2014 Kia Soul Affordable SUV Review

 

For one week I had fun driving and reviewing the 2014 Kia Soul around town. I would have driven it out of town but it wasn’t exactly the right time to do that plus I was super busy.

The lovely people at Drive STI dropped off the car on a crisp and clear Tuesday afternoon. They handed me the keys and the magic began, or at least if felt like magic to me. The side mirrors automatically activated when I came to the car. Kinda freaky but it was cool at the same time.

I got the grand tour of the bells and whistles from front to back. It was so cool to learn how this 5-star rated vehicle could do so much.

The Pros of the 2014 Kia Soul

Being a gadget geek the first thing that caught my eye was the navigation/music center. I’m a sucker for buttons and menus and couldn’t wait to try it out.

The biggest button was the engine start button. I had to get used to not putting a key in the ignition and just pushing the button to start. I got used to it though. I loved not having to fight to find my keys to unlock the door because it unlocked when I got close to it.

The steering wheel was it’s own command center so at a touch of a button I could make a call or change the station and volume on the radio. It was even heated for those cold mornings. I’ve never heard of that but I loved it.

All the comfortable seats had their own heating and cooling control. Cold in the winter? Turn on the seat warmer. Steaming in the summer? Hit the seat cooler.

I loved the rear camera to help with reverse driving.

The Cons of the 2014 Kia Soul

With all of it’s wonderful features there were some not so fabulous things I noticed. I’m a speed demon so I felt kind of disappointed the acceleration felt forced. The car seemed to struggle to up hills and pick up the pace without resisting.

The ride wasn’t always smooth for me. I could have been the low ride or the suspension system is not as advanced.

The trunk/storage area was not very big so taking a road trip with suitcases would be a challenge. The lift gate took a minute to figure out and it took my son even longer.

 

The overall style of the SUV is not as sophisticated as I like but it is perfect for the younger crowd.

Overall Thoughts on the 2014 Kia Soul

I enjoyed driving this baby. There aren’t to many cars I don’t like driving. She got me from point A to Point B with no problems. The gas mileage was fair and it was quite spacious. I didn’t get to use the sun/moon roof, which extended all the way to the back seat area.

If I were to buy this car it would be for a second car considering the base price of $14,900. The model I drove was likely about $5,000 more considering all the bells and whistles. For a price tag of under $20k it is quite affordable.

When I had to turn the keys back over my son went into mourning (not hard for him). I had a little twinge of longing after that, but was happy to get back into my own SUV and ride off together after a week of neglect.