I was provided with a 2015 Kia Soul to test drive to facilitate this review. The opinions in this post are 100% mine. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
We recently took a family vacation to Kissimmee, Florida and had the BEST time hitting up all the attractions in this CUTE 2014 Kia Soul! (the exclamation is a trim level). Is there a better car to drive around sunny Florida in? No, definitely not. Actually we kinda wanted to bring it home with us. It’s such a fun car to drive and handles great on the road. Here are the biggest wins for the Kia Soul!
3 Reasons We Love the 2014 Kia Soul
Personality
The Kia Soul is a car that stands out from the crowd. Even people who aren’t car enthusiasts will recognize the Soul based it’s eye-catching design. So unique which I love! It looks like it drove straight out of a video game! I’ve seen the Soul on the road here and there and can identify them instantly, but I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect while driving one. We have 2 kids, ages 5 and 9. Was this going to be a family car, or more for young drivers? The Soul immediately began to grow on me from the minute I started driving it.
The Soul has interesting features that complete the overall experience. For example, sit down in the driver’s seat and close the door, and if the key is with you you’ll hear an a short audible tune to welcome you to the car. It’s just the sort of thing that separates it from other cars and brings the Soul to life. If it’s dark, optional mood lighting adds a really cool effect. It’s obvious that Kia has sought to deliver a final product that is more than just a normal car. And they’ve succeeded!
Value
The Soul delivers excellent value for the money. Our Soul was loaded with the premium (!) trim, but even at the top level the MSRP is only $20,700. The price for a base Soul is $15,100 and it gets 30 mpg on the highway. Looking at this car from the outside, you might think it’s a small car, but there was ample room for our family of four. We were comfortable and the trunk was large enough for our luggage and I’m not exactly what you’d call a light packer. For a vehicle the size and price of the Soul, the accommodations are very generous, the performance exceeds expectations and the style definitely provides a “wow” factor.
Easy & Fun
Compared to other cars the Soul is very easy to drive. I didn’t experience the same type of ‘get-me-out-of-this-car’ that I experience in other cars, partly because I enjoyed driving the Soul, but also because of the way Kia has engineered it. The adjustable steering really creates a tighter feeling of control over the car. The brakes are very responsive and the power is generous for a car the size of the Soul. The Soul is a very balanced blend of style, sports and utility. The total package!
Its interior is comfortable and the seat is very supportive. It fits like a glove with the layout of the steering, the driver’s seat and the shifter. The repetitive tasks of driving just felt easy in the Soul. The instrument panel is easy to view and adjust, the heating and air conditioning controls are intuitive and the screen that displays the GPS and XM/Sirius radio is easy to use. And then there are the heated and cooled seats. In Florida when you can cool your seat it’s like super awesome, folks. Love this feature!
In a place as mundane as a parking lot the Soul really shines. It’s small enough to maneuver with ease to get around tight corners and backing out into busy areas is made easier and safer with the help of a rear backup camera. When you return to the car, leave the key in your pocket and use the push-button keyless entry. Keep the key in your pocket and push the button to start the engine to head to the next destination. This is a lifesaver for me who usually has a kid’s hand in one hand and a bag of groceries in the other. I love not having to fumble for keys.
The Soul is one of the most enjoyable cars we’ve ever driven and our bright yellow Soul was energetic and just PERFECT for a fun trip! I’d love to have it for our summer beach trips each year or heck, even a trip to the grocery store! While being a very practical car, I still looked forward to driving it whether it was a for a short city drive or a longer highway drive. The Soul is the type of car the makes driving fun. We were bummed when it was time to return the Soul and head back to PA. In a week it had become part of our family.
The Kia Soul starts at just $15,100 and goes up from there with additional options. We highly recommend checking it out and taking a test drive when you’re in the market for a new car. We loved it!
Mary from Mission: to Save says
I LOVE heated seats! LOL! I have always thought the Soul looked like a fun car. Do you think 3 kiddos could fit in the back seat?
Lindsay Frank says
Yes, I think they could but probably not comfortably in car seats or boosters. It really is SUCH a fun car to drive and so cute. We loved it! (I actually think my husband loved it more than I did which surprised us both!)