Kia Soul, what do you think?

[kuyachris84]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYOX5eYcViw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS0TQnUcZek

What do you guys think about the Kia Soul? I think it looks pretty cool IMO. :thumbup:

[SIPNGAS]

The more I see them around, the more I like them.

[captainm27]

To be honest, I think the Koreans are starting to make an impact on the Japanese markets here. I am seeing more and more elantras and sonatas on the roads. And last year they introduced the Genesis, which competes really good pricewise against the luxury brands. However, I do think the Soul is not so much a Yaris competitor (that belongs to the accent), but it seems like a Scion competitor.

[captfuntastic]

Love the car. I test drove on this weekend. If I knew they were coming out I would have waited. Still love my Yaris but the Soul is a neat little car.

BTW I have been lurking here for over a year, but this is my first post. Hello to all!

[jinxor]

^^ Hello mate!!!

Yeah .. the kia soul look nice...

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2008/10/02/146623.1-lg.jpg


Too bad.. it doesnt come in two doors... YARIS FTW!!!

[kuyachris84]

If it came out sooner.. I'd probably would have one. I like the song in the commercial too.

Fort Knox by the Goldfish. Listen... :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-Pd5AFzAfk

[yaris-me]

Right car at the wrong time, economy imploding. KIA is out to kick ass!:cool:

[YAR1S]

I seen a few, I like them.... too bad its a kia :p

[Yawesh]

nice, but u guys hear the engine noise! yes i'm obsessed with engine noise

[captfuntastic]

The one I drove did not sound like that.

YAR1S, say want you want about KIA(Hyundai) but my wife had a 1997 Elantra purcahsed new. Served us well and finally donated it last year when I got her a Matrix.

[ruimond]

Looks pretty cool for a KIA :laugh:. Kinda like the square shape of those scions you have in the US.

[MadMax]

Another "boxcar," along with the xD and Nissan Cube, they are all beginning to look the same...how are they designing these cars anyway, with Lego blocks?!?

I'll stick with the Yaris!

Cheers! M2

[Deltasix]

I liked it..... up until I saw the back of the car. Don't like the rear at all!

[supmet]

I think its a kia. I see lots of new kias on the road, as I have been for years now. I very rarely see kias older than 5 years old still on the road...

[TinyGiant]

I liked it..... up until I saw the back of the car. Don't like the rear at all!

+1

its stance from the side is nice.. probably why its always pictured in that position. lol

but the rear is pretty bland.


i keep seeing them around and they do look pretty nice..

[roxy1]

kia better be hoping for gas prices to stay where they are. people are going to be demanding better mileage from small cars, and the soul is not going to deliver. i expect it will be rated 30 mpg highway. to that i shall say:moon:

[dallas]

"Fugly" :eek:

[minired5stby]

Its a wannabe Scion Xb

[Bredayaris]

There's a lot to do over here with Kia's because a lot of engines brake down especially the smaller cars.

[SilverBack]

Scion xD knock-off IMO

Like those door speakers though

[RHDVIPbB]

Pretty nice actually. A local dealership let me keep one for a week. I have pics somewhere that I took. I might get one for the wife. It is between a 1st gen xB, the Nissan Cube and the Soul. I will have a Cube next month for a week the get a feel for it.
Too bad the US didn't get the turbo motor that overseas has. Could have been fun having a factory turbo Soul.

[kargoboy]

I kinda dig it.
Yeah, it's a Scion-knockoff but of the first gen Scion.
I hate the 2nd-gen xD.

[33OH]

I like it. I'll never buy Korean again though, my 2007 Hyundai Accent hatchback FTL. :thumbdown:

[Giobatera]

It's cool, luv the tv comercial though! :laugh:

[Thirty-Nine]

I love it. I think it's a great looking vehicle, and I'd bet it drives pretty nicely, too. I'd rock one. Great warranty, too.

[SMALLNUMBERS]

those graphics on the car look corny as hell...

but hey- to each his own.

[smofskra]

one would think that aerodynamics play into fuel economy. if you build something as aerodynamic as a brick, wouldn't it get worse mileage than something with better aerodynamics? in the day and age when everyone is concerned about fuel economy, it doesn't make much sense to release another drivable brick to the market.

just my $.02

[captainm27]

one would think that aerodynamics play into fuel economy. if you build something as aerodynamic as a brick, wouldn't it get worse mileage than something with better aerodynamics? in the day and age when everyone is concerned about fuel economy, it doesn't make much sense to release another drivable brick to the market.

just my $.02

The xb was boxy and it got pretty decent milage

[captainm27]

I like it. I'll never buy Korean again though, my 2007 Hyundai Accent hatchback FTL. :thumbdown:

What happened with the Accent?

[smofskra]

The xb was boxy and it got pretty decent milage

I'm willing to bet if you took another vehicle with the same weight to power ratio as the xb but with improved aerodynamics it would get better fuel economy.

[roxy1]

The xb was boxy and it got pretty decent milage


for the engine size and light weight of the xb, the mileage was pretty mediocre. but, that is what you get w/ crappy aerodynamics.

i doubt seriously the soul will use a more fuel efficient engine than the toyota 1.5, so i expect disappointing mileage.

[33OH]

What happened with the Accent?

Nothing happened to it. It cost $2,000 more than my Yaris and is about 100 times less quality and gets horrible gas mileage. I still have it.

[Bombdotcom]

not bad for a KIA!
And the hamsters got my attention, I like the commercial. :smile:

[kuyachris84]

here's another commercial(s)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcuIW_Nkgmw (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcuIW_Nkgmw)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5Z68A8WC3I

I might check it out later today... saw 5 on the lot brand new near my house at a dealer... we'll see.

[BLAZINBLUEVITZ]

i just saw new nissan cube commercial last night and THAT THING has my attention also.....

[Blue_dragon_192]

I love my xB (have an 09 Yaris too).
It's too bad they are all coming out with the xB look 5 years too late.

I am sure the quality is no where near the xB/Toyota.

The xB is an awesome vehicle, it's so easy to mod and fun to drive. It has a lot of room too.,....

Stay with the Toyota's we all know and love.

[twowheels]

I like it. I'll never buy Korean again though, my 2007 Hyundai Accent hatchback FTL. :thumbdown:

I'm surprised to hear you say that... I had a 2003 Elantra GT hatchback for two years that I bought new -- until it was totaled by a red-light-runner. I still miss it a lot... it had EVERYTHING... leather, keyless entry, alarm, moonroof, alloy wheels, foglights, etc... it was cheaper than my Yaris and a lot more fun to drive, especially on the twisties! It handled the curves like it was on rails!

[33OH]

My '07 Accent altogether was around $15,000 for the base model with A/T.

My '08 Yaris was $12,300 and is basically base model, but has more features than the Accent.

The Accent handles horribly, accelerates slowly, gets about 25-30 MPG highway, and is just overall a bad car. But then again, I'm the one who bought it. :redface:

[kustom play]

they have a comparison test in this months motor trend

it compared the XB2, Soul, and the Nissan Cube

the XB2 came in 1st the soul 2nd and the cube 3rd

but its based on like 18 year old and college grad into to car buying so the placing seems a bit off due to there opinions

[A-tron]

When i first saw the comercial i was like hey this could be kinda neat. BUT.... then i saw it for my self at the kia dealer in town here. Terrible. It looks like the animal that was driving it on tv. Ever time i see the thing now all i think about is, Fuzzy brown and white bugg-eyed things scampering down the road.

[roxy1]

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/reviews/healey/2009-04-09-test-drive-2010-kia-soul_N.htm

" though there's a major minus — the drivetrain. The 2-liter engine roars and thrashes, even when not asked for much response. The four-speed automatic jerks on many shifts. The manual box is a bit sloppy moving from gear to gear."

ive driven the kia rio and it suffers from the same harsh engine and absolutely nightmarish manual shifting feel.

as i expected, the most fuel efficient version (1.6) is rated 26/31 mpg. the 2.0 is rated at 24/30. but if the 2.0 "roars and thrashes, even when not asked for much response" the 1.6 must be even more anemic. kia (and hyundai) just arent quite there with their drivetrains regarding refinement and efficiency.

if i wanted something of this general ilk, i dont know why i would consider this over the scion xd, or even moreso the nissan cube.

[Ferret_san]

From a style perspective, I love the design.

From a construction perspective being Kia.... pass.

If it is priced as a 'throw away' product then I'm sure it will have a market.

Not something I'd be wanting to buy on the second hand market or keep after warrenty is finished.

[texkid]

I don't know now. I took my wife's Isuzu in for service. Well, the dealership shares with the KIA dealers and so they have the new KIAs rolling around. I personally checked out the SOUL while the Isuzu was getting worked on. Yeah, the manual feels pretty sloppy. Like I would have a harder time getting used to its clutch than I did with my Yaris. The auto-tranny was MUCH smoother with a decent response. I mean, lets face it, its KIA (Hyundai). It is definitely doable car. If I never found the Yaris, I would probably given that car a chance.

Here's the scoop: It has ABS, traction control, bluetooth, MP3 jack & USB, variety of standard alloy rims, power windows/doorlocks, and option for moon-roof.

The car I was looking at had all those features for $1,000 more than what I paid for my car that ONLY has a MP3 connection. For all those other features, even if I installed them myself, would definitely cost more more than $3,000-$5,000. Not to mention, KIA comes with 5yr/60,000 bumper-to-bumper and 10yr/100,000 powertrain warranty standard on all vehicles. Which as much as I hate to say this, in today's economy and the BullSh** that GM is giving us, that is a selling point worth looking at in any vehicle.

[jambo101]

The problem with Kia is resale value,after 5yrs their cars are worthless.
The Soul does look good but for a few extra $$ i'd get a Scion XB

[Thirty-Nine]

ive driven the kia rio and it suffers from the same harsh engine and absolutely nightmarish manual shifting feel.


QFT.