The quirky, fun Kia Soul has been a hot seller, beating its competition. CNET's Brian Cooley takes the 2014 Kia Soul for a drive to see if the new model lives up to its past.
cool to see kia have a little bit of fun with the naming of the packages.. the whole shebang. compare that with Ford's package names like 502A and it shows that kia is actually trying to be more youthful
Yeah, I have three kids. Two in highschool and an 8th grader. The Soul suprisingly has more room inside than appears. I'm 6'4" and fit just fine. Plenty of head room and leg space. But, I will say this, if you have a full load of passengers, the dynamics of acceleration and breaking are very noticeable. Nothing to get excited about if you get my drift. But, All in all, I Iove the car.
Keith Smith I agree about the interior room. I was shopping for a small suv and saw these and the guy was like check it out...i said heck no way to little...he opened the door and when i got in i felt like i was in a different car. I was told it has the same interior seating area of the Kia Sorento...hard to believe until ya get in the Soul...then its wow...a whole different car, lol
I'm driving one of these as a rental this week and I can say that its a great car. I do wish there was more trunk space, my RSX has better trunk space. But power is sufficient to get moving quickly if you want to, its not as bad as Cooley mentions. The MPG is meh. I've done mostly city driving and after 1/2 a tank I'm only 22 mpg. But what I love is the headunit. Everything is responsive and it just works. I think it looks good and I see it as a better executed Scion Xb.
+UberTech my only issue is that kia's warranty is a bit weak. A fellow college classmate bought one new a few years ago only to have an engine issue and kia said she had to pay for it herself. Even though her mechanic said it was a manufacturing issue. I wanted to get one because it looked cool and had a decent inside and the crash reports were great. For a first car I had to pass. Kia needs to either make better parts or honor the warranty. It would help people feel safe and then they would get more sales.
John Maksym Yeah, alot of cars aren't perfect after several hundred miles, its hit or miss in the engineering department. Definitely do your research and see what people say about it on forums.See if different years have different improvements or have the most defects.
Damn 26 grand?? I'd go CNET style if they offered a 6 speed manual... a person I know got a Malibu for 28 that had literally nothing but power windows and ac.
SlipknotMaggot0526 I know this is an old comment, but, i was shopping the loaded !!! and they are 26-27K. However, every dealer was knocking off roughly 4K so there is some wiggle room in there and they are great little cars...but yeah hard to beat raw power of a Malibu etc...but thats a whole different league....
There is a 6 speed manual version. I have a soul with it :) it only comes on the base model though I'm sure you could add most of the fancier features if you wanted to.
Hey Cooley, highway MPG for the Kia Soul is actually 31, not 38. That's why I passed on the Soul and got the 2013 Hyundai Veloster instead (37 highway MPG).
brnd19921 I looked at the Veloster, heck my head was hitting the headliner and my butt felt like it was on the ground and i was felt stuffed in to the car...great looking car tho...especially the turbo...
I HAVE A 2013 TOP MODEL]dam cap lock!!!] and it is the best car I ever owned it is super fast great on gas [hey that rhymes!]I have had it now since 2017 it was a salvage fixed up great!! no complaints!! I'm a SOUL MAN!! RATED
Do you still have yours? I have a 2015 base 1.6L with automatic transmission, also called sportmatic transmission (but there's nothing really sporty about it!) 267k miles and still going strong. I got it with 203k miles because I trust Kia. Wish I could've gotten the one with the 2.0L. Front catalytic converter fell apart from the inside and was replaced and covered by Kia corporate 100%. Did that at 255,000 miles. I downgraded from a 1989 Lincoln Town Car Signature Series
0 to 60 in the Soul with 2.0 is 8.1 to 8.5 as tested by Car and Driver , and Motor Trend . These are respectable times for this class . I've owned three Souls , the third being a 2014 Red Zone and the Soul has plenty of pep
Yup, saw those....love the Car & Driver I think when they had the Soul vs the Fiat 500L, and the Fiat transmission was have major problems...already was living uop to FixItAlltheTime or FixItAgainTony. The Soul fools people cause it doesn't feel fast but looking at the numbers and speedometer, it is peppy. Maybe cause it is so solid feeling with a pretty quiet interior.
Just bought the 1.6 liter. 15k for the base model, plus tax and gap insurance. Ran me 17k. Absolutely love it. Its light, nimble and feels quick. Not a lot of power, but you should know that already. The manual shifting makes this a fun car. I thought i needed the 2.0 liter, because that's what they promote, but keep the $2k in your pocket, spend the money on upgrading rims, or intake, exhaust, or whatever. You will never miss the 30 extra hp. Plus, if you have a tablet, just connect it through blue tooth and you'll have all the options that they want you to purchase with the exclaim version. The only thing I'd change or want is the panoramic roof.
I own a 2015 base model and am very happy with the car. To get good to excellent gas mileage there many factors involved. Obviously the first two are how you drive and traffic. I drove about 70 miles and avg 40mpg. Granted not long a trip. As for the 1.6 L engine it has plenty of power.
While the top trim is a bit expensive for what is still an economy car I see an oppotunity for Kia to expand into the luxury market Upgrade the interior trim, real leather, better paint and accents and put a turbo on the engine and you could have a really interesting and quirky luxury car that does not exist in north america I would definitely sell better that the k900
0-60 7.6 to slowest seen 9.1 (and that the guy burned rubber) Take off the eco mode and the car is peppy, the eco mode grabs 20% of the power for better mileage.
dygardion 91 That's not, but 23 for city, my 2011 camry can do that ... Set of the city mileage is an impressive considering this will be more of an urban city car
the problem with the Soul unfortunately is that it gained a bunch of weight with this redesign. that's why fuel economy is not very good and neither is acceleration. I wanted a Soul for a while until I found out that it just does not get good MPG, especially compared to something like a Mazda3i hatch, which costs about the same.
Its the box design that doesn't get that good aero like from a sports car. I average 32mpg with mine (When its 30 on paper). I wouldn't trip about it though.
jon368100 The Soul does not compete in mpg against the Mazda3 hatch. I like the mazda3 hatch almost purchased one, very nice ride, quiet etc...but what sold me on the Soul is the interior space, seating position and all the extra in cabin gadgets that kia throws in...so far so good...if not the soul i woulda got the mazda3 hatch
The Kia Soul begs for an Applause. Eveytime I see a Kia Soul commercial comes on, all I can think of is hamsters and music artists, such as Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, and Axwell.
I own a 2014 base model kia soul and i average 30-35 mpg. It all depends on how you drive the car. I drive my car very conservatively, but some people drive their cars with a heavy foot, so they just might average the minimum mpg. The kia soul is a economy car nothing more nothing less, so if you want maximum mpg you cannot drive it like it's a performance car, because that is not what it is built for.
Jim Wilson Yes, I would have to say that figure is, what would you say?...."optimistic" I have the 1.6 and so far (I've had it for about 4 months now) is 21 MPG.
Sick man's urine? Yikes! Anyone with urine that color is not human.(Alien 2, get it ?) Now the Solar Yellow paint, that description fits What a hideous color . Not sure which is worse Solar Yellow or Latte brown. Piss or Poo? Hmmmm. Kia should follow Honda Fit's example and offer manual to at least mid level trim.
I have 2013 KIA Soul 2.0 litre. Its faster than my Honda Accord 2002(tuned up) for 0 to 60 mph. I always tend to accelerate my car at the entrance of highway right in front of my house and my KIA I know for sure is so much quicker than my Honda. SO I dont know why this man utters such a lame judgment on it.
Was your old car a single cam or dual cam? Becuase I had the same experience going from 2.3L ULEV VTEC engine to a 2.0L DOHC motor in my 2011 SOUL. Mine can go up steep hills at 3rd gear with no issues while my old Honda wouldnt go up unless it was in 2nd gear. I would redline to the top.
Better quality interior than a Mini Coiuntyman and more updated infotainment system. Soul has quieter and nicer ride. Take the padded leather & padded plastic dash over the cheap hard plastics found in the Mini...lots more cheap hard plastic in the Mini and the Soul is rated better than average in reliabilityl The Mini-much worst then average, in fact the worst quality vehicle according to owners in CR and 4th from the bottom by I believe it was edmunds. Was ahead of Fiat. LOL I was so disappointed in the Countryman...was my 1st choice until sitting in it and the reviews about reliability and the Mini Forum was full of disgruntled owners. Too bad really cute car with prestige...but I take Quality over a poor quality prestige badge.
Kias are getting expensive!!! Its nice to have all these options but kias and hyundais depreciate horribly and have horrible resale and decent reliability.
Lol? you must be still living in the 80s. Kias depreciation rate is now industry average and there is no car in the same segment that offers what the Soul does at 26k fully loaded. Most people are going to buy the Plus model and that still is a steal in my opinion
www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/best-retained-value-cars.html Soul is up there in the 35K and under vehicles....as having best retained value. Agree with BlueWill + is your best bang for your buck, but like the led lights, body color bumpers and most of all the HID headlights...and add on a few options to the Whole Shabang package such as rear spoiler, interior light kit, mud guards, etc. and the Soul MSRP is ~28K then add a couple hundred bucks more for the spare tire kit. Still a lot of quality & features for a sub 30K car..it won me over the Mini Countyman which was within 366 bucks of the Soul & can be gotten it cheaper cause the Mini dealer would do the Costco pricing and the Soul ! trim level was exempt...but rather have Quality than an unreliable poor quality vehicle with a prestigious name plate
price considered this is just as bad as the other models he compared it to, small and small with a touch of slow. i laughed when he mentioned windows phone support and fell out of my chair when he mentioned no blackberry support
"a little korean bentley" lmfao cooley kills me
"0-60 eventually" LOL man Cooley is the best!
Kia Soul ! is the "best" bang for the buck vehicle you are going to get in the US today. Awesome review as always Cooley!
Car manufacturers should take note of these videos and have a check box for "CNET Style" on the options list.
Yeah, 50% more expensive, but worth it! :D
And it would make it faster to get all of the things you want if you actually LIKE going CNET Style, right? c:
lol You know what. Thats the same thing i was thinking.
This car had the coolest commercial with the dancing mice back in the day. I like it in Pea Green too!
who else loves the commercials for this car
The Kia Soul is also very practical as a daily driver and people mover. It does what it does very well indeed, and at a very reasonable price.
Price
What is the going price for a 2014 kia sole
cool to see kia have a little bit of fun with the naming of the packages.. the whole shebang. compare that with Ford's package names like 502A and it shows that kia is actually trying to be more youthful
Also included in the 2019 “Whole Shebang” Kia Soul package are two friendly hamsters that you have to feed and pet. Now you know 🐹
Best in its class, no doubt!
I’m glad I made the choice to buy this car.
Yeah, I have three kids. Two in highschool and an 8th grader. The Soul suprisingly has more room inside than appears. I'm 6'4" and fit just fine. Plenty of head room and leg space. But, I will say this, if you have a full load of passengers, the dynamics of acceleration and breaking are very noticeable. Nothing to get excited about if you get my drift. But, All in all, I Iove the car.
Keith Smith I agree about the interior room. I was shopping for a small suv and saw these and the guy was like check it out...i said heck no way to little...he opened the door and when i got in i felt like i was in a different car. I was told it has the same interior seating area of the Kia Sorento...hard to believe until ya get in the Soul...then its wow...a whole different car, lol
13 seconds and Cooley has already rattled off 3 complaints... these videos are so entertaining
Been waiting for this review, thanks Brian!
I want this car so bad!
I bought mine used in 2016 with less than 19,000 miles on it & totally love it !!!!
"Sick man's urine" This guy cracks me up. Critical in a funny way.
All of tech gripes Brian Cooley mentioned here are addressed with a software update that retrotfits Apple CarPlay & Android Auto to this Soul
I'm driving one of these as a rental this week and I can say that its a great car. I do wish there was more trunk space, my RSX has better trunk space. But power is sufficient to get moving quickly if you want to, its not as bad as Cooley mentions. The MPG is meh. I've done mostly city driving and after 1/2 a tank I'm only 22 mpg. But what I love is the headunit. Everything is responsive and it just works. I think it looks good and I see it as a better executed Scion Xb.
+UberTech Yeah I drove one yesterday. They are pretty fast when you step on it.
+UberTech my only issue is that kia's warranty is a bit weak. A fellow college classmate bought one new a few years ago only to have an engine issue and kia said she had to pay for it herself. Even though her mechanic said it was a manufacturing issue. I wanted to get one because it looked cool and had a decent inside and the crash reports were great. For a first car I had to pass. Kia needs to either make better parts or honor the warranty. It would help people feel safe and then they would get more sales.
John Maksym Yeah, alot of cars aren't perfect after several hundred miles, its hit or miss in the engineering department.
Definitely do your research and see what people say about it on forums.See if different years have different improvements or have the most defects.
Damn 26 grand?? I'd go CNET style if they offered a 6 speed manual... a person I know got a Malibu for 28 that had literally nothing but power windows and ac.
SlipknotMaggot0526 I know this is an old comment, but, i was shopping the loaded !!! and they are 26-27K. However, every dealer was knocking off roughly 4K so there is some wiggle room in there and they are great little cars...but yeah hard to beat raw power of a Malibu etc...but thats a whole different league....
Dawson Bloodworth That was the point, idiot. Come back to me when you can complete a sentence correctly.
SlipknotMaggot0526 Damn, I thought you were replying to Jeff. Shit sorry, my bad.
There is a 6 speed manual version. I have a soul with it :) it only comes on the base model though I'm sure you could add most of the fancier features if you wanted to.
Hey Cooley, highway MPG for the Kia Soul is actually 31, not 38.
That's why I passed on the Soul and got the 2013 Hyundai Veloster instead (37 highway MPG).
brnd19921 I looked at the Veloster, heck my head was hitting the headliner and my butt felt like it was on the ground and i was felt stuffed in to the car...great looking car tho...especially the turbo...
Completely 2 different cars lol
I HAVE A 2013 TOP MODEL]dam cap lock!!!] and it is the best car I ever owned it is super fast great on gas [hey that rhymes!]I have had it now since 2017 it was a salvage fixed up great!! no complaints!! I'm a SOUL MAN!!
RATED
Do you still have yours? I have a 2015 base 1.6L with automatic transmission, also called sportmatic transmission (but there's nothing really sporty about it!) 267k miles and still going strong. I got it with 203k miles because I trust Kia. Wish I could've gotten the one with the 2.0L. Front catalytic converter fell apart from the inside and was replaced and covered by Kia corporate 100%. Did that at 255,000 miles. I downgraded from a 1989 Lincoln Town Car Signature Series
its wonderful
You know Kia is aiming for the younger audience when they got a package called the "Whole Shebang" lol
0 to 60 in the Soul with 2.0 is 8.1 to 8.5 as tested by Car and Driver , and Motor Trend . These are respectable times for this class . I've owned three Souls , the third being a 2014 Red Zone and the Soul has plenty of pep
Yup, saw those....love the Car & Driver I think when they had the Soul vs the Fiat 500L, and the Fiat transmission was have major problems...already was living uop to FixItAlltheTime or FixItAgainTony. The Soul fools people cause it doesn't feel fast but looking at the numbers and speedometer, it is peppy. Maybe cause it is so solid feeling with a pretty quiet interior.
"0-60 , Eventually " :D :D Awesome review as usual
He was right, and I tested it with my own 2011 car. Its a 9 second car.
@@2fast4all that's fast compared to my 90 Ford festiva. That's a 13 second car. I'd be happy with 9
Just bought the 1.6 liter. 15k for the base model, plus tax and gap insurance. Ran me 17k. Absolutely love it. Its light, nimble and feels quick. Not a lot of power, but you should know that already. The manual shifting makes this a fun car. I thought i needed the 2.0 liter, because that's what they promote, but keep the $2k in your pocket, spend the money on upgrading rims, or intake, exhaust, or whatever. You will never miss the 30 extra hp. Plus, if you have a tablet, just connect it through blue tooth and you'll have all the options that they want you to purchase with the exclaim version. The only thing I'd change or want is the panoramic roof.
Keith Smith do you have kids?
I own a 2015 base model and am very happy with the car.
To get good to excellent gas mileage there many factors involved. Obviously the first two are how you drive and traffic. I drove about 70 miles and avg 40mpg. Granted not long a trip. As for the 1.6 L engine it has plenty of power.
I love that they play Cnet videos at Target
While the top trim is a bit expensive for what is still an economy car
I see an oppotunity for Kia to expand into the luxury market
Upgrade the interior trim, real leather, better paint and accents and put a turbo on the engine and you could have a really interesting and quirky luxury car
that does not exist in north america
I would definitely sell better that the k900
Driving one for a rental now, not bad but the suspension needs work along with steering..
Wow didn't expect it to have heated steering wheel, heated rear seats or air conditioned seats
I'm having seconds thoughts about this car, thanks Cooley
The 2015 Sonata looks pretty good, I wonder what the MSRP will be for a spec'd out model. I also wonder how CarPlay will work out for them...
Love all the creature comforts but what about durability?
I think Kia gets their processors from Intel maybe that's why the navigation's touch screen is so fast
I don't get why he hates it when radio and media are different categories! It's better that way!
Wow it has an Audi push button start exactly where Audi puts it an an Audi gauge cluster that looks just like Audis -.-
Clock not displaying on my Kia Soul 2014?
Small? It's still a big car.
where is the video?
Cooley really went ga ga over this car ... :) I wish he gave the 0-30 0-60 numbers.
0-60 7.6 to slowest seen 9.1 (and that the guy burned rubber)
Take off the eco mode and the car is peppy, the eco mode grabs 20% of the power for better mileage.
Actually the color is called alien 2
Kial Soul....EH!
This car has taken over the market share void left over by the Chevy HHR
I think the ! was supposed to be pronounced as Exclaim lol
38 is eh? well damn lol
dygardion 91 That's not, but 23 for city, my 2011 camry can do that ... Set of the city mileage is an impressive considering this will be more of an urban city car
Lol " the color of a sick man's urine. Cooley tells the truth about every car he reviews not many people do that.
Am i the only one who calls it bugger green instead of sick mans urine
Price
are the hamsters included?
the problem with the Soul unfortunately is that it gained a bunch of weight with this redesign. that's why fuel economy is not very good and neither is acceleration. I wanted a Soul for a while until I found out that it just does not get good MPG, especially compared to something like a Mazda3i hatch, which costs about the same.
Its the box design that doesn't get that good aero like from a sports car. I average 32mpg with mine (When its 30 on paper). I wouldn't trip about it though.
jon368100 The Soul does not compete in mpg against the Mazda3 hatch. I like the mazda3 hatch almost purchased one, very nice ride, quiet etc...but what sold me on the Soul is the interior space, seating position and all the extra in cabin gadgets that kia throws in...so far so good...if not the soul i woulda got the mazda3 hatch
pandora is an app, not media, dude
The Kia Soul begs for an Applause. Eveytime I see a Kia Soul commercial comes on, all I can think of is hamsters and music artists, such as Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, and Axwell.
yeah, Kia really should be showing how the Soul crushes the Mini in quality. Soul is faster than the regular Mini and runs on reg; unleaded.
He forgot to say there are fold in mirrors!!!!
It's called "Exclaim", not "ehh" (!)
MPG: 23/38? LOL...wrong.
Try 23/31/26.
6:02.. Rated at 38 on the highway? I don't think so.
I own a 2014 base model kia soul and i average 30-35 mpg. It all depends on how you drive the car. I drive my car very conservatively, but some people drive their cars with a heavy foot, so they just might average the minimum mpg. The kia soul is a economy car nothing more nothing less, so if you want maximum mpg you cannot drive it like it's a performance car, because that is not what it is built for.
Jim Wilson Yes, I would have to say that figure is, what would you say?...."optimistic" I have the 1.6 and so far (I've had it for about 4 months now) is 21 MPG.
***** I'll notify the press immediately.
Actually 38 MPG isn't that unreasonable. I got 37 MPG on a road trip.
My 6 speed manual transmission gives me those mpg's 😊
eh! Haha, Cooley is awesome.
Is it me or did they say "HIV" headlights
Those are one of the most useful driving AIDS
Sick man's urine? Yikes! Anyone with urine that color is not human.(Alien 2, get it ?) Now the Solar Yellow paint, that description fits What a hideous color . Not sure which is worse Solar Yellow or Latte brown. Piss or Poo? Hmmmm. Kia should follow Honda Fit's example and offer manual to at least mid level trim.
I thought it ran Android
REPENTNOWANDTRUSTJESUSCHRISTOURLORDANDSAVIORPLEASE🥰
No Blackberry support?! I'm out. ;-)
1st
I have 2013 KIA Soul 2.0 litre. Its faster than my Honda Accord 2002(tuned up) for 0 to 60 mph. I always tend to accelerate my car at the entrance of highway right in front of my house and my KIA I know for sure is so much quicker than my Honda. SO I dont know why this man utters such a lame judgment on it.
Then your Honda isn't really "tuned", instead NEEDS to be tuned.
Was your old car a single cam or dual cam? Becuase I had the same experience going from 2.3L ULEV VTEC engine to a 2.0L DOHC motor in my 2011 SOUL. Mine can go up steep hills at 3rd gear with no issues while my old Honda wouldnt go up unless it was in 2nd gear. I would redline to the top.
He was being very rude at the start in my opinion
Kia is like a rat trap. They give u good standard features but make you option up for what u really want. In the end its still a kia
Better quality interior than a Mini Coiuntyman and more updated infotainment system. Soul has quieter and nicer ride. Take the padded leather & padded plastic dash over the cheap hard plastics found in the Mini...lots more cheap hard plastic in the Mini and the Soul is rated better than average in reliabilityl The Mini-much worst then average, in fact the worst quality vehicle according to owners in CR and 4th from the bottom by I believe it was edmunds. Was ahead of Fiat. LOL I was so disappointed in the Countryman...was my 1st choice until sitting in it and the reviews about reliability and the Mini Forum was full of disgruntled owners. Too bad really cute car with prestige...but I take Quality over a poor quality prestige badge.
The looks are deceiving. As a typical Korean car, it has lousy engine and transmission. The most important parts of any vehicle.
The soul is based off the xB. Not unique, just a copy
_daveshadow6_ O the soul outsold the XB and is the only box car left. The XB has been dethroned
Kias are getting expensive!!! Its nice to have all these options but kias and hyundais depreciate horribly and have horrible resale and decent reliability.
Lol? you must be still living in the 80s. Kias depreciation rate is now industry average and there is no car in the same segment that offers what the Soul does at 26k fully loaded. Most people are going to buy the Plus model and that still is a steal in my opinion
www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/best-retained-value-cars.html
Soul is up there in the 35K and under vehicles....as having best retained value.
Agree with BlueWill + is your best bang for your buck, but like the led lights, body color bumpers and most of all the HID headlights...and add on a few options to the Whole Shabang package such as rear spoiler, interior light kit, mud guards, etc. and the Soul MSRP is ~28K then add a couple hundred bucks more for the spare tire kit. Still a lot of quality & features for a sub 30K car..it won me over the Mini Countyman which was within 366 bucks of the Soul & can be gotten it cheaper cause the Mini dealer would do the Costco pricing and the Soul ! trim level was exempt...but rather have Quality than an unreliable poor quality vehicle with a prestigious name plate
price considered this is just as bad as the other models he compared it to, small and small with a touch of slow. i laughed when he mentioned windows phone support and fell out of my chair when he mentioned no blackberry support