a parent with teenagers who just got their license and you don’t want them to have a used car; get them the most basic model. The car has plenty of standards that they won’t be complaining about it being barren and if they are the type who like to blow money on customizing their cars then there are plenty of upgrade options available for them. It’s also a very safe vehicle so it should be able to be very reasonably insured.
There are a few drawbacks to an economy hatch though. While the car itself is spectacular there are quality issues. The plastic over the gauge cluster looks kind of phony the headliner feels like it’s made from the same kind of materials those cheap 5 dollar squirt guns are made of. The fuel filler door is plastic and feels like it will break whenever you touch it, the extra trunk shelving underneath the trunk floor is styrofoam, and personally i think they could have made it a plastic shelf with the foam lining the outside of it to make it a bit better quality. While the bluetooth is easy to set up and the controls on the wheel make it simpler to access, the buttons got in my way whenever i turned the wheel. My palm would hit the voice command button when cornering. A repositioning of at least the voice command switch is in order.
Despite these little problems with the Soul; as a whole the car is a brilliant answer to an economy car for Anchorage’s unique road geography. the ride is sporty, but comfortable, the traction control works perfectly well, and the entire car is built very solid. As I said going into this i had my doubts, but no more! The Soul is a perfect little economy car for Alaskan roads. I would recommend one without hesitation to anyone in this city looking for a small, cheap car that can move, but also be safe and sensible to drive.
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