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MM Retro-Write-Up: First-Generation Kia Soul
IN A NUTSHELL: The bane of the Scion xB's existence.
At one time (generally before the late 1990s/early 2000s), Kia products, like Fiat, Hyundai, Renault, and some other generally unreliable brands, were the butt of jokes in the American market. In fact, in the late 1980s, several French and Italian makes were pretty much driven out of the American market by their negative public perception (Fiat and Alfa came back to the U.S. about ten years ago, but are still struggling today). Kia, however, had been (indirectly) selling products in the American market for years, having designed and built small vehicles under contract for Ford...and also for Mazda, though they were generally not available in the American market.
In 1997-98, however, Kia, being bankrupt, was acquired by the Hyundai Corporation, who had outbid Ford for majority controlling-interest, and Kia became a Hyundai division. Around that time, Hyundai also gotten new management, more seriously committed to quality and customer satisfaction in its products, and things began to look up for both divisions, including a Limited 10/100 and 5/60 warranty on its products, which would not have been feasible under the old system of iffy products. The former lemons and poorly-performing vehicles began to be replaced by some quite-respectable products.
One of the most interesting of these newer Kia products was the Soul, which, despite some early doubters, turned out to be an astounding success in the marketplace. At the time (2010) Toyota's Scion division, along with the lure of its Saturn-type, customer-friendly, list-price, no-dicker deals on new vehicles, had been selling the small, subcompact, excessively squared-off/shoe-box-styled xB, which was extremely space-efficient inside but, especially with its huge thick lower-front bumper, IMO looked awkward (some even said ugly). Like most Scion products, it was primarily marketed to young people, but, because of its low price, Toyota-reliability, and tons of room inside for its size, was quite popular with older folks as well...and many of them had reached the point in life where they didn't want to fool with traditional dealer-haggling, either. Nissan, in the U.S., at the time was selling a similar but even smaller vehicle called the Cube, which was not only extremely awkward-looking (its body-styling was actually different on one side of the vehicle from the other), but it was a misfit here, generally sold poorly, and was never really intended for the American market in the first place...it was dropped a few years later.
However, when Kia introduced the Soul, in 2010, to the American market (it had been introduced in Asia the previous year), it was immediately apparent that the xB had a real competitor....not just something that occupied space in a showroom like the Cube. There were some doubters in the press, who were living in the past and (mistakenly) thought that Kia still made substandard products. Though I had, of course, seen images/articles of it myself previously, when I first actually saw it at the D.C. Auto Show, I thought it was a little weird myself. It was styled a lot like the xB, and its lower-front fender wasn't as thick or bulgar-out as the xB's, but I thought its rear end and D-pillars were a little more funky-looking than the xB's. Both of them had features inside I didn't care for. The xB had its center-mounted gauges in the middle of the dash, which made the driver turn his head or eyes to the right to read those gauges....a cheap, easy way to design the dash for both left and right-hand-drive markets. The Soul had a conventional gauge-panel, behind the steering wheel, that was easier to read, but a large center-pod with several controls on it jutted out between the front seats, and, in the lower part of the front doors, there was a circular electronic-frame-housing around the audio-speakers that glowed brighter/dimmer red according to the radio volume and bass.....IMO, a needless gimmick and device to fail. Sure enough, that system was recalled a little later.....more on that below.
But, interior gimmicks aside, it was clear, from the start, that this vehicle was going to be a success. Like most Korean products and equivalent Toyota products, it undercut the xB in price, was less-funky-looking (outside, at least), had a vastly better factory warranty, and the level of quality had improved to quite-credible levels.....in many ways, as good or better than the Japanese. Sales consistently exceeded expectations, and obviously took a number away from the xB, as the Second-Generation xB was dropped in the U.S. in 2015, along with its parent Scion Division a year later.
Me and my brother had five years of experience with a Soul...generally good, except for a couple of minor issues and the fact that its FWD traction on the snow deteriorated as the tires wore.....my brother said later that he should have probably stuck with AWD, and, for that reason, ended up trading it for an AWD Sportage. Nevertheless, he was generally happy with the Soul..and it played a role in some serious heart surgery I had about ten years ago.
Here's how he ended up getting a Soul: In 2010, after ten years' experience with a new Subaru Impreza, the Impreza was getting a lot of miles on it, and required a new front CV-joint/half-axle, although it had been an excellent car in the snow. But my brother was, by then, working in an office building only a couple of miles from home, didn't need to drive long distances in the snow, and thought that a new efficient nice FWD. He saw the ads for the Soul (particularly the cute hamster-ads that Kia was doing), liked its design, low price, and, most important, its long 10-year drivetrain warranty, as he originally intended to keep it for ten years like the Impreza. There were two small Kia dealerships relatively close to his home (the big new one out by Dulles Airport had not been built yet). We went to one of them, my brother checked out the Soul, liked it, but, as I remember, they did not have one in stock in the color or price/trim level he would have preferred....and it was simply too small and overcrowded. By coincidence, it was the same place that had once been an old Mazda dealership, where I had gotten my first Mazda GLC in 1984, 26 years before. So, that place was probably out....at least for then.
So, we went to the other place......a small Volvo/Kia dealership that was also, IMO, too small and overcrowded, but, unlike the other place, was owned by his Congressman, who represented that district on Capitol Hill. He had also, some years before, been the State Lieutenant Governor, so we figured that, as a politician as well as an auto-businessman, he had a good incentive to run a clean shop, if for no other reason to keep customers satisfied and/or from losing votes in the next election. It also probably explained why that town, at one time, used Volvo police cars.
And, run a clean shop, he did....at least at the time. My brother and I were both very surprised at the excellent way that the deal (and, later, service policies) were handled. We had figured out the KBB value of his old Impreza based on age/condition/mileage, etc.... and the sales-rep (actually, one of the managers) not only offered my brother a little more than KBB, but also told us that we didn't even need to trade the car in....Kia's policy, at the time, was to give an additional factory discount to anyone who was first coming to Kia from another brand, trade-in or not. Subaru was on that list of conversion brands. So, my brother, instead, decided, to take the Previous-Subaru-Owner incentive, figure it into the deal, and sell his old car privately...which he did, to an ex-co-worker. Although not necessarily giving the vehicle away, they also figured in a nice dealer-discount as well, they also figured in a decent dealer-discount, particularly for a vehicle that was selling as well as the Soul.
Only problem, it was a pretty small place, and, that day, they only had one Soul in stock that was in the Plus (+) Trim-level my brother wanted, as the 2010 Soul came in four trim-levels...Base, Plus (+), Exclaim (!), and Sport. We felt that the Plus version gave the most for the money (as I remember, around 17K or so), although the Sport had a larger engine and more features. The only Plus model they had was a Shadow (Black) Metallic that, when the sunlight hit it just right, had a small amount of gold metalflake particles in it, along with a black cloth interior.....not my Brother's first color choice (or mine) by any means. Anyhow, we test-drove it, it passed both of our inspections, and decided that, black or no black, we might as well snap it up while the dealership was willing to give a good deal and the incentives, rather than hunt endlessly for one the exact color he wanted. So, we signed the deal, it went into the PDI shop, and we took it home that evening.
So...who says a politician won't sell his Soul to keep constituents happy LOL.
Even with the color, however, my brother did not regret his decision, and, for the most part, was quite satisfied with the vehicle, although, as the tires wore with age and mileage, even with tire-rotation, traction decreased, particularly on slick roads. After about five years or so, it had gotten to the point where he was looking at either new tires or a trade-up to AWD. He chose the latter, with a new Sportage, particularly since Kia was offering even more incentives to previous Kia owners who traded in on another new Kia. He was also quite satisfied with that dealership's Service Department, who, while they were working on his car, would personally shuttle him back and forth to his office a few miles away in a company car, at his convenience...not have to wait for an hourly shuttle to the Metro-stop like many dealerships did back then. Unfortunately, things began to change there several years later, when they got a new Manager in the Service Department, who was not quite so willing to do those nice customer perks, and the quality of the service itself went down. Why the owner, as a Congressman, put up with that, beats me, although he might not (?) have been aware of some of it. Rather than complain, my brother just took his future Kia business (and service) elsewhere, to the huge new dealership by Dulles.....he apparently doesn't like to rock the boat and submit complaints up the chain of command. Fortunately, he had relatively few service-issues other than routine oil-changes, tire-rotation, required inspections etc..... There was a recall, however, on that gimmicky red-glow mechanism for the radio-speakers I mentioned earlier, to replace some parts that could overheat and cause a door-fire, and, if my memory is right, one of the power-mirrors developed had a sticky or unresponsive switch. But this car was far from a lemon, and proved that Kia was no longer building the junk it had in he 1990s.
As for the Soul itself, I'd be lying if I said the 2010 version was an exciting or luxurious vehicle to drive....in many ways, unless you got the top-line Sport model, it was simply basic transportation, although in an extremely space-efficient package. The boxy, slab-styling meant less-than-perfect aerodynamics in a crosswind, and the non-turbo inline 2.4L four, although with adequate power for normal suburban driving at 142 HP/137 ft-lbs. of torque, was somewhat hampered by the 4-speed automatic. Partly because of the low price, there wasn't much sound insulation, and the rather stiff suspension and very firm seat-cushions (firm seats were typical for a number of Korean and Japanese brands back then) made for a somewhat jittery ride over bumps. But this was not intended to be a luxury vehicle.....it got the job done, got you where you wanted to go with a reasonable amount of reliability, and IMO was very well-built, in some cases better than its Japanese competition, particularly with interior hardware and the solidness and Thunk of its door-closings.
I drove my brother's Soul several times, but its best service to me probably came as a passenger, not a driver. About 10 years ago, in December of 2010, after Angina problems, I was diagnosed with blocked arteries, and needed a by-pass (a relatively common operation)...simple stents wouldn't do the job, for several reasons. That meant several days in the hospital, right after Christmas (I came home on New Years' Eve), and my brother drove me to the hospital, and came up every evening to visit me until I left. When I left, the doctors would not allow me to get into the front seat of my brother's car, because it had front air bags, and they were afraid that if the bags went off in an accident or impact, it would cause severe problems to my chest, which had been wired/clipped back shut after the operation. (Hey, never mind the fact that, if I sat in back and one of the side-impact airbags on the seats or rear doors went off, THAT impact, of course, could also do a lot of potential damage....I guess the doctors and nurses didn't think about that). Anyhow, my brother's Soul was so space-efficient in back that, even in that condition, coming home, and being 6' 2" tall and hefty in size, I had little problem getting in and sitting down. Getting my legs in securely even with leg-wounds from the operation (they take veins out of your legs to graft into your heart) was no problem....particularly with the front seat up all the way to add legroom. We stopped at a drug store to get me some prescribed-medication, and then, back home, I had no trouble getting out, either, or getting set up at home. I still owe a ton of gratitude to my brother (and to his car) for that night, as it was New Years' Eve, and he could have been out with his friends instead. But I, of course, would probably have done the same thing for him. The operation, BTW, in the long run, although a PITA at the time, was worth it...it gave me years of added health.
For the Second-Generation Soul, introduced in 2014, Kia addressed some of the shortcomings off the original one, and added some nice new colors. The relatively inefficient 4-speed automatic was replaced by a new 6-speed. More sound insulation was added, and the body structure, although still using the same platform/body shell of the First-Generation, had more attention paid to absorbing noise and vibration. The suspension was reworked a little for a slightly smoother ride, the front end was moderately restyled, and a few other changes were made inside and outside. The result was a noticeable increase in refinement, and was more pleasant to drive. I sampled a new one at the 2014 D.C. Auto Show (they have a small test-drive circuit, on the city streets, set up outside the Convention Center) and also at the dealership. After the show, I discussed the positive changes on the new version with with my brother, but, by then, he was leaning more towards AWD (and the Sportage) rather than another Soul. Kia, IMO, should have made AWD an option on the Soul, but never did...leaving it to the later-introduced 2020 Seltos several years later. After several years of experience, however, with the larger/more comfortable Sportage, I'm not sure my brother would want an AWD Soul today even if it were available.
The Soul, of course, as I write this (December 2020) is still in production, still sold in the American market, with a very low starting price (for today) of $17,490. Along with several other smaller Hyundai/Kia crossovers, including the Venue, Niro, Seltos, and Kona, it will be among those vehicles I recommend for my brother's girl-friend, who had maybe been in the market earlier for a new vehicle to replace an unreliable Mini Cooper, which is simply too small for her two good-sized poodles and the other gear she carries. She was set back, however, by a major injury to her forearm/wrist, which included a fracture/dislocation, and that's going to take some time (and therapy) to heal. Eventually, however, she'll be ready to start shopping, and we'll see how well those doggie-twins can fit in the rear seats....with maybe a blanket to protect the seat. The Venue might be a tight fit for them (or too tight), along with the Kona (not sure about the other two), but I don't think the Soul will have any problem inside for them. The only way the Soul would be out is she definitely needs the AWD for snow.....like the Venue, it is not offered in the Soul. I would not mind seeing her get a Chevy Trailblazer or Buick Encore GX (like what I'm getting)...but demand for the Trailblazer right now vastly exceeds supply, and my brother feels better with her getting a Kia/Hyundai product rather than GM, even though the Trailblazer and Encore GX are built at a Korean plant, wth Korean labor, like some of the vehicles that Kia and Hyundai sell in the U.S.
And, as Always, Happy Auto-Memories.
MM
__________________
DRIVING IS BELIEVING
IN A NUTSHELL: The bane of the Scion xB's existence.
At one time (generally before the late 1990s/early 2000s), Kia products, like Fiat, Hyundai, Renault, and some other generally unreliable brands, were the butt of jokes in the American market. In fact, in the late 1980s, several French and Italian makes were pretty much driven out of the American market by their negative public perception (Fiat and Alfa came back to the U.S. about ten years ago, but are still struggling today). Kia, however, had been (indirectly) selling products in the American market for years, having designed and built small vehicles under contract for Ford...and also for Mazda, though they were generally not available in the American market.
In 1997-98, however, Kia, being bankrupt, was acquired by the Hyundai Corporation, who had outbid Ford for majority controlling-interest, and Kia became a Hyundai division. Around that time, Hyundai also gotten new management, more seriously committed to quality and customer satisfaction in its products, and things began to look up for both divisions, including a Limited 10/100 and 5/60 warranty on its products, which would not have been feasible under the old system of iffy products. The former lemons and poorly-performing vehicles began to be replaced by some quite-respectable products.
One of the most interesting of these newer Kia products was the Soul, which, despite some early doubters, turned out to be an astounding success in the marketplace. At the time (2010) Toyota's Scion division, along with the lure of its Saturn-type, customer-friendly, list-price, no-dicker deals on new vehicles, had been selling the small, subcompact, excessively squared-off/shoe-box-styled xB, which was extremely space-efficient inside but, especially with its huge thick lower-front bumper, IMO looked awkward (some even said ugly). Like most Scion products, it was primarily marketed to young people, but, because of its low price, Toyota-reliability, and tons of room inside for its size, was quite popular with older folks as well...and many of them had reached the point in life where they didn't want to fool with traditional dealer-haggling, either. Nissan, in the U.S., at the time was selling a similar but even smaller vehicle called the Cube, which was not only extremely awkward-looking (its body-styling was actually different on one side of the vehicle from the other), but it was a misfit here, generally sold poorly, and was never really intended for the American market in the first place...it was dropped a few years later.
However, when Kia introduced the Soul, in 2010, to the American market (it had been introduced in Asia the previous year), it was immediately apparent that the xB had a real competitor....not just something that occupied space in a showroom like the Cube. There were some doubters in the press, who were living in the past and (mistakenly) thought that Kia still made substandard products. Though I had, of course, seen images/articles of it myself previously, when I first actually saw it at the D.C. Auto Show, I thought it was a little weird myself. It was styled a lot like the xB, and its lower-front fender wasn't as thick or bulgar-out as the xB's, but I thought its rear end and D-pillars were a little more funky-looking than the xB's. Both of them had features inside I didn't care for. The xB had its center-mounted gauges in the middle of the dash, which made the driver turn his head or eyes to the right to read those gauges....a cheap, easy way to design the dash for both left and right-hand-drive markets. The Soul had a conventional gauge-panel, behind the steering wheel, that was easier to read, but a large center-pod with several controls on it jutted out between the front seats, and, in the lower part of the front doors, there was a circular electronic-frame-housing around the audio-speakers that glowed brighter/dimmer red according to the radio volume and bass.....IMO, a needless gimmick and device to fail. Sure enough, that system was recalled a little later.....more on that below.
But, interior gimmicks aside, it was clear, from the start, that this vehicle was going to be a success. Like most Korean products and equivalent Toyota products, it undercut the xB in price, was less-funky-looking (outside, at least), had a vastly better factory warranty, and the level of quality had improved to quite-credible levels.....in many ways, as good or better than the Japanese. Sales consistently exceeded expectations, and obviously took a number away from the xB, as the Second-Generation xB was dropped in the U.S. in 2015, along with its parent Scion Division a year later.
Me and my brother had five years of experience with a Soul...generally good, except for a couple of minor issues and the fact that its FWD traction on the snow deteriorated as the tires wore.....my brother said later that he should have probably stuck with AWD, and, for that reason, ended up trading it for an AWD Sportage. Nevertheless, he was generally happy with the Soul..and it played a role in some serious heart surgery I had about ten years ago.
Here's how he ended up getting a Soul: In 2010, after ten years' experience with a new Subaru Impreza, the Impreza was getting a lot of miles on it, and required a new front CV-joint/half-axle, although it had been an excellent car in the snow. But my brother was, by then, working in an office building only a couple of miles from home, didn't need to drive long distances in the snow, and thought that a new efficient nice FWD. He saw the ads for the Soul (particularly the cute hamster-ads that Kia was doing), liked its design, low price, and, most important, its long 10-year drivetrain warranty, as he originally intended to keep it for ten years like the Impreza. There were two small Kia dealerships relatively close to his home (the big new one out by Dulles Airport had not been built yet). We went to one of them, my brother checked out the Soul, liked it, but, as I remember, they did not have one in stock in the color or price/trim level he would have preferred....and it was simply too small and overcrowded. By coincidence, it was the same place that had once been an old Mazda dealership, where I had gotten my first Mazda GLC in 1984, 26 years before. So, that place was probably out....at least for then.
So, we went to the other place......a small Volvo/Kia dealership that was also, IMO, too small and overcrowded, but, unlike the other place, was owned by his Congressman, who represented that district on Capitol Hill. He had also, some years before, been the State Lieutenant Governor, so we figured that, as a politician as well as an auto-businessman, he had a good incentive to run a clean shop, if for no other reason to keep customers satisfied and/or from losing votes in the next election. It also probably explained why that town, at one time, used Volvo police cars.
And, run a clean shop, he did....at least at the time. My brother and I were both very surprised at the excellent way that the deal (and, later, service policies) were handled. We had figured out the KBB value of his old Impreza based on age/condition/mileage, etc.... and the sales-rep (actually, one of the managers) not only offered my brother a little more than KBB, but also told us that we didn't even need to trade the car in....Kia's policy, at the time, was to give an additional factory discount to anyone who was first coming to Kia from another brand, trade-in or not. Subaru was on that list of conversion brands. So, my brother, instead, decided, to take the Previous-Subaru-Owner incentive, figure it into the deal, and sell his old car privately...which he did, to an ex-co-worker. Although not necessarily giving the vehicle away, they also figured in a nice dealer-discount as well, they also figured in a decent dealer-discount, particularly for a vehicle that was selling as well as the Soul.
Only problem, it was a pretty small place, and, that day, they only had one Soul in stock that was in the Plus (+) Trim-level my brother wanted, as the 2010 Soul came in four trim-levels...Base, Plus (+), Exclaim (!), and Sport. We felt that the Plus version gave the most for the money (as I remember, around 17K or so), although the Sport had a larger engine and more features. The only Plus model they had was a Shadow (Black) Metallic that, when the sunlight hit it just right, had a small amount of gold metalflake particles in it, along with a black cloth interior.....not my Brother's first color choice (or mine) by any means. Anyhow, we test-drove it, it passed both of our inspections, and decided that, black or no black, we might as well snap it up while the dealership was willing to give a good deal and the incentives, rather than hunt endlessly for one the exact color he wanted. So, we signed the deal, it went into the PDI shop, and we took it home that evening.
So...who says a politician won't sell his Soul to keep constituents happy LOL.
Even with the color, however, my brother did not regret his decision, and, for the most part, was quite satisfied with the vehicle, although, as the tires wore with age and mileage, even with tire-rotation, traction decreased, particularly on slick roads. After about five years or so, it had gotten to the point where he was looking at either new tires or a trade-up to AWD. He chose the latter, with a new Sportage, particularly since Kia was offering even more incentives to previous Kia owners who traded in on another new Kia. He was also quite satisfied with that dealership's Service Department, who, while they were working on his car, would personally shuttle him back and forth to his office a few miles away in a company car, at his convenience...not have to wait for an hourly shuttle to the Metro-stop like many dealerships did back then. Unfortunately, things began to change there several years later, when they got a new Manager in the Service Department, who was not quite so willing to do those nice customer perks, and the quality of the service itself went down. Why the owner, as a Congressman, put up with that, beats me, although he might not (?) have been aware of some of it. Rather than complain, my brother just took his future Kia business (and service) elsewhere, to the huge new dealership by Dulles.....he apparently doesn't like to rock the boat and submit complaints up the chain of command. Fortunately, he had relatively few service-issues other than routine oil-changes, tire-rotation, required inspections etc..... There was a recall, however, on that gimmicky red-glow mechanism for the radio-speakers I mentioned earlier, to replace some parts that could overheat and cause a door-fire, and, if my memory is right, one of the power-mirrors developed had a sticky or unresponsive switch. But this car was far from a lemon, and proved that Kia was no longer building the junk it had in he 1990s.
As for the Soul itself, I'd be lying if I said the 2010 version was an exciting or luxurious vehicle to drive....in many ways, unless you got the top-line Sport model, it was simply basic transportation, although in an extremely space-efficient package. The boxy, slab-styling meant less-than-perfect aerodynamics in a crosswind, and the non-turbo inline 2.4L four, although with adequate power for normal suburban driving at 142 HP/137 ft-lbs. of torque, was somewhat hampered by the 4-speed automatic. Partly because of the low price, there wasn't much sound insulation, and the rather stiff suspension and very firm seat-cushions (firm seats were typical for a number of Korean and Japanese brands back then) made for a somewhat jittery ride over bumps. But this was not intended to be a luxury vehicle.....it got the job done, got you where you wanted to go with a reasonable amount of reliability, and IMO was very well-built, in some cases better than its Japanese competition, particularly with interior hardware and the solidness and Thunk of its door-closings.
I drove my brother's Soul several times, but its best service to me probably came as a passenger, not a driver. About 10 years ago, in December of 2010, after Angina problems, I was diagnosed with blocked arteries, and needed a by-pass (a relatively common operation)...simple stents wouldn't do the job, for several reasons. That meant several days in the hospital, right after Christmas (I came home on New Years' Eve), and my brother drove me to the hospital, and came up every evening to visit me until I left. When I left, the doctors would not allow me to get into the front seat of my brother's car, because it had front air bags, and they were afraid that if the bags went off in an accident or impact, it would cause severe problems to my chest, which had been wired/clipped back shut after the operation. (Hey, never mind the fact that, if I sat in back and one of the side-impact airbags on the seats or rear doors went off, THAT impact, of course, could also do a lot of potential damage....I guess the doctors and nurses didn't think about that). Anyhow, my brother's Soul was so space-efficient in back that, even in that condition, coming home, and being 6' 2" tall and hefty in size, I had little problem getting in and sitting down. Getting my legs in securely even with leg-wounds from the operation (they take veins out of your legs to graft into your heart) was no problem....particularly with the front seat up all the way to add legroom. We stopped at a drug store to get me some prescribed-medication, and then, back home, I had no trouble getting out, either, or getting set up at home. I still owe a ton of gratitude to my brother (and to his car) for that night, as it was New Years' Eve, and he could have been out with his friends instead. But I, of course, would probably have done the same thing for him. The operation, BTW, in the long run, although a PITA at the time, was worth it...it gave me years of added health.
For the Second-Generation Soul, introduced in 2014, Kia addressed some of the shortcomings off the original one, and added some nice new colors. The relatively inefficient 4-speed automatic was replaced by a new 6-speed. More sound insulation was added, and the body structure, although still using the same platform/body shell of the First-Generation, had more attention paid to absorbing noise and vibration. The suspension was reworked a little for a slightly smoother ride, the front end was moderately restyled, and a few other changes were made inside and outside. The result was a noticeable increase in refinement, and was more pleasant to drive. I sampled a new one at the 2014 D.C. Auto Show (they have a small test-drive circuit, on the city streets, set up outside the Convention Center) and also at the dealership. After the show, I discussed the positive changes on the new version with with my brother, but, by then, he was leaning more towards AWD (and the Sportage) rather than another Soul. Kia, IMO, should have made AWD an option on the Soul, but never did...leaving it to the later-introduced 2020 Seltos several years later. After several years of experience, however, with the larger/more comfortable Sportage, I'm not sure my brother would want an AWD Soul today even if it were available.
The Soul, of course, as I write this (December 2020) is still in production, still sold in the American market, with a very low starting price (for today) of $17,490. Along with several other smaller Hyundai/Kia crossovers, including the Venue, Niro, Seltos, and Kona, it will be among those vehicles I recommend for my brother's girl-friend, who had maybe been in the market earlier for a new vehicle to replace an unreliable Mini Cooper, which is simply too small for her two good-sized poodles and the other gear she carries. She was set back, however, by a major injury to her forearm/wrist, which included a fracture/dislocation, and that's going to take some time (and therapy) to heal. Eventually, however, she'll be ready to start shopping, and we'll see how well those doggie-twins can fit in the rear seats....with maybe a blanket to protect the seat. The Venue might be a tight fit for them (or too tight), along with the Kona (not sure about the other two), but I don't think the Soul will have any problem inside for them. The only way the Soul would be out is she definitely needs the AWD for snow.....like the Venue, it is not offered in the Soul. I would not mind seeing her get a Chevy Trailblazer or Buick Encore GX (like what I'm getting)...but demand for the Trailblazer right now vastly exceeds supply, and my brother feels better with her getting a Kia/Hyundai product rather than GM, even though the Trailblazer and Encore GX are built at a Korean plant, wth Korean labor, like some of the vehicles that Kia and Hyundai sell in the U.S.
And, as Always, Happy Auto-Memories.
MM
__________________
DRIVING IS BELIEVING
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