2017 Kia Soul Long Term Test Review

More than one very respected scholar has asserted that everyone has a spirit. Which, with a tricky wink about capitals and capitalization, Kia is set on turning into everyone drives a Soul. Kia's executives once in a while appear as shocked as any other individual to see its basic shoebox of a transportation apparatus increasing like such a variety of street rodents, however it has turned into the brand's top vender, with more than 145,000 American purchasers in 2016 raising their hands to state, "Yes, please—I'll take one of those." That's around five times the number who sprang for the Rio. 

2017 Kia Soul Long Term Test Review

2017 Kia Soul Long Term Test Review

The Soul is normally delegated a subcompact hybrid in light of the Rio stage, which conveys us to another astonishment: The little miscreant hastened off with a 10Best Trucks and SUVs grant, tying down the reasonable and-parkable end of the range. One reason was the 2017 model's new alternative of a turbocharged inline-four making 201 pull, enough to make it the speedster in a classification that additionally incorporates the Jeep Renegade, the Mazda CX-3, and the Honda HR-V. The pre-turbo Soul set second in a six-manner correlation test, to a limited extent since it does not have an all-wheel-drive choice, something all the others had. (For what it's worth, Kia frequently calls the Soul a "urban traveler vehicle" as opposed to a hybrid. That is an arrangement not broadly perceived in the business but rather one that implicitly recognizes its absence of rough terrain ability.) 

To perceive what really matters to it, we've quite recently added to our long haul armada a 2017 Soul Turbo—or, in Kia speech, a Soul Exclaim, rendered "Soul !" on the window sticker however no place on the auto itself. We're subjecting it to 40,000 miles of hard work in support of our requesting staff. We set it to work right on time in a supporting part to an outside family wedding, where its tall and roomy payload hold promptly suited all the drink coolers, grass devices, and strangely molded embellishments we tossed at it. 

2017 Kia Soul Long Term Test Review

The 24 cubic feet of load limit comes standard on each Soul, which begins at $16,995 with the base motor, a normally suctioned 1.6-liter inline-four making 130 drive and mated to a manual transmission. The mid-review decision is a 161-hp 2.0-liter four with a six-speed programmed. You should venture up to the Exclaim trim level to get our auto's turbocharged 1.6-liter coupled to a seven-speed double grasp programmed, which puts your beginning cost at $23,695. 

Deciding on the most effective hamster wheel in the engine brings a great deal of other hardware too, incorporating programmed atmosphere control with an ionizer, calfskin and fabric upholstery, a level base cowhide wrapped guiding wheel covered with catches, and that's only the tip of the iceberg. Likewise standard at this level are 18-inch aluminum wheels, a drive-mode selector, in addition to red-stripe highlights on the outside that make our Titanium Gray illustration resemble a 1960s-period high-best shoe, for example, a PF Flyer or a Converse All-Star, with a complement in favor of the sole (a play on words opportunity we'll avoid this time—the pleasure is all mine). 

We at that point enjoyed some checking of the choice boxes, beginning with the $3000 Technology bundle. Thus, albeit all Exclaims have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto similarity, we additionally have an in-auto route framework with a 8.0-inch show, a Harman/Kardon sound framework (with speaker lights!), HID low-shaft headlights, LED haze lights and taillights, control collapsing outside mirrors, control customizable seats in both front positions (the driver's has lumbar help), warm for the front and detachable back seats, a warmed controlling wheel, blind side observing, and USB charging ports in the middle reassure. 

Our Soul likewise throbbed for an all encompassing sunroof with which to appreciate the a month and a half of yearly Michigan daylight, adding another fabulous to the cost while giving up the mounting focuses for a rooftop rack (a choice that over the long haul may demonstrate questionable among our positions). We additionally ticked the cases for covered floor mats ($125) and for a back spoiler ($395). All in, you're taking a gander at a $28,215 Soul, which may send a few purchasers searching for vehicles one class bigger, for example, the Mazda CX-5. The cost additionally triggers some grousing about the absence of oar shifters for ordering the gearbox and about how the back seats don't overlap completely level. 

On its trek to the test track, our long-termer handed over somewhat preferred execution numbers over did the Soul Turbo we tried before—however simply after we filled it with 93-octane premium fuel. Contrasted and the outcomes on customary, our Soul was 0.4 second speedier to 60 mph (6.3 seconds in a class where nine is ordinary) and secured the quarter-mile 0.3 second sooner, going 2 mph quicker. That 0.3-second edge likewise applies to the 30-to-50-mph and 50-to-70-mph runs, so when you have to dash around Winnebagos on the byways, premium-review fuel is justified regardless of the speculation. 

2017 Kia Soul Long Term Test Review

2017 Kia Soul Long Term Test Review

We've noticed no glitches in the Kia's first month in benefit, and the main incident was the point at which an unsecured cooler brimming with pop flipped forward and drenched us in ice. Tidy up was straightforward (even subsequent to hearing the murmur of a cheated container of lemon-lime Faygo under the traveler seat), and we set the Soul back to work. 

Nobody has agreed to accept a multistate experience in it, up until now, however for the every day tasks of driving and shopping, the Soul is a little ponder to which the turbo motor now includes a component of hurry.

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