This Kia has more “Soul” than a sneaker!

So…I got the opportunity to test drive a 2012 Kia Soul for a week.

I want it back. *insert sad face*

Isn’t it as cute as all get-out? It’s sporty and sleek and funky and just the right size. Love, love, love it. And then…I opened the door and saw this and peed my pants a little:

Yes. That’s a houndstooth design. And, yes, I am a sucker for houndstooth. Seriously. It’s so funky retro. And, as you can see, the interior of the Kia Soul is a good size, with an ample backseat that has plenty of leg room. In fact, the front seat has plenty of leg room as well. W had no issues with it, and being 6’2″ with legs that go on forever (no, I’m not describing a woman).

As I started driving the Kia Soul, I started noticing more and more of them on the road. However, I couldn’t get any of them to cooperate with my effort at developing a kinship or Kia Soul brotherhood. The head-nod thing? They totally weren’t into it. This Kia Soul driver refused to do it…

Oh well…I’m confident it can catch on. Let’s move on to more awesomeness. The music system in the Kia Soul is wonderful…great sound, and it has built-in satellite radio! Giddy up! It has a screen that utilizes buttons along with “touch” capabilities. It’s fabulous. See that little compartment with the button at the top? That’s where your sunglasses go…and, truth be told, the sunglasses are basically the only thing that don’t come with the Soul.

By the way, I was not listening to Keith Urban (not that there’s anything wrong with that…*cough*)…I was trying to navigate the system when I happened to take this picture. No judgments! But you can also use the buttons on the steering wheel to control the radio, among other things…

There are tons of other things I love about the Kia Soul, though…like the back-up assist system. Oh man, how I love the back-up assist. It has to be the finest invention ever. In fact, when they took the Kia Soul back (that was a sad day) and I had to go back to driving my old car (OK, it’s a 2007, but still), I felt as though I had forgotten how to go in reverse. Anywho, I am a huge fan of back-up assist. Huge.

The Kia Soul also has a super cool shifter that looks like it belongs in a race car. Oh, and it has two outlets for chargers (yay!) as well as a USB port so you can hook up your iPod, mp3 player, whatever. Yes, I know, awesomesauce.

Let’s see what else is there…hmmm…oh, I love the bottle holder in the door. That’s genius. I mean, there are also cup holders between the front seats, should you prefer that option. But, if you’re like me, my cup holders tend to be like junk drawers in my car and I can hardly fit a beverage in there. Don’t judge me!

Let’s see. What else do you want to know? Well, the Kia Soul gets great mileage (26 in the city, 34 highway), so that’s pretty important. Also important, it rides very smoothly. The Soul has a lot of get up and go, which isn’t something you automatically expect from a smaller sized SUV-type vehicle. But it’s true…it’s surprisingly peppy and has more power than you would expect. Don’t misunderstand, though, the Soul is not overwhelming in any way. It actually “fit” us perfectly. Like a glove, actually, all the way around — size, style, power, performance, and amenities.

The trunk is not excessively large, but that’s not much of an issue for me. And, the Kia Soul has a luggage under-floor tray, so that helps. Of course, if you need to put something big in the Soul, the back seats do fold down, so you always have that option available.

The Kia Soul is sporty, fun, and trendy. One fun (and, yes, funky) aspect that I thoroughly enjoyed was the stereo speakers that lit up along with the music. In fact, the last night I had the Soul, this is what I was greeted with when I went out to check on the car:

Of course, how could these party animals resist taking advantage of the funky Kia Soul, what with the kick-butt stereo system and the color-changing speakers? (Don’t worry, I didn’t let them drive.)

caranddriver.com

One of the best things about the Kia Soul is that its versatility means it is for everyone…my teenaged kids thought it was fantastic, we middle-aged (Whoa, when did that happen? Ugh.) adults thoroughly loved it, and my mom (who is 22 years older than I am) was impressed as well. You’ve found yourself a pretty cool vehicle when it spans generations who all think it is a car for them.

I could write about the Kia Soul forever. It’s that darn sweet. And cool. And smooth. And funky. I mean, I forgot to mention it has a sun roof which is delightful. And that I love the key (I know, little things make me happy)…it’s a remote with a panic button and a little button that flips the actual key out of its case or hides it away inside the case for safe keeping…see?

The Kia Soul is a wonderful car and it comes along with the fabulous Kia warranty, of course. And the Soul starts at $13,900. You surely can’t beat that. Not even with a stick.

I was not compensated for writing this review. A big thank you to Kia for allowing me to test drive their fabulous Kia Soul for a week. My opinions are 100% honest and 100% mine.