Opinions on the new Kia Soul?

"RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars" (rallydarkstrike) 11/28/2018 at 18:19 • Filed to: Kia, Soul

1

39

I’ve always been a bit of a fan of the Soul - it was even on my potential shopping list when I got my Accent, but models with a manual were hard to find and they were out of my price range at the time.

What does Oppo think of the new one? The front looks a bit overstyled.....and yet....I really like the damn thing! :)

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

HammerheadFistpunch > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 11/28/2018 at 18:23

0

I have strong opinions about its classification.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 11/28/2018 at 18:25

0

No clue on the new one, but the current one is about my favorite practical car for when people ask me to help them find a new car. Everyone seems to prefer it to the Fit for some reason, and I think they’re reasonably comfortable.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 11/28/2018 at 18:29

5

It’s not a Crossover- It’s a funky looking hatch, and it’s supposed to catch your attention by the way so it cannot be boring. Even it if is controversial, that’s its mission. I like the looks of the sporty GT line best. I don’t have a problem with the Boomerang lights at all.

Wish that X-line or whatever outdoorsy one had AWD. I already know my wife will love the EV one. The range and performance is impressive!

https://insideevs.com/2020-kia-soul-ev-debut-la/

Interior seems to be improved.

Compared to the competition, Even without AWD it is a much better “Crossover” than the Nissan Kicks, CH-R and Honda HR-V. It’s very good value for the money- easy to get in and out,drive and park, spacious and practical, available 201HP turbo with DCT and now EV.

Danimalk - Drives a Slow Car Fast > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 11/28/2018 at 18:33

0

Stop messing around and just buy a nice wagon or hatchback.

“A bit over-styled” is the understatement of the year. It already looks like it’s wearing a misaligned body kit.

Opponauts, don’t perpetuate these soul-sucking crossovers! Vote with your dollars! Together we can change the world automotive landscape!

(not really)

Textured Soy Protein > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 11/28/2018 at 18:35

3

If the turbo version gains the multilink rear suspension on the Elantra (GT) Sport , Veloster Turbo and Forte GT, it would be very appealing to me. 

gettingoldercarguy > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 11/28/2018 at 18:36

1

I like it, it's no crossover though.  I like funky cars and that's a funky car.

shop-teacher > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 11/28/2018 at 18:37

0

It's got quite an under bite.

Danimalk - Drives a Slow Car Fast > Textured Soy Protein 11/28/2018 at 18:41

0

Sporty suspension on a tall, overweight, automatic crossover is appealing?

Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 11/28/2018 at 18:44

0

Looks like the same design language as the front end of the new Camaro. 

Carbon Fiber Sasquatch > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 11/28/2018 at 18:50

1

It's a boxier Elantra GT which means that I absolutely love it. My MIL has a current one and it's awesome. Gigantic inside compared to the outside. Can't wait to drive this new one! 

CB > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 11/28/2018 at 18:53

0

The centre exhausts on some trims seems a bit silly, but I dig it.

Textured Soy Protein > Danimalk - Drives a Slow Car Fast 11/28/2018 at 19:01

2

It’s a tall boxy hatchback on the same platform as all those other cars and not much heavier than them. Except it had been on the old version of the platform with the twist beam  rear suspension. The turbo models of the current platform all get the multilink rear suspension instead. It's not about maximum performance, it's about being a handier overall package. 

gin-san - shitpost specialist > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 11/28/2018 at 19:04

1

I think it looks interesting. Not beautiful, but interesting and fun.

I have the Forte 5 SX and had the Soul been available at the time with the 1.6T engine I probably would have bought that instead.

As far as calling it a crossover... if it helps sell them, call it whatever the hell you want. We’re in the age of 4-door “coupes” and “sports activity vehicles” and shit like that, but we all know it’s just a boxy hatchback.

With styling like that there are going to be people who hate it, but that leads us to the issue with most modern cars in that they all look so similar to each other (especially crossovers). This doesn’t quite look like anything else except for older-gen Souls and I guess other weird shit like the Cube.

I’d just wait until end of year when dealers are trying to dump them and you can probably get a good deal on it like I did with my Forte5 SX. Not sure I’d get a lesser-engined model but I do like the 1.6T in my car, even with its faults (which I think are due to ECU programming rather than the engine itself).

facw > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 11/28/2018 at 19:05

1

I think it looks good. I’m glad Kia didn’t blandify it in the way Toyota ruined the xB.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 11/28/2018 at 19:11

0

I only know the older soul and I don’t really like it. 1. Way under powered 2. Small and bouncy feels like the city car that it is 3. Not as much interior room as you would expect from a box.

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 11/28/2018 at 19:22

0

Haven’t made up my mind on the styling, but in general, I like them. I recommended the old version to many people looking for practical a new car. I like different, and these definitely are. They are also a huge value. They get a tip of the hat from me.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > HammerheadFistpunch 11/28/2018 at 19:23

0

I don’t think it’s a crossover at all...no idea why they called it that. It’s just a tall car as far as I am concerned!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > HammerheadFistpunch 11/28/2018 at 19:23

0

I don’t think it’s a crossover at all...no idea why they called it that. It’s just a tall car as far as I am concerned!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 11/28/2018 at 19:24

0

Pretty comfortable an practical for sure and their design means they at least tried to make it a bit fun! Not necessarily in the performance department, obviously, but style- wise!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 11/28/2018 at 19:25

0

I would be perfectly happy with the 2.0L with a stick. The GT line has some nice styling touches though!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Danimalk - Drives a Slow Car Fast 11/28/2018 at 19:26

1

The Soul is not really a crossover though, it never has been, it’s moreso just been a ‘tall wagon’ like the original Scion XB!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Danimalk - Drives a Slow Car Fast 11/28/2018 at 19:27

0

It has a manual option and a DCT with a manual mode, so it’s more sporty than you think! Not supercar levels of performance, obviously, but I imagine enough to be amusing!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > gettingoldercarguy 11/28/2018 at 19:27

0

Agreed, not a crossover at all, I think of it more as a tall hatchback or wagon! Hatchback, I guess, would be more accurate! I like it! :)

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > shop-teacher 11/28/2018 at 19:28

0

That it does...but I sortof like it, haha! Does that make me terrible? :P

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle 11/28/2018 at 19:29

0

I find a lot of cars nowadays have this similar design language. I’m not a huge fan of the current Camaro’s front end styling, but for some reason I like this!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Carbon Fiber Sasquatch 11/28/2018 at 19:30

0

I REALLY like the new Elantra GT’s styling...the rear end is fine, but I love the front end, especially the grill.

Chuckles > Danimalk - Drives a Slow Car Fast 11/28/2018 at 19:30

2

I've come to accept that I will probably never buy a new car in my life. I'm ok with that, but it means that as a used car buyer, I don't have any say in terms of what new cars look like. I don't know how I feel about this highly styled box, but my voice also doesn't really matter.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > CB 11/28/2018 at 19:31

0

Agreed, some of the details are definitely a bit overkill, but at the same time, the Soul was always supposed to be an ‘odd child’ design with a bit of funkiness, so despite their silliness, it seems to fit with the nature of the beast. :)

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > gin-san - shitpost specialist 11/28/2018 at 19:33

0

I definitely do not think it’s a crossover...more of a tall hatch/wagon to me. Down the road (I only buy used), it would definitely be on the list for me if I could find one with a stick! I’m not a ‘manual transmissions are the be all end all better’ fanboi, but I prefer them because I love having that connection when I am driving, so a 2.0L non-turbo and stick would be perfectly fine to me!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > facw 11/28/2018 at 19:34

1

Agreed! Like the Juke, which I like the quirky styling of (boo to the Nissan Kicks which is massively blander than the Juke it replaces in every conceivable way...), I like that Kia has embraced the Soul’s inherent funkiness!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 11/28/2018 at 19:35

0

Huh, most people I’ve talked to with experience with the older gens have always said the space was great in terms of interior room...they did always say it was a bit underpowered though. Then again, that wouldn’t be a big deal to me, personally.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > SPAMBot - Horse Doctor 11/28/2018 at 19:36

1

Agreed! Hats off for them to me as well! :)

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 11/28/2018 at 19:56

1

The Honda Element does a much better job with interior room than the soul.

HammerheadFistpunch > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 11/28/2018 at 19:56

1

oh you' re only saying that because its accurate

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 11/28/2018 at 19:59

1

My two days with the car told me it’s not for me.

random001 > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 11/28/2018 at 20:06

3

I had a first gen soul, and I gotta tell you, that thing was pretty much perfect.  It wasn’t fast, it wasn’t stylish, it was slow, but it just ran, carried things, and had no issues ever.  It went to my sister, has 225k miles on it, and still just runs.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > random001 11/28/2018 at 20:20

0

Glad to hear! 2006 or so is when Hyundai/Kia really started to change their image and my 2009 Hyundai Accent in similar to your Soul, I’ve had no real issues with it!

One of the new Souls might be on my list down the road!

Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 11/28/2018 at 20:24

1

I agree; things cross over and look rested but have a different effect on different cars. I also like it here better than the new Camaro. The soul with the 1.6t and the dual clutch remains a car I’d be happy if my wife bought but not something I’d spring for,  for me, but I’d consider if it had a manual.

shop-teacher > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 11/28/2018 at 22:06

1

Turrible!