Kia Soul test drive
It’s been a busy season for me, running around to Chicago dealers, out to Oak Park dealers or up to Waukegan dealers in order to test drive this year’s models. A lot of anticipation accompanies my trips to dealerships, and a lot of disappointment follows much of the time. One vehicle I was hoping would live up to my high expectations was the Kia Soul, but due to the other cars on my test-drive checklist, I had to wait for the Soul’s turn for a couple of months. Finally, I had a chance to check out th
e Kia Soul this week. My hope was that it would surpass the mundane nature of the other vehicles in its class, like the offerings from Scion and Nissan. I had hopes for the Cube, but it came across as much too stodgy for the hip, city vehicle it claimed to be. Luckily, the Kia Soul, with its defiantly different shell and high-tech interior was up for the challenge of acting as the ultimate urban ride.
Granted, any of these so-called “city” vehicles possess enviable function by combining a small vehicle with adaptable interior space that fits five people comfortably or a decent amount of cargo. Nothing better describes my city life than trips to Costco and acting as a free taxi service for my motorless friends, so I laud the makeup of these models. What the Kia Soul brings to the segment more so than the other metropolitan motoring options are the added, and important, benefits of performance and style.
I showed up at a Waukegan Kia dealer to embark upon my Chicago Kia Soul test drive. Grabbing the car there and taking it into the city gave me a good feel for the Soul’s urban and highway performance.
The first activity was the Wal-Mart test, however. This test involves cones, sharp turns, and stomping on the breaks, incidentally the same things involved when I spot an ice cream shop. Weaving around the cones (plastic orange, not sugar) in the parking lot I was impressed by the minimal bodyroll experienced and the very responsive steering. Although the Kia Soul stands rather tall, I never got the sense of being too top-heavy making the tight turns. The 18-inch wheels that came on the fully-equipped Sport version I was driving no doubt helped my confidence. I’m pretty certain the 15-inch wheels on the base model are up to the challenge as well. So the Soul passed Wal-Mart test with flying colors, proving it could swing in and out of tight spaces, stop on a dime, and quickly change direction at city speeds. Speaking of flying colors, one of the more unique aspects of the Soul are its color options: Alien, Molten, Java, Dune, Shadow, and Titanium. I was in a Shadow-colored Soul, which looked exactly like black.
Below is a video that shows the Shadow Sport Soul I took for a spin. When I got to the dealership, a wonderful salesperson, Ryan, gave me a quick walk-around tour as I took some video:
On to the highway I went, and since it was pretty early on a Saturday morning, I actually reached expressway speeds on a Chicago expressway. Wind noise was noticeable but not overbearing, and it didn’t interfere with the music party I had going on inside, complete with red-light-outlined speakers bumping along to the tunes.
The Sport version I was in is the top of the Soul line and features those hip speakers featured in that commercial with the hip-hopish hamsters. The speaker upgrade package actually becomes an option on the trim level below the Sport, the ! (or Exclaim). The other two trim levels are the + (Plus), which adds more power to the engine, and the base model, which starts at just over $13,000. Once you hit the ! trim, you upgrade to the 18-inch alloys, Bluetooth and a sunroof. The Sport trim adds steering wheel controls and a sport suspension, as well as unique exterior styling.
Once in the city I exited the Kennedy at Armitage, took a romp through Bucktown and Wicker Park, and turned on Milwaukee to motor towards the Loop. The elevated view was key. I had a great vision of traffic, something “city” cars can’t offer, but I was still in a very adaptable, quick vehicle that could maneuver just as well as most small cars.
In the urban settings, both neighborhood and business district, the Soul felt at home. The ability to get your vehicle through every tight space and turn on a dime are the most important needs for city dwellers. And the Kia Soul delivers in a very hip, edgy way.
The exterior and interior designs scream defiance. Well-designed lines mask the high roofline and give a most unique profile on the exterior, while technology and smart space make the inside a comfortable place to live. Every trim level of Soul includes iPod/mp3 player and USB hookups, and the Sport trim features a really boss red-accented dash and door design. Don’t worry about space inside either. At 6’2″, I had no trouble sitting comfortably in the rear seat. The Soul is perfectly capable of transporting 5 adults, and with the rear seats folded down, it can manage about 53 cubic feet of cargo space.
After my Chicago Kia Soul test drive, I would rate this mod wagon ahead of the Cube and xB overall. It has the edge in steering, design and hip-factor categories. Of the new class of urban compacts, this is the one I am most likely to take a look at when it’s time for me to get new wheels.