I've been wondering if that adorable little car with the hamsters inside lived up to all the hype.
Well, the Kia Soul was not only a CUTE, FUN car, but also a very PRACTICAL and LUXURIOUS car as well.
While this car would make the perfect commuting car for my husband, I also found it ample for what a family of four would require to go about a busy week.
In short: I was pleasantly surprised by the practicality of this vehicle.
The model we were given for the week, the Kia Soul ! (Exclaim) was a perfect little car for driving my family around town, and even going on a road trip to The Great Homeschool Convention. This vehicle would be the perfect car for a commuting dad or first time driver.
Let's Talk Space
The Kia Soul! comfortably seated four people. My husband was impressed with the amount of headroom (he is 6' tall), and I was impressed that my children weren't seated on top of each other in the back seat.
The cargo room in the very back is ample. Here you see a scooter, donations for GoodWill, a soft cooler, and two bags of groceries, which all fit nicely. I loved the cargo net and zipper pocket. It all kept me very organized.
(My husband drives a little commuter car now - quite a popular car in this class of vehicles, in fact - he said he would prefer this Soul over his own vehicle because of the space. Now that's high praise!)
There is a large tray in the back that simply lifts out to give you more depth of cargo space if you are carrying more.
Here you see our large suitcase for the Great Homeschool Convention, along with my daughter's duffle bag.
The back seats also fold down (and the head rests come off) to allow you room for hauling cargo. Nice.
(image courtesty Kia)
The Soul on a Road Trip
We traveled three hours away to Greenville, SC for the Great Homeschool Convention.
The Kia Soul Exclaim was the perfect traveling vehicle.
What made it a great car for traveling:
- cruise control
- automatic back up camera
- Satellite radio and navigation
- heated seats
- a jack to charge my phone and play audio from my phone as well
- a button that when pressed automatically collapses the side mirrors (great for when you have to get in close to the pay station in a parking garage!)
- a sunroof to enjoy the beautiful weather (in the 70s) we had in Greenville
- fuel efficiency (we averaged 23 mpg around town and close to 30 on our trip)
- TONS of visibility - my husband remarked at how nice this was on the freeway - a broad view made him feel safer on the road
Fun Features I Loved
That nifty little button in the car pictured below is for the color speakers. Yes, color speakers. They change color based on the music! What fun! I realize this isn't a necessity or a selling point, but I was surprised at how much fun it made to drive the car.
I also loved that the controls for the awesome Infinity stereo were right on the steering wheel, as were the buttons for voice commands, blue tooth phone connectivity, and cruise control.
One morning I had an 8 a.m. doctor's appointment. I hopped into my Soul (it was 35 degrees), turned on the heated seats, plugged in my iPhone to listen to a podcast and started on my way. I was driving in comfort and luxury, and it made my life so much easier.
I've heard so much about the new redesigned Kia cars recently. The Soul Exclaim was most impressive. I could picture our family buying this car and it fitting our needs PERFECTLY. And, if you check out the sticker price you will see it is quite affordable, too.
As I pointed out in my review of the Kia Optima, these cars are made right here in Georiga - which is another huge PLUS in my book.
I miss my adorable Alien Green Soul.
I was happy to show it off during our trip to the Great Homeschool Convention (which you will hear more about soon!) and had fun driving it around town, too.
It also made me smile to think of my good friend, Tricia (remember when we rode home from BEECH together in an Optima?) who was happily driving a Kia Rio to a blogging retreat she attended the same weekend. If we couldn't be together, at least we were driving in style! (Check out her Kia Rio experience!)
*Thank you to Kia for giving us the Soul to drive for one very fun week. No other compensation was received.