I have Soul

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AHTOXA
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I have Soul

Post by AHTOXA »

As many of you know now, a week ago today I bought a 2012 Kia Soul as my practical car to move a future dog and gear for existing hobbies such as MTB, camping and hiking. I can actually drive in comfort going to hiking trails while getting great MPG.


Initial Quality:

I was impressed with Kia when I saw it in person. Fit and finish were on par with the overall market. The panen gap is tight, nothing is loose, nothing squeeks or rattles. Nothing is falling off. Paint looks good with very little orange peeling, unline I saw on some other brands (new cars). Doors have a nice, solid thud when closing. Usually econoboxes - especially older Kias - feel like tin-cans. Not the case here.

Performance:

2.0L I4, 164hp and 140 some torque. 2700 pounds. With the 6-speed manual this car is quite peppy and has plenty of power. The suspension is stiff but not jarringly so and it handles well. The vehicle has surprisingly little body roll, for as tall as she is. Gearbox is smooth and fairly short in the throws. It reminds me very much of my old VW gearbox. It's only a little more rubbery but overall the feel is good and precise. The clutch is expectedly light, which doesn't leave a lot of feedback but it's quite natural. I had more trouble adjusting to the electronic throttle than I had to the clutch.

Features:

This vehicle competes with anything in the market in the same price bracket. My Soul came with 16" allow wheels, all around tint, excluding only the windshield, rear deflector designed to keep the back window cleaner from road spray, auto-dimming mirror, mats, organizers and various thingamajigs that no one should ever be paying extra for. Where the Kia shines is the list of standard features that include heated outside mirrors, all power accessories, standard bluetooth, standard sat radio, standard aux, USB and Ipod plugs. I even get 14 more months left of the Sat radio subscription. Very cool.

Practicality:

This is a hatchback and it's boxy. Plenty of cool storage inside. The rear seats fold flat. Little things like tiny, out-of-the-way hooks to keep the rear seatbelt out of the way when folding the seats shows me that Kia was thinking long-term and thinking details. I like that a lot. It will serve great hauling my soon-to-have dog around and all my other junk. I plan to put a small hitch out back and utilize a hitch-mounted bike carrier. I wasn't a fan of the roof rack I had on my Golf. It was noisy and got in the way. Since I don't have to carry kayaks or anything, a hitch arrier will do great. Besides, it's cheaper.


FOSE: I'll ask the gf to demo.


Bottom line:

There aren't many things that I don't like about this car. The few that are there, can be easily remedied. One is the crappy stock tires, which are worthless in the rain.


Image

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Yes, that yellow dealer tag's been gone.
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Here's a better picture (not mine) to show the color. My phone's pictures suck.

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six
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Re: I have Soul

Post by six »

Very nice! I was intrigued by the Soul when I first saw the commercial with the hamsters in it. Looks like a very "cool" car, like the Scions. Take some pictures of the interior! :) :) :) :)
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potownrob
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Re: I have Soul

Post by potownrob »

the look is somehow growing on me. i see a black one around here almost everyday. did you consider the other colors?? i don't think i've seen the green one in person, at least not lately.
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Re: I have Soul

Post by theholycow »

The commercials annoy me.

In your pictures it looks a little less intolerably over-the-top, stylewise. Cool. The front end is goofy and foreign-looking, though...never noticed that before. That crap doesn't matter much to me anyway.

Definitely get interior shots.

So what's with the tint? Doesn't look like anything you could get OEM...
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AHTOXA
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Re: I have Soul

Post by AHTOXA »

Will post some interior shorts in the next few days.

Cool car or not, it could not be beat for options, versatility and price. I do admit that I like the way it looks.
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AHTOXA
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Re: I have Soul

Post by AHTOXA »

Rob, the only other color, that I considered was the burnt orange/bronze. I didn't get that only because it's available on top-trim only. Top trim only comes with an autotragic trans. Big no-no. Mine's the mid-level trim.

Cow, the tint is 35%, which is state-legal. Very well done and it's a dealer installed option. Very accurate edges and not a single air bubble. I was a bit sceptical of it, but I ended up not paying for the option and whomever did it, did a great job. Win-win for me.

EDIT: Here in Dallas, many new vehicles are sold with all-around tint (exclusing windshield). It's a popular option when thinking of the summer heat here and the sun. many dealers will take advantage of that to jack up the price.
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Re: I have Soul

Post by 94Corolla5Speed »

But you're not a soldier? /obscureKillerslyrics

Anyway, yay! Seems sweet. Sat in one at the auto show today, only thing I really didn't like was that "SOUL" was vajazzled on every fabric surface on the interior :lol:
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AHTOXA
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Re: I have Soul

Post by AHTOXA »

Agreed regarding the soul inscribings on the seats. Unfortunately that's the only choice you get in terms of seat fabric with the mid trim. Only base gets plain seats. I didn't want the 1.6 liter that comes with the base.
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potownrob
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Re: I have Soul

Post by potownrob »

AHTOXA wrote:I didn't want the 1.6 liter that comes with the base.
did you get to drive the base 1.6 model? if so, how was it?
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Re: I have Soul

Post by noob5,000,000 »

Nice :) . I love basic, simple cars, especially when they come with manual transmissions. It seems to be a lost art these days.
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Re: I have Soul

Post by theholycow »

noob5,000,000 wrote:basic, simple cars
Does not compute.
AHTOXA wrote:This vehicle competes with anything in the market in the same price bracket. My Soul came with 16" allow wheels, all around tint, excluding only the windshield, rear deflector designed to keep the back window cleaner from road spray, auto-dimming mirror, mats, organizers and various thingamajigs that no one should ever be paying extra for. Where the Kia shines is the list of standard features that include heated outside mirrors, all power accessories, standard bluetooth, standard sat radio, standard aux, USB and Ipod plugs. I even get 14 more months left of the Sat radio subscription. Very cool.
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Re: I have Soul

Post by noob5,000,000 »

Yeah, well... It's cool.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, it's not a behemoth. Or something.
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Shadow
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Re: I have Soul

Post by Shadow »

Looks good. Why does the front end look so different on your Soul compared to that last picture you posted? The headlights and the front fascia are quite a bit different. Did they do a facelift already?
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AHTOXA
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Re: I have Soul

Post by AHTOXA »

Yeah, mine is facelifted. Tails are differed as well. For 2012 they also boosted horsepower AND fuel economy for both engines.
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Re: I have Soul

Post by Shadow »

AHTOXA wrote:Yeah, mine is facelifted. Tails are differed as well. For 2012 they also boosted horsepower AND fuel economy for both engines.
And I just noticed that you got turn signals in your side mirror housings, which looks like the pre-facelift version did not.
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