2010 Kia Soul user reviews

4.5 stars

"Best value for the money!" on October 28, 2009 by Rodville

Pros: The integrated iPod/iPhone controls and Bluetooth phone support. The glow in the dark seats on the Plus (+) trim level. The bigger than average back seat.

Cons: The inside plastic's scratch easy. The rubberized window switch trim scuffs easy.

Summary: It's got a really good price with all the gadget's that all the others charge lots more for. It's got a lot more room inside than it look like from the outside. And it's fun to drive.

1.5 stars

"KIA Soul unreliable and weak frame structure" on June 19, 2010 by hemmelou

Pros: The car rides and handles fairly well

Cons: This car has a very weak structure around the motor and a poorly designed engine protection system. Will cause huge failures with no warning at high costs to the owner.

Summary: My daughter was in a very small fender bender. Was at a stoplight and the lady in front of her stopped and she wasn't looking and hit the back of her at less than 10 mph. She drove home and I did not see any real damage except the license plate was torn off. She went to pick up a friend later that evening and the car quit completely. After getting it towed in the KIA dealer said there was a crack in the radiator and the antifreeze leaked out and the engine was history. NO Warning lights came on at all until the engine failed. We had to put in a new engine at over $7,000. Nobody could explain how this could happen until I finally got to talk to the techncian, all they wanted to do is challenge the fact that no light came on by basically calling us liars so they would not have to cover it with the warranty. The technician told us the truth on how it could have happened. The only temperature monitoring is on the coolant so if the coolant became low, this probe would only be measuring air temperature and gives you absolutley no engine protection. I would not reccomend buying this product and supporting a company that does not stand behind its warranty.

4.5 stars

"It's a KIA not a Lexus. Reviewers are tainted." on August 6, 2009 by pixdoc

Pros: Style, Room, Storage, Fit & Finish, Safety, Handling, Controls, Electronics, Value, Warranty.

Cons: Could use some more low end torque. Trans shifts too soon for my taste.
Tires are a little noisy and "Ping" like a sound of those red rubber dodge balls from grade school. I plan to replace them.

Summary: This is an economy car. You can't beat it for the Money. I agree that the Trans shifts to early. It's trying to save fuel at the expense of high performance. Turn off the overdrive. The overall experience of this vehicle is great. I had a Matrix and a Versa before the Soul. This car is far better. I test drove the Cube and XB before buying a Soul. My conclusion was that overall the Soul is a better value.
Take one for a test drive.

4.0 stars

"Not a bad little bundle" on July 13, 2010 by jbjtkbw00--2008

Pros: Just picked mine up. I love the options, room (about as much room as my 2004 Jeep Liberty), seats, and stereo. Stereo has good sound. Engine is quiet for a 4 banger. Rear seats fold down easily and I can tote my dj equipment with ease.

Cons: Can't find a way to default the display to play the IDv3 tag info. Only displays the file name on the iPod, not the track name. Annoying. Also, has to download my address book EACH TIME I connect the phone. Time consuming.

Summary: Have had it for a day, but have already driven it over 100 miles since I live 40 miles away from the dealership. Took it on the highway and it cruises nicely. At speed, it feels relatively quick. Handling in and out of traffic was tight and precise. No race car mind you, but it gets the job done. Could use a little more low end on the on-ramp, but here in Florida, not that big of a deal most times.

A/C runs cold. Maybe too cold, even here in FL. Not saying that's a bad thing though. Tires have some good grip. Would like the trip center to display tire pressure, but you have to look at the valve stem caps to see when low or just wait until the TPM light comes on. Seats are firm. Not sure how they'll do on a long trip, but I'll find out in August up and down the East coast. Mine came with the center console. Much needed.

Lots of storage area. Glove box is HUGE. I could fit a notebook in there. And being split level adds a nice touch of usefulness. Would have liked to have seen rubber in the bottom of the cup holders in the center stack. Would help to absorb vibrations. I notice this in other vehicles.

Overall, the vehicle drives smoothly and it goes in the direction you point it in. It's not fast or powerful, but it gets the job done. Perfect for city driving. Loves the mall parking lot and the lot here at my office building. The turning radius doesn't feel as tight as it is on my Liberty, but that could be subjective and do to the size difference. The shifter is smooth and the clutch doesn't require a lot of travel. I was choosing between this vehicle and a Ford Fiesta. This won out due to stereo, storage, and backseat room. Love the vehicle so far and I'm looking forward to seeing how it does when I drive up to NY from FL in late August.

Updated on Aug 2, 2010

Found the that Bluetooth is dependant on the phone more than anything. I switched from an HTC Droid Incredible to a Motorola Droid X and it only downloads the address book completely the first time and updates only when I've made changes to the address book.

Also, you actually need the cable for the iPod to display properly. It was only reading mine as usb mode which is why it wouldn't read the tag information correctly.

Trial and error on both.