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Review of the 2018 Kia Soul

Used car dealers in Omaha

Introduction

" But he's got a great personality!" When it comes to blind dates, this is the default description for somebody who might be lacking in the looks department.

The Kia Soul, a compact multi-purpose vehicle type thing that's not quite a subcompact crossover because of its absence of all-wheel drive, and not rather a hatchback due to the fact that of its imposing height, is not only a vehicle with character brimming from every crevice, but likewise has looks spanning the variety from charming to dreadful, depending upon whom you ask. And simply in 2015, Kia gave the Soul a lot more wit by slapping a turbocharger on the engine to make it even more personalized.

What Owners Say

2018 Kia Soul front quarter left photoThat last modification, provided exclusively in the leading trim level, solved a significant problem with this spunky little cars and truck. For that reason, for this review, J.D. Power examined a 2018 Kia Soul Exclaim geared up with optional flooring mats. The price pertained to $23,820, including the $895 location charge.

Before we discuss the outcomes of our evaluation of the Kia Soul, it is handy to comprehend who purchases this vehicle, and what they like most and least about their Souls.

More females than guys own Kia Souls, with 52% of Soul owners determining as woman. Compared to the Compact Multi-Purpose Vehicle segment, 46% of owners are ladies.

Soul owners have to do with the same age as compact MPV owners (60 years vs. 61 years for the segment), but they delight in substantially lower typical yearly family income at $59,286 (vs. $78,682). This drastic difference may be discussed by the lorries in the competitive set, which consist of the Ford C-Max and Toyota Prius v, dedicated hybrids that may interest more upscale purchasers.

Approximately the exact same number of Soul owners and compact MPV owners recognize as Price Buyers, appearing to verify that lower average annual family earnings amongst Kia buyers is not, within the section, determining their choice in a car. Moreover, compact MPV owners are more concerned about fuel economy and eco-friendly cars than Soul owners are, reflecting the presence of dedicated hybrid models in the competitive set.

In other respects, Soul owners and compact MPV owners are aligned with two exceptions. Soul owners are more most likely to agree that they like an automobile that stands apart from the crowd (72% vs. 60%) which they like a lorry that uses responsive handling and powerful acceleration (82% vs. 76%).

Owners report that their favorite things about the Soul are (in coming down order) the outside styling, interior style, driving characteristics, seats, and storage and area. Owners suggest that their least favorite aspects of the Soul are (in descending order) visibility and security, the infotainment system, the climate system, the engine/transmission, and fuel economy.

What Our Expert Says

In the sections that follow, our expert offers her own perceptions about how the Kia Soul measures up in each of the 10 classifications that comprise the 2017 APEAL Study.

Outside

The Soul is a car of cartoonish percentages, all created to set it apart from its rivals. It's blocky from the beltline up and somewhat lumpy down, with the wheel arches and the front headlamps adding blobby elements to an otherwise squared-off lorry. The front grille (which isn't one, really) looks too small and the lower air consumption looks too big.

Kia jazzes up the Soul Exclaim's already extroverted outside with red accent lines to denote the engine's additional increase and bigger 18-inch wheels to give it a more assertive position. The Soul is one of those vehicles that you either like or dislike, but even haters might grow fond of it after driving it for a while.

Interior

Think about the base Soul. It has a small starting price of $16,995 (with $895 destination), but it comes with a much nicer interior than you 'd believe an automobile of that cost might consist of. In reality, the quality level easily makes sense in my more expensive test automobile, or perhaps a car priced closer to $30,000.

When compared to compact crossovers like the Chevrolet Trax or the Toyota C-HR, which are complete of cheap materials, the Soul's interior quality stands out much more. The cabin is made up of appealing soft-touch products and sturdy, nicely finished plastics, and collectively they lend the cars and truck an unexpected quantity of refinement.

The Exclaim's special fabric seats with leather bolsters and red contrast stitching are likewise magnificent elegant.

Seats

For chauffeurs, the Kia Soul is quite comfortable, and I constantly value it when little, affordable automobiles include a center console armrest, like a lot of variations of the Soul do. Seriously, who doesn't need an armrest? Nobody keeps his or her hands on the wheel at all times.

For passengers, comfort is fine except that the front right chair is mounted too low and is not geared up with a seat height adjustment unless you select the package that includes power adjustment. Without this upgrade, the traveler is treated to the equivalent of a dunce chair for a small time out. This, coupled with an absence of thigh support, indicates pain.

Rear-seat guests fare much better, due to the fact that the seat is mounted greater. Foot room abounds, however difficult plastic front seatback panels might show unpleasant for taller people. Shoulder space is great for 2, but 3 will find it tight.

Environment Control System

The climate control system is relatively basic, but in the Exclaim cut it is a single-zone automated system. A single knob changes temperature level, and because the car does not have a temperature level display you simply make it hotter or chillier than you are when you call in modification.

Impressively, though, the Soul has a Clean Air ionizer, which purportedly cleans up the cabin's air and keeps the interior smelling nice. It's just tough to tell if it's dealing with my grade-school-age children in the cars and truck.

Infotainment System

I was a little bummed to see that my test lorry did not include the Technology Package, that includes speaker that pulse with light to the thumping beat of what's playing on the audio system. They're really amusing, and along with all the other goodies that it features, like a navigation system and heating for the seats and guiding wheel, the Technology Package is a good buy.

Thankfully, however, the Soul Exclaim's standard infotainment system consists of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone forecast, so it was simple to get directions to locations.

In addition to smart device projection, Kia offers Soul owners open door to UVO eServices telematics functions for the duration of ownership. This consists of services such as automatic collision notice; speed, curfew and geographical boundary alerts for teenaged chauffeurs; an app that monitors where you last parked the Soul; and far more.

Storage and Space

The Soul's rectangle-shaped shape lends itself to bring a lot more than you would believe for such a small lorry, and storage is one of things that Soul owners like about their Kias. This is not unexpected, due to the fact that in the cabin, storage space is plentiful. There is a huge glove box, thoughtful little bins and trays around the transmission shifter, and huge door panel bins to make organizing your things simpler.

Behind the rear seats, an 18.8 cu.-ft. trunk gets itself to you. That measurement consists of a covered, separated tray under the cargo floor that organizes your things. Take that out and remove the cargo floor, and this little automobile products access to 24.2 cu.-ft. of area.

Without rear guests, you can fold the seats to develop 49.5 cu.-ft. These numbers extend beyond subcompact crossover SUV area and into the realm of bigger compacts, but just if you take the trouble of eliminating the helpful tray.

Exposure and Safety

Motorists delight in excellent forward visibility, but the view to the rear quarters is pretty abysmal due to the shape of the cars and truck and the width of the rearmost roofing system pillars. Luckily, big side mirrors and a basic reversing electronic camera do their best to minimize this issue.

While Kia makes a blind area warning system with rear cross-traffic alert offered in both of the Soul's higher trim levels, the turbocharged Exclaim can't be geared up with features like adaptive cruise control, forward accident warning, automated emergency situation braking, or lane departure caution. That's a bummer.

The Soul does a great job of securing occupants in a collision. The NHTSA awards the Soul a 5-star overall score for crashworthiness, while the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety provides it "Good" scores all around.

Engine/Transmission

Soul owners point out the powertrain as one of their least favorite aspects of the vehicle. Hopefully, they'll offer the turbocharged Soul Exclaim a try, as it alters the character of the car, and for the much better.

With 201 horses on tap from the 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine, the Soul Exclaim is not exactly a rocket, but it's much livelier than it used to be. Enthusiast publications claim it will speed up from absolutely no to 60 mph in about 7.6 seconds, which suffices to infuse your commute with some additional zip. Power shipment is relatively direct, although there is some turbo lag straight off the line.

Entrusted with sending out the power to the front wheels, a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission shifts properly but gracelessly. A little more smoothness and improvement would be great, as would a manual gearbox that, admittedly, almost nobody would select. Missing out on is any kind of all-wheel-drive system, which would secure the Soul's membership in the popular crossover SUV section.

Fuel Economy

The EPA approximates that you ought to get 28 mpg in combined driving (26 city/31 highway mpg) with a Soul Exclaim. My screening produced a return of 25.5 mpg, which isn't excellent. The turbocharged Soul, despite making much more power than the naturally aspirated versions of the vehicle, is actually a bit more fuel effective than the engines that go into the base Soul and the Soul Plus trim.

Driving Dynamics

To assist take full advantage of driving satisfaction, Kia somewhat adjusts the Exclaim's suspension tuning, installs larger front brakes, and includes bigger wheels and tires.

While the Soul still preferred knocking about in the city, with its diminutive footprint, active handling, and ability to take in the ruts and bumps of disregarded public roadways, it nonetheless held its own on twisty back roadways threading through regional range of mountains. The steering had a fair quantity of heft to it, especially in Sport mode, but I wanted a little more feel, feedback and precision to make the automobile more enjoyable to drive. The brakes effectively resisted fade throughout aggressive driving, too, and managed daily driving tasks without getting or bringing the cars and truck to a jostling stop.

No, the Kia Soul Exclaim won't be competing in autocross rallies with the Volkswagen GTI or Mazda 3 anytime quickly. Its happy-go-lucky character and newfound potency makes it a lot more satisfying to drive than the small crossover lorries against which it will most likely be cross-shopped.

Final Impressions

By now, everybody should recognize with Kia's generous warranty that covers the whole lorry for 5 years or 60,000 miles, while the powertrain is protected for 10 years or 100,000 miles, together with totally free roadside support for 5 years without any mileage limit. That appeals to the logical side of your brain, together with the quality awards that both this automobile and Kia have actually received from J.D. Power in current years.

However what's more, the Kia Soul has a character. Yes, it's a little peculiar. Funky. Unconventional. It interest the weirdo in each of us, but at the very same time delivers more than its reasonable share of energy, flexibility, fun, and convenience. And now, with its readily available turbocharged engine, it is more appealing than ever previously.

There are plenty of people who drive the same thing everybody else does. With a Kia Soul parked in your driveway, you can happily be among the others.

2018 Kia Soul front quarter left photoThat last modification, offered entirely in the leading trim level, resolved a major complaint with this spunky little car. For this evaluation, J.D. Power examined a 2018 Kia Soul Exclaim geared up with optional flooring mats. For chauffeurs, the Kia Soul is quite comfy, and I constantly value it when little, affordable vehicles consist of a center console armrest, like the majority of variations of the Soul do. The Soul's rectangle-shaped shape provides itself to carrying a lot more than you would believe for such a little automobile, and storage is one of things that Soul owners like about their Kias. The turbocharged Soul, regardless of making much more power than the naturally aspirated versions of the automobile, is in fact a little bit more fuel efficient than the engines that go into the base Soul and the Soul Plus cut.