2016 Kia Soul Review #Kia

Check out the 2016 Kia Soul. While the Soul is still a little boxy it’s lines look a little softer this year. It’s a great little car!!

As always I’ve found the Kia Soul a very comfortable ride and very roomy interior!

The Soul that I drove last week was a very snazzy sleek black with red highlights. The color combination really POPS inside and outside!

The Kia Soul has a 1.6-liter engine. 24 MPG in the city and 30 MPG Highway. I was able to get 27 MPG; which for California start and stop driving is excellent. Added bonus for the Kia is the fact that it runs on regular gasoline and doesn’t require premium! 130 horsepower engine. 17″ Alloy wheels.

Now for the part of the review that I like the best. Sorry, car guys, but the ride and the inside are my favorite part of the review.

The 2016 Kia Soul may look compact from the outside but it really is quite roomy inside. The backseat holds 2 car seat’s and a booster seat which was great. The rear of the Soul has plenty of storage room for shopping trips. A Costco trip would be easy too since the rear seats do fold down for a nice large cargo space. There is even an under-tray that can hold smaller items and keep them from moving around.

The Soul I drove had a panoramic sunroof. Oh my goodness! When the kids started arguing in the backseat the NaNa opened up the sunshade and then the sunroof; ahhhh peace and quiet!! Awesome sunroof!! The button that opens the sunroof is very quick and responsive. One touch opens and closes the shade and the window.

The seats are fabric with red accent stitching. One thing I noticed while driving the Soul is the fact that the seat is higher up than my Honda CRV. The fact that the seat is up so high really does give you excellent visibility while driving. The seat isn’t adjustable as far as height goes just the basic adjustments, forward, backward and recline.

On the dash of the Kia are well-defined speakers, unique looking with red accents. Great sound quality too. The Kia Soul I drove was equipped with navigation system. I do LOVE the navigation system. The 4.3″ touch screen is easy to read the directions were right on the money.

The Soul has plenty of standard features including power windows (with driver side lock! When you are hauling around kids this is an important feature!) air conditioning, satellite radio, auxiliary audio jacks and USB port. I love the USB port!! When the kids are using the iPad for entertainment you do NOT want the iPad to run out of battery! The center console has deep storage, large enough to hold tons of stuff. Deep enough to hold a full size woman’s wallet.

Plenty of spots to hold water bottles. From the front center console to the doors. There is even an arm rest in the backseat between the seats; it also has cup holders.

The Soul has FlexSteer which allows you to adjust steering feel to Normal, Comfort, or Sport mode. Yes, sport mode is my favorite.

Safety

Of course, like all of the other Kia cars that I have driven the past few years, the 2016 Kia Soul has tons of safety features! Dual front airbags, dual front side airbags, full-length side curtain airbags, electronic stability control, side-impact door beams, traction control, ABS, electronic brake-force distribution, brake assist, hill-start assist. The Front and Rear Crumple Zones are specially designed to absorb and dissipate impact energy, helping to preserve the passenger compartment. There are rear child-safety door locks along with lower anchors and tethers for children; a universal child-seat attachment system that allows for quick, easy and secure installation and removal of LATCH-equipped child seats. I am confident that this is a very safe car!

The rearview camera is excellent, I can see with crystal clarity all around the back of the Soul. I have to share my funny picture! It had rained the night before, the morning was cooler than we had experienced in a while. When I put the car in reverse this is the picture! I told The Husband to check behind me, I think I found the end of the earth! How funny is this?! Or unique or well, scary!!

The Soul is comfortable to drive. The gas mileage was great. The kids and I had a great time!! I know I left out some perks of the Soul, so I recommend heading to Kia and take a test drive for yourself!

WHINES

Kia Soul is cute and practical. a fun, unique choice with plenty of space. It’s fun, looks unique, and infuses a big dose of practicality into a funky package. Soul EV is a good commuter car, provided drivers have easy access to charging, and it offers superior cargo space over many electric vehicles.

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Disclosure: I received a complimentary week driving the Kia 2016 Soul for the purpose of my review. No, they didn’t let me keep it…. they NEVER let me keep these cars?? WHY??? No other compensation was provided. The opinions are mine and 100% honest. I have not been influenced in any way. Now, Kia how about letting me test drive the new 2015 Kia K900?!