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Even those who didn’t appreciate the first Kia Soul’s eye-catching exterior would acknowledge the Soul was a car that majored on style.
Replacing the underlying platform, updating the interior, and adding features are, to a degree, a set of secondary concerns in a car like this. The new Soul had to look every inch like the Soul, but if it didn’t look new, it may not incite the necessary reaction from the style-conscious portion of the car-buying public.
Let’s not bore ourselves with the details: the plentiful black surround on the tailgate, the headlamps that no longer grow deformities out of themselves, and the tiny but meaningful increases in length and width. To my eye, it looks like a more modern Kia Soul. Job well done. You are welcome to be the final arbiter.
As much as the exterior is an important section on the 2015 Soul’s resume, I had high hopes that the rest of the car would undergo the more serious makeover. The first-generation Soul was obviously a marketplace success, but not because it rode smoothly, steered sweetly, or made efficient use of its powerplants, and not because it felt as well-built as the vehicles Kia has introduced since 2009.
In the 2015 model I drove around last week, superior ride quality was the most dramatic dynamic improvement. You’ll continue to suffer from a few unwelcome encounters out back where there’s still a torsion beam, but if poor ride quality was the key factor restraining a potential Soul buyer a year ago, they won’t feel the same way now. Losing the 18-inch-wheels from this fully-optioned SX Luxury model (a $21,095 ! with The Whole Shabang Package for $26,195 including destination, in U.S.-speak) may further isolate road imperfections.
Kia’s FlexSteer, which allows you to select one of three steering weight modes, is not uncommon in its lifelessness. I’d take GoodSteer from the latest Mazda 3 over the Soul’s trio of optional steering modes, but the Soul’s rack isn’t offensive. Nor is the handling anything worse than perfectly adequate. This isn’t a sporting device; there is no great level of athleticism. But as with any properly small car, the Soul is delightfully agile in urban scenarios, and the new Soul is also pleasantly quiet during highway jaunts.
I would appreciate the availability of a manual transmission with the 2.0L engine. Subcompact-like dimensions and 164 horsepower sounds fun at first. This Soul, however, is carrying around 3100 pounds, and it’s fitted with a 6-speed automatic that favours smoothness over swiftness. The 2.0L-powered Soul Exclamation Point isn’t slow, but there is a sense of weight you don’t expect in a car that’s only 163 inches long.
Regardless of its on-road characteristics, the Soul has proven to be a winner because of its engaging design, outside and in, and its vast interior. Rear leg room is terrific, and thanks to our slim Diono car seat, two adults could sit in the back with the baby and voice no complaints. The driver’s seat doesn’t have the top-end Forte’s extendable seat cushion, but I still enjoyed the chair-like seating position and the improved material quality in all the places no car owner ever touches except when cleaning. The driver’s seat is powered in all sorts of ways, including lumbar, but the passenger makes do with basic manual adjustments. Both receive heated and cooled cushions, however. Living alongside the north Atlantic as I do, those ventilated front seats sure do come in handy for a long stretch during, well, the first week of August.
A bit longer than a Rio hatchback and a bit shorter than a Forte hatchback, the Soul’s interior only forces you to sacrifice when it comes to seats-up cargo capacity. It’s decidedly more subcompact-like than compact-like (18.8 height-assisted cubic feet compared with 15 in the Rio hatch and 23.2 in the Forte) until you fold the seats down. At which point, the Soul’s boxy shape creates greater space than you’d get in, say, hatchback versions of the Mazda 3 or Ford Focus.
The Soul also feels like a much better-built car than the majority of, if not all, subcompacts. The rear doors thunk just as well as the front doors, rather than the thunk/thwack front/rear disagreement endured in many small cars. Kia’s UVO system continues to operate at an above-average level, with multiple menus visible on the screen at any given time, quick responses, and conventional controls for most features.
For way less than $30,000, the level of luxury content in this Whole Shabanged Exclamation Point Soul is impressive, from the panoramic sunroof to the upgraded Infinity stereo, navigation, and heated rear seats. Plus, power-folding mirrors that unfolded and folded back a thousand times while I did yardwork beside our driveway with keys in my pocket, wondering all the while what that faint buzzing sound was.
The Soul still isn’t sufficiently fuel efficient relative to most small cars, with EPA ratings of just 23/31 mpg. There is also genuine potential for a hot hatch here, and it would be wonderful if the Forte’s turbo and manual transmission made the trek over to the Soul. It’s easy to suggest that halo models are insisted upon only by non-buying enthusiasts but won’t turn out to be profit generators. Yet the Soul’s audience has become so numerous that I have to believe a turbocharged, all-wheel-drive, sport-suspended Soul would gain more than just a small cult following.
Perhaps not. I won’t argue with the merits of the car in its current state, nor the level of success Kia has stumbled upon with the Soul since it arrived in 2009. Through the end of May, Americans have registered nearly 500,000 Souls. Sales have improved every year, rising above 118,000 units in 2013. So far this year, U.S. Soul volume is up 21%, and it’s outselling all “small” cars other than the Corolla, Civic, Cruze, Elantra, Focus, Sentra, and Jetta.
Kia Canada provided the vehicle and insurance for this review.
84 Comments on “Capsule Review: 2014 Kia Soul...”
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I helped my grandmother buy a new 2014 Soul toward the end of May. At first, we were looking at a black Soul Exclaim with The Whole Shebang Package, but then it turned out that she didn’t care about the leather, smart key, color-keyed cladding or panoramic sunroof…so she got an Alien-green Soul Plus with navigation, which came in at just under $22K. Our other choice was the Juke—which she actually liked better from behind the wheel—but it wouldn’t fit her walker without the seats down, and the interior felt just plain cheap. I think, so far, that her favorite feature is the ability to rewind the satellite radio…
Also, I’m noticing that Peter Schreyer must have had a lot of influence on not only Kia’s design but also its interfaces. A lot of the stuff on my grandma’s Soul seems to be cribbed straight from Audi. There’s a sort of circular stamping on the lock button (for trims that include the smart key), which is something that Audi first did. The particular style of that steering wheel also looks very Audi-esque. And they even copied the low/high-pitched warning-chime scheme that Audi uses. But I’m not complaining…
No vehicles are more “me” than the Soul and the TC wagon. It’ll be one or the other when I trade my Camry. No more sedans, ever.
From one who’s insisted on 5 doors or nothing for decades: welcome to the club.
Thanks. My wife’s even more vehement about it than I. Loves her Fit.
I won a bet with my ex-neighbor by getting an over-stuffed recliner into my tC when I was moving. I had room to spare for an end table and a couple of lamps. Can’t match a hatch.
And the Fit is in another league entirely. Pretty sure the seats disappear into a neighboring dimension when they’re folded down.
Carried a chest freezer in the back of a Soul…..try that in a sedan!
Hey Kenmore! If FCA ever gets the RamProMaster (known as Fiat Doblo elsewhere) you should check it out. More space, more trunk, funkier interior and exterior dsign (not to knock the Soul as it looks fine), and one more thing i know you like: Much bigger windows. Could be just me but it looks like they squished the new model, which diminishes one of the things i like about this car. In the Soul the trunk is very small though. Also note what the author wrote, the smeller the wheels the better for tall cars like this.
You should also check out the Ford Transit passenger version. Same idea, probably more practical.
Marcelo,
Stop reading my mind from way over there… it’s spooky :-)
Yes, I am already gathering all the info I can about the Transit Connect wagon. The nearest dealer is in Green Bay and they don’t have one yet, only the windowless version. But its dimensions are perfect for me.
Thanks for giving me the Doblo to research. I’ve learned to take your suggestions seriously. It’s like I was made for the global market outside the US.
The van version of the ProMaster is on sale right? The passenger version shouldn ‘t be too far off.
As to reading your mind, man, what can I say? Nothing, but that you are a refined man of taste and cultured sensibilities. LOL!
Thanks, bro. Now Xerenar can call me anything he wants :-D
:)!
Should have been called the “KIA SEOUL”
I like that Hyundai and Kia make their cars feature-rich so that even if you’re buying a “trendy” hipster econobox you don’t feel like you’re getting “less”.
I also have to give them credit for making the car look cool by using negrofied Hamsters – which would have normally been the brunt of a joke about a “hamster powered car”.
But honestly, I think the toaster that the shorthaired hamsters had would look better in my driveway.
Oh, yeah… that toaster rocked.
Plus it could pop my old ass out when I got somewhere. No creaky-groany egress.
And great visibility!
Negrofied! I love it.
Negrofied Hamsters
about the 5th time BTSR has made me laugh out loud with post.
And he’s black, so its ok.
LOLLL
The Soul always seemed to be a small, chic minivan for those who were too sensitive to the stereotype to buy the real thing, kind of the replacement for the original, first generation Scion xB. But for the price of a loaded Soul, I think I’d go for the real, more practical thing (although you take a hit on fuel mileage with a minivan).
The Soul is in zero ways a minivan, and in all ways a hatchback.
If nothing else, it actually gets marketed by Kia and others as a subcompact crossover, a la Trax, Countryman, 500L, et al.
Why the comparison to a mini-van?
This is a compact hatch. A comparable mini-van (and the cheapest one on the market at that) still costs more and has less features.
We didn’t buy a Soul because a mini-van had some sort of “stigma” attached to it, we bought one because it fit our needs. An almost 300 horsepower 7 passenger vehicle is overkill for a daily commuter let alone when there’s at most 2 people in the car. Sort of the same situation where people complain about seeing Tahoe’s running around with 1 person in it.
How about a 300+ HP 5 passenger for one person then!?
the best value today is a 2013 or older one at the 15k mark. the new soul while an evolution is now upmarket and pricey.
The four door subcompact hatchback was one of the very few good automotive ideas that came out of the 1970’s. You don’t have to look too closely at the Soul to see the original VW Rabbit’s DNA. Just as the original Rabbit inspired lots of imitations, hopefully the success of the Soul will inspire other car designers and manufacturers.
These cars are incredibly practical, useful, good looking, and fuel efficient. If you could only own one car something like the Soul would work pretty well for 80% of car buyers.
We honeymooned in California in April, and picked a Kia Soul from the Midsize aisle of Alamo’s ‘pick your own’ lot at LAX. Compared to the alternatives (Hyundai Elantra, Chrysler 200, VW Jetta) it was easily the most characterful and versatile vehicle for two people on a 1600 mile road trip.
I’d agree with Timothy’s request for a manual… the auto felt sluggish and disengaging. Fine on the freeway but not so handy once we hit the mountains.
Although it’s also available here in the UK (with either a 1.6 petrol or 1.6 diesel instead of the American market 2.0 petrol) they’re not a common sight. In that price bracket (GBP12,500 – GBP21,500) there seems to be some tough competition from European hatchbacks, and fewer Brits fall for the chunky box look.
“fewer Brits fall for the chunky box look.”
Because they don’t like Land Rovers.
That side profile looks familiar… am I the only one who seems a more-than-passing resemblance to the recent Range Rover Evoque?
Our expectations for these cars have gotten pretty high. Is lack of power passenger seats in a subcompact really even an issue?
Overall I like these, just wish they were a little larger. At least somebody is trying to do something creative in the small car segment instead the usual dull grouping of Corolla/Civic/Sentra/Versa/Yaris.
Not an issue for a subcompact, perhaps an issue for a subcompact at $26K, and only then because the car is so well equipped (and the driver’s seat so thoroughly powered) that little things like that stand out.
Definitely a little Evoque in there, although the Soul came out first. Kia did a nice job of packaging this between a hatchback and a CUV, they really hit a sweet spot in the market.
These hamster-wagons aren’t bad, but I don’t think they’ll replace a Rav4 or CR-V anytime soon, but it has clearly found a market. When I drove one, I didn’t find it too comfortable to my 63-year-old body.
As to style, the only thing that bugs me on the new Soul is that isolated large body-colored, slightly bulged mass that looks like a giant bumper pad at the bottom of the liftgate glass. Sort of like that thing football players have in the back of their waist. Makes me want to run into one to see how well it absorbs impact!
How wrong they were:
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/review-2009-nissan-cube/
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/01/comparison-review-kia-soul-versus-nissan-cube-first-place-nissan-cube/
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/01/comparison-review-kia-soul-versus-nissan-cube-second-place-kia-soul/
FWIW, id take a Cube over a Soul. Many cars like the Soul Id take over a Soul. Fiat Doblo (Ram ProMaster), Ford Transit, Renault Kangoo, Peugeot/Citroën twins. All of which are more practical than Cube or Soul.
Truth.
One of the few ways it sucks to be an American is if you prize tall, capacious SWB utility vehicles.
We (me + wife) were ready to take delivery of a new Soul in 2010 but the dealer prep staff scratched the rear bumper during cleanup so delivery did not happen. While deciding what to do next wife drove Cube, fell in love, and bought one. So I have driven and seen both the Cube and the Soul.
From that perspective both are very good cars for what they are. I liked the Soul because of the looks, interior, and handling. Wife liked Cube more because of visibility, seats, and available light colored interior (we both hate black interiors). Cube looks odd, but it has grown on me. The Soul has a much better available colors; the Cube comes in a number of very unattractive colors and only about 4 that look good.
Both are excellent city/errand/grocery getter cars. If the Cube had a better looking range of colors and some advertising that is as distinctive as the car (which has never been Nissan’s strong suit) it might be a better seller.
I think an AWD, slightly lifted and claddified version (which would be a bit more serious looking)* would sell. It’s the only way I would take such a car seriously, as this is currently a car for young women, and young women alone. If you’re a man and you want a cool hatch, you must buy something else (probably a Golf).
*Think Renault Duster
Soul Countryman? lol
http://www.autoblog.com/2013/09/11/2014-kia-soul-suv-styling-pack-frankfurt-2013/
No AWD though.
And no it’s not a car for just for women/ young women, that award goes to the Fiat 500, Lexus RX, and Mini Cooper.
Hey that’s getting closer. More cladding, more chunky. Like that Citroen Cactus (but not rubber). I like how heavy it is for such a small car. 3100lbs sounds very high, which contributes to the heavy doors and etc. If the interior were nicer, it’d be like a Volvo!
I’ve seen more males in Fiat 500s than Souls. I have yet to see a Soul with a male driver.
You dont live in Brazil. More male drivers in both cars than women. Women here want jipes.
I suspect alot of things are different in Brazil vs the US.
As they say, tru dat 28!
Hey Marcelo,
That’s sort of similar here in Australia.
Hairdressers and women like Wranglers. Bored middle class housewives like those little Jeep CUV things as well ie, Patriot, Liberty, Cherokees.
“I suspect alot of things are different in Brazil vs the US.”
I’ve been to beaches in the state of Bahia in Brazil as well as many American beaches. I have come to the conclusion that we are doing something wrong in the US.
Hey Big Al! Well Jeeps are man-ish here. Wranglers and Cherokees, men. Other Jeeps, women. Suspect the new Cherokee will get more females into Jeep dealers.
We are doing alot of things wrong, bball.
@Marcelo
I seem more men are driving Grand Cherokees than women.
But here the little CUVs (not just Jeep) are becoming popular with the “wife and kids”.
Where I live many women drive pickups, Patrols and Landcruisers.
The no other choice, a Jeep are viewed as not having the reliability or duration as.
Jeeps are primarily for Urbanites.
Hey bball, 28: I’ve been to the US plenty of times. Beaches too. Maybe as to bikinis you are right, but as to the figures in them…Let’s just say the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
Hey Big Al! Here i still do a double take when I see a woman in a pickup, even the little ones like the Strada. Jeeps here are also urban, but mostly because of humongous price a low penetration of dealerships. Only in a few major cities. Will change though, as FCA consolidates. Big plans for Jeep. Then we’ll see what kind of reputation they get.
I thought typically Brazilians removed all their greenery.
Haha. I’ll take your word for it Marcelo.
You’d be wrong Corey. Except for a few, publicly sanctioned nudists spots, you’ll probably get arrested if you do. Even in Rio, a major city, women are arrested every year for trying to go topless. In the smaller beaches, with less control, in smaller, isolated cities, you will see women (mostly just topless, almost never bottomless), but I’ll bet you that over 95% are foreigners.
HAHAHA, that would be removing the fence, not the greenery!
hahahaha! yeah, probably, but going fenceless is likely a mightily uncomfortable thing with all the sand and all. lol!
” Here i still do a double take when I see a woman in a pickup”
Ha-ha, Marcelo! In my area your head would be swiveling because of all the females (of all ages, sizes, color and religious persuasion) driving pickup trucks.
Has the Copa Mundial affected your area? Two of my Portuguese cousins (and their sons and grandsons) are in Brazil for the duration. Staying with the cousin’s son I raised in the US who now works in Brazil.
My #2 son and family were in Natal yesterday to watch Ghana vs USA. He had a really great time playing the tourist but is flying back today, because the dollar is not what it used to be.
hey high desert cat! I bet i would, though after a while im sure it’d be commonplace, :)!
As to World Cup, has affected me. I think I live not even 8-ish km from the stadiums. Helicopters have been thick in the sky since 10 am. The game is happening now. So far major upset of Algeria over Belgium.
US x Ghana was a great game. Great first goal of the Americans, the most beautiful so far in the World Cup. The US could reach the quarter finals this time around.
As to Portugal, bad start. Washed out by Germany. Bet your relatives were sad.
Marcelo, enjoy the festivities! All too soon it will be back to business as usual.
I would have enjoyed going with my #2 son, but my oldest son and I are very busy setting up his new gentleman’s horse and cattle ranch (for when he leaves his current job in banking in Los Angeles, CA). His former father-in-law and he have entered into a legal partnership.
Tomorrow, my oldest son and I will be driving up to Colorado in a rented 18-wheeler and bringing back a full load of cattle/cows/one Bull. Should take several days. Keeping the Bull cooped up and under control for the 12-hour drive back to New Mexico will be quite a challenge. May have to sedate him.
If you do that Corey you take away the Soul’s raison d’être. HyuKia is coming out with their me too mini jipe. The Soul is unique and appeals to men, who don’t want a jipe. In our moodern world it’s the girls who want jipes.
I don’t agree. The regular Soul can exist with the Soul Allroad, as a more expensive option. Men in the US aren’t buying the Soul.
Yes, I’m speaking from my perspective and more than a little tongues in cheek. Plenty of men in the Ford EcoSport (I do see more men in it, probably 1.5:1), though I do find it weird that female Renault Dusters drivers outnumber men almost 2:1. The other little jipes im talking here probably go 1:1. As to the 500, more of an enthusiasts car here, so I do see more men in it. Soul is pretty evenly split too, but yes, lots of younger women driving it.
Time will tell, but the new Jeep Renegade ought to take some serious sales away from this little beast, they will have to up their game on cost or offer awd IMHO.
Agreed, the Renegade will probably appeal to both sexes equally.
Yep, the Renegade seriously flips my switch but I doubt my inner Scrooge will agree. More money, fewer MPGs.
Yea, the Renegade is going to rule the world.
Hmmm- perhaps Panda- AHEM… excuse me- Renegade will accomplish world domination *IF*- and only if- they can manage to avoid pairing an anemic, miniscule engine for its only offering with a manual transmission (in usual, Fiatsler fashion).
I’m hoping for a V6 RAV-4/5-speed-esque type of powertrain (crossing fingers now).
But I’m not holding my breath.
(Lol… V6 Panda.)
“Yea, the Renegade is going to rule the world.” A game-changer, for sure.
The scorn here for the Renegade bodes well for its success.
@Kenmore:
I can’t speak for bkmurph, but my comment was 100% sincere.
I expect for the Renegade to be wildly successful and basically print money for ChryslerCo.
Which game is it again? Its changed so much already.
@ajla
Sorry for misinterpreting.
I get all emotional when people diss a car that still has round headlights, fat tires and good ground clearance.
Just a message board folks, simple to understand but easy to forget.
I’m better now. I said a rosary.
“…as this is currently a car for young women, and young women alone. If you’re a man and you want a cool hatch, you must buy something else (probably a Golf).”
My 20-something nephew bought one the year they debuted – traded it 2 years later because his friends started telling him it was a girl car (he wouldn’t cop to that but I talked to his friends).
In Florida I tend to notice them because they are eye-catching, and I swear that 9 of every 10 I see have a senior citizen behind the wheel. I drive in Georgia a lot, same thing there. Appears to be the hatch-of-choice for hip seniors (age-wise I’m almost there myself, but I’ll stick with my Golf).
What’s the majic words for today, Kiddies?
“Value Brands!!!!!”
We live in a value era (some marketing execs believe), I also agree.
I happen to like the weird steering options. Reminds me of my Paw’s 96 Continental (light, medium, firm steering efforts).
I LOVE, love, love the heated and cooled seats AND heated rear seat. Good grief. This thing is loaded to the hilt.
All the work being done for you (slushbox) and no play (standard transmission) makes the Kia a dull boy.
Buy one for your teenage daughter and rejoice in your “Dad of The Year” Title…
…until your daughter’s snooty friend points out that its a Kia. Little snot.
Meh.. I always go stripper model. It’s the big metal box/little engine I’m after. Anything else is a minor detail.
My brother in the States has a Kia Soul and I actually like driving it.
It’s not fast, isn’t the best handling vehicle around, but it’s kind of fun to drive.
I hope this new Soul is even better.
For a US manufactured vehicle my brothers Soul’s build quality is far better than my mother’s Michigan built Ford Focus (which I think is a bitter disappointment).
Her Focus’s interior must be made of the cheapest materials available.
It would of made a 70s or 80s British manufacturer proud.
Tim,
Those exterior photos are beautiful. Where did you shoot them?
Thanks Ronnie. They were taken near Rainbow Haven beach near Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, and near what used to be Silver Sands beach in Cow Bay, Nova Scotia. (https://www.google.ca/maps/@44.6318184,-63.4027434,6391m/data=!3m1!1e3)
If you are attracted to the Soul for its style, that’s fine. But if you’re attracted for its seating and cargo versatility, you’d do well to also look at the Mazda5. Seating 6 in a pinch is a nice option, and I suspect the Mazda has more seat-down cargo space too (it beats my wife’s 2010 Forester). And rear sliding doors are greatly under-appreciated for people and cargo.
2 years ago I got one with a stick for $17,500… a real bargain when CRVs and Rav4s were $23K.
This is what the Scion xB2 or xB3 should have been.
My xB1 was awesome, but Scion lost their way on the toaster redesign.
Although I don’t think I’ll be revisiting the box theme for some time, the Soul would be the leading candidate if I did.
I didn’t closely follow the recent discussion of reader-reviewed cars, but your experience with your Leaf plus the fact that you’re an engineer who writes lucidly make you a pretty obvious candidate.
Any intention of doing so?
Perhaps a word or two on fuel economy would not go amiss. The old 2.0 litre Soul freaked out my niece after she traded in her Echo for one, and not in a good way. We worked out she was getting about 24 mpg US living in Halifax, across the harbour from Mr Cain in Dartmouth.
I see from your website that you got 28.7 in the new one, presumably the car reviewed here. That’s a big improvement.
We just bought a 2014 Soul+ about 4 months ago and love it. My wife has a bad back and does not like to sit in cars where your legs HAVE to stretch out in front of you. Most smaller cars (and larger also now) the seats are close to the floor. The seats in the Soul seem to sit higher than most others so it was a good fit. We bought a fairly loaded +. Leather, Pano roof, keyless and a few other things. We love the features. We also have a ’13 MB E550 Cabriolet, so we do know a little about luxury.
I am little disappointed at the fuel economy, I have only been averaging about 26 MPG, 70% highway but does include a 3000 foot elevation change every trip. My Volvo ’02 C70 HPT that I sold gave me 25 MPG in the same driving patterns, but my driving it harder.
We own a 2012 Soul !, and have really enjoyed it. It’s fun to drive, has lots of toys, and has proven bulletproof.
I test drove the ’14 when it was released, and it’s more refined, if not quite as “bubbly” to drive.
The only downsides to our Soul is lower-than-expected fuel mileage (27-ish mpg overall) and a slightly choppy ride over broken pavement. Those are small prices to pay for the fun and practicality the car provides.
The ’14 addresses the ride quality issue quite well, the fuel mileage issue not as well, but I’d still buy one if we were in the market.
Truth: If there were a (decent) performance variant of the Soul, I would have chosen that over my Juke Nismo last October.
I don’t need AWD. Don’t need hot/chilly seat cushions. All I want is a handsome-yet-funky hatch with the power, the stick, the suspension, and a backup camera. I love the Juke’s exterior (only in Nismo trim) but the cockpit fit and finish is like winning 60 cents in the showcase showdown. (Seats excepted.) That Soul seems to be a winner inside and out.