Article Comments - 2010 Kia Soul First Drive and Full Test

70 messages, Last post on Jul 10, 2009 at 2:34 PM

You are in the Kia Soul Forum. Your Host is pf_flyer

What is this discussion about? Kia Soul, Future Vehicle, Coupe, Hatchback

2010 Kia Soul First Drive - First Impressions: Finally and quite fittingly, a Kia with some soul. (more)

2010 Kia Soul Full Test and Video - Bottom Line: Fashion sense is everything in a funky hatchback and the Soul has it. But we're more attracted to this box's driving dynamics, which are among the best in this class. (more)

Outline

Messages Page 8 of 8: 1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; Prev; Next; Last

#65 of 70 No Heated Mirrors! Again! by ike3 May 30, 2009 (5:55 am)
Love the look of the vehicle, really. Was at a Buffalo area dealer this past week. Being along the border, I curiously checked and compared the specs between the U.S. and Canadian models. They have 5 trim levels, not 4. But ALL their trim levels included "Dual power, heated, body-coloured mirrors." I look at the U.S. specs, and on the 3 upper trim levels all I see is "Body color, power-adjustable outside mirrors." Oh the base U.S. model is "Black, manually-adjustable outside mirrors." So, I beg the question, why was this feature "decontented" for the U.S. market? The heated mirrors can be turned on and off, but a life saver in climates as harsh as ours are in the winter months. I won't say its a deal breaker, and its too bad that a Canadian Kia dealer can't sell one to me if I plate it in the U.S. Why is it that Kia and Nissan (among others) delete this feature for the U.S.?
#66 of 70 Could be... by iluvmysephia1 May 30, 2009 (12:54 pm)
ike3. All I would say is this car is priced bargain-basement cheap. What a great car for the money. Kia just keeps getting better and better. And the last time I typed this was about a year ago!
#67 of 70 Re: Soul No Deal [cruzdreamer] by jyym Jun 18, 2009 (2:19 pm)
Replying to: cruzdreamer (May 14, 2009 1:14 pm) A solid-beam rear suspension is older (design), less sophisticated than a multi-link rear suspension, but the upside is that it is cheaper and allows for more leg/storage room in the rear. The Ford Mustang still utilizes a solid-beam axle and the reviews on the ride have been pretty decent/good (as it has been for the Soul).
#68 of 70 Re: Strut [borgward1] by jyym Jun 18, 2009 (2:22 pm)
Replying to: borgward1 (May 19, 2009 5:36 am) As "cute-utes" go, it is probably the best handling of the lot (not that it means much - but, hey, what do you expect from a box on wheels?).
#69 of 70 Re: Just checked out the Cube site [rockymtnhi] by jyym Jun 18, 2009 (2:25 pm)
Replying to: rockymtnhi (Apr 16, 2009 3:58 pm) An option closer to the Mazda3 would be the Elantra Touring which is basically Hyundai's European i30 wagon rebadged (too bad Hyundai didn't bring over the i30 hatch; or even better yet, Kia bringing over the cee'd/pro cee'd). Replies to this message: stephen987 (Jul 10, 2009 2:34 pm)
#70 of 70 Re: Just checked out the Cube site [jyym] by stephen987 Jul 10, 2009 (2:34 pm)
Replying to: jyym (Jun 18, 2009 2:25 pm) I just drove the Soul+ and came away pretty impressed. The handling isn't as crisp as that of the Fit, but it's less fidgety and more comfortable. The engine is stronger too. I didn't have the negative reaction Erin did to the gearbox--to me it felt pretty decent, though not as sporty as the Fit's. In the Soul, 1st and 3rd gear are very close to one another in a way that might cause you to accidentally try to pull off the line in 3rd, but I found my way through it without any problems. Right now I'm looking at buying either a Fit or a Soul before the end of July.