As most of you know we are in need of a new family vehicle. Our SUV from 2000 is on its last legs, so we’ve been doing a lot of test driving lately. We driven a number of fantastic cars, mini-vans, SUV’s, and even a big truck.
While they’ve all been wonderful in their own way and each has had features that we’ve enjoyed, we are still looking for the vehicle that would be perfect for our family. That’s why I was excited when I found out we’d have the chance to test drive for a week, the Kia Soul Exclaim.
When we bought our family car, a sedan, two years ago we had to make a decision quick. The car before it just fell apart one day and was no longer driveable. Dave went on a mad search to find a replacement. He had heard amazing things about the Kia Soul – everyone who had one loved them. It was at the top of his list to test drive, but since he was crunched for time it didn’t work out. While we like our car and he did a great job picking it out, every time we saw a Kia Soul since we wondered what it would be like to drive one.
Then the day came. A sunny, happy green Kia Soul was sitting in our driveaway. I could hardly wait to hop in and take it for a drive. Here’s a video overview I took to show off the interior:
I do admit that I thought it was going to be pretty small but thankfully I pleasantly surprised and have found the interior to be very roomy and spacious. In fact, I wish I had video taped Kora and Logan’s first reactions when they saw the Soul and then when they got in. They kept commenting on how small it was and then once they got inside they couldn’t stop saying, “Wow!” and ‘This is amazing! It’s like a magic trick! How is it so big in here and so small on the outside?”
You can see from these photos that there’s plenty of room for both the driver and the passenger and for those in the backseat too. As a parent, it’s important that the kids are not on top of each other so you are not hearing “Mom, she’s touching me!” endlessly and so the kids aren’t kicking your seat even accidentally when they shift around. We were happy to find that we had none of these problems with the Kia Soul.
I do have to say that the trunk space is a bit limited. However, I am pleased to see that there is bit more storage space underneath the floormat. It would take some real expert packing skills to take the Soul with us on roadtrips or anywhere the four of us and Yoshi dog (she is getting gigantic!).
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- Kia Soul Spacious Trunk
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- Kia Soul Open Trunk
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- Kia Soul Extra Under Compartment
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- Kia Soul 60/40 Folding Back Seat
However, as a vehicle for daily use it’s phenomenal and we all have fallen in love with it. I fully enjoy the size and handling. It’s very easy to drive, is incredibly smooth (even over our rough Cleveland winter roads), and makes parking a breeze.
Other features we enjoy and can’t get enough of include:
Gigantic Panoramic Sunroof
Huge 8″ Navigation Screen
Rear Camera With Guidelines
Ventilated & Heated Seats
Heated Steering Wheel
These are wonderful features of the Soul and it really is a fantastic family vehicle. The model we drove had a sticker price of $26,195 which is fairly affordable for all it has to offer. Dave was pleased with the mileage as well. At 26 mpg it’s a money saver too.
We recommend the Kia Soul Exclaim to anyone looking for a new vehicle. It’s honestly at the top of our list and barring anything odd from happening you will be seeing us driving one as our new family vehicle in the next few months. While I’m terrible sad to see this sunny, green beauty leave our driveway I can’t wait to get one of our own soon!
How nice. We recently got a new car that has the backup camera feature. It is super handy!
i’m always interested in hearing ‘real’ peoples opinions about cars, thanks. it seems pretty cool. my wife wants one im more of a truck guy but this is a good car
We are thinking of getting a Kia, they seem nice and really affordable.
It does look incredibly spacious! After driving a Ford Focus, I could use some space. I am adamant that my next vehicle will have a Rear Camera With Guidelines! Must have been a fun week with this ride!
This is such a cute car! I really could use a backup camera like that one! Great features!
I was just at a dealership yesterday interested in a Ford but the salesperson said for what I was looking for a Kia Soul was the way to go (it was a Ford and Kia dealership!). I never would have thought of one. He said the 2014 is a total redesign and is bigger than the years before. I currently drive a Honda Element so I like the toaster shape of these vehicles. The 26 MPG isn’t bad for a NON-aerodynamic car. The “Trunk” space is smaller than my Element (I can fit a 58 inch flat screen tv in there). Since Honda is no longer making Elements the Kia Soul is at the top of my list. I will be getting a new car by Christmas. Here in the Raleigh/Durham area the base price for Soul’s is $17,000. I would get a few bells and whistles added but not too many. My daughter is not a fan of the sunroof I currently have because it can get really sunny and it’s hard to block. I would skip that feature. But the heated and cooled seats is a must in the hot south!
It really is a wonderful vehicle for all of the reasons you mentioned. That base price is amazing! I’m going to have to do some looking to see what I can find around here. Our sunroof was tinted I believe (don’t take my word for it thought cause we had a lot of snow so it was covered quite a bit) so maybe that’s an option you can look into if you like it and then your daughter won’t get so hot. The heated and cooled seats work really fast and I agree that you would love them in the south. I’m sure you could skip the heated steering wheel. Up here in Cleveland with them temp hovering around 10 degrees as a high it was a real treat for us.
Good luck when you go car shopping. I’d love to see what color you get!
I’ve come by those deceptively small cars before in my time, and it is like a magic trick once you get in um and see how roomy they are from the inside. The MPG of 26 is ok though – I get over 50 MPG with mine. Though I love all the extra features your one has to offer :)
It is amazing how they make it work. Seeing the kids reaction to how big it was inside was so cute and I wish I would have got it on video. It’s was great being able to zip around town so comfortably. 50 mpg is impressive! What do you drive?