speaker

A few months ago I took Alexander and a friend to Amelia Island. I’d been there on a press trip a few months before and knew that it was the perfect vacation for my boy but not for my daughter. Since Jane was on a class trip overseas and Mr. G would be working I decided to take Alexander and a friend to the resort.

The best part of being a car reviewer is that you can sometimes review a car on vacation so when I told the folks at Kia that I’d be in Florida they said they had a Soul! there. Apparently the Soul! was meant to be ours, just check the plates.

I’m sure you’ve seen these little SUVs on the road. They’re similar in size and shape to the Nissan Cube and do believe that the two have cornered the market on adorableness. There’s some sort of anthropomorphic fun to be had with the profile of the vehicle.

I see these on the road and wait for a Disney animator to make it speak.

I’d always looked at the Soul and thought it was a young person’s car. Like a recent grad or even a college student but after having spent a week in it with all our gear I think it’s actually a great family car too.

The trunk space isn’t deep but because it’s a hatchback it’s efficient. There were three of us in the car and we put a good number of miles on it and we were all quite comfortable.

There are sedan drivers and SUV drivers. There are people who are quite simply drivers but the devoted SUV or minivan crowd who relishes the upright front seats will adore the Soul. As I was sitting bus driver style with my knees as close to a 90 degree angle as any vehicle would ever let me be I just grinned like an idiot and understood the allure of the minivan (though I still can never in good conscience allow a friend to drive one).

The Soul! isn’t a fast vehicle but it has pretty good pickup. It’s a 4 cylinder engine with 164 hp at the redline but with a fairly light curb weight of 2,778 (as low as 2,615 on a manual transmission) it’s fun and safe to accelerate onto highways (because my readers would never be racing off a red light).

The real joy of the Soul is in the cabin. It’s light and bright and although I was in a compact SUV I never felt like I was cramped (as is possible in compact vehicles). This isn’t a wide car so I don’t see it accommodating three car seats but two would be easy. Since the seats are so upright it would be easy on a mom’s back if she’s pulling kids in and out of their seats.

Unfortunately for Audrey the cargo area won’t be large enough to accomodate a Newfoundland Terrier but it’s a fantastic choice for just about anyone, particularly folks who occasionally haul things and for anyone who loves a road trip.

The model I drove was fully loaded at $23,575 and Kia has a 10 year/10,000 mile powertrain warranty so it’s the perfect option for people who actually make fiscal plans.

Also… icing on the cake? Check out the sound system at night. So. Much. Fun.