Have to confess- I liked my Kia Soul rental

[GON]

If I needed to purchase a small vehicle in a hurry, I would default to a Honda or Toyota exclusively. I have a perception, right or wrong that South Korean made vehicles are not so great. My perception may be flawed.

I had a 2022 Kia Soul for a rental vehicle earlier this week, with 6200 miles. I was not happy when Avis texted me in advance, I was getting a Soul.

What I found was a pretty nice little car. Lots of features to include lane warnings, cruise control, and even TPMS included in this model. The Android Auto worked with zero setup hassle. What I think I liked most was what the vehicle didn't have- automatic climate control, keyless ignition, and electronic transmission. I especially liked the basic of the climate control, turn the knob to make it warmer or colder. Super simple and I suspect very reliable- the climate control worked flawlessly. I suspect the Soul's old fashion key, and manual auto trans shifter is less likely to fail then its automated counterparts.

The car was comfortable, easy to load luggage. I just couldn't find a fault. I drove on a truck heavy stretch of I40 for 80 miles each way and never felt like the Soul was not competent for interstate driving. I have no idea about long term dependability of the Soul- but overall was very pleasantly surprised.

And- for note my daily driver is a S-class. Before driving S-class vehicles my daily drivers were Pontiac Bonnevilles. This small South Korean economy car was not something I was expecting to like as much as I did.

 

[mrsilv04]

My last rental (Labor Day weekend) was a 2022 Honda CR-V Hybrid. Got 600 miles out of $60 of gas.

Not the most exciting rental, but it was comfortable and easy to drive. It was also a rocket from 0-45mph.

 

[RooflessVW]

I had a Hyundai Venue for 2 weeks last year. It was a fun little car brought down by the CVT. An MT would have really livened it up.

 

[IveBeenRued]

I travel to the land of white Kia Souls rental cars (Orlando, FL) every few years. I’m always impressed by the quality and peppiness of those little hamsters.

 

[PWMDMD]

Just bought a 2022 Soul LX and it is now my preferred vehicle for both around-town driving and distance driving. Roomy, handles well, comfortable, fuel efficient, and the 2.0/CVT combo is actually very good. I happily skip the Tundra and the RX350 and take it whenever it's here. I'm coming up on the 5000 miles oil change and it has not consumed a drop and the oil is still light brown. I'm hoping engine issues were resolved by going back to PFI but I will be extra vigilant with this motor/transmission. OCIs are going to be at 5k miles with Mobil 1 FS 0W-40, OEM oil filter, and a fuel system cleaner.

 

[Hyundai Respecter]

My last rental was a Hyundai Elantra earlier this year. Same engine and transmission as the Soul. It was the first time I experienced Hyundai’s CVT (they call it IVT, Intelligent Variable Transmission). It was smooth and had simulated shifts when you gave it the beans. I only have a Nissan Sentra and an old Dodge Caliber to compare it to, but the Hyundai CVT was very good.

 

[stormgol]

kial soul are very good vehicles. it is a shame they have removed the turbo models. it made them even more unique.

 

[PWMDMD]

My last rental was a Hyundai Elantra earlier this year. Same engine and transmission as the Soul. It was the first time I experienced Hyundai’s CVT (they call it IVT, Intelligent Variable Transmission). It was smooth and had simulated shifts when you gave it the beans. I only have a Nissan Sentra and an old Dodge Caliber to compare it to, but the Hyundai CVT was very good.

I really can't tell the difference between the IVT and a traditional transmission - I think the simulated shifts are that good and they're certainly quicker and smoother than my Tundra's 6-speed. No rubberbanding in downshifts either. Occasionally at full throttle you get the RPMs to stay high with that CVT drone but it does all it can to act like it's shifting.

 

[FastLane]

My parents have a 2017 Kia Sportage awd. It got the flashing check engine light for engine knock. We were not impressed. Otherwise the car has been great. For the price they paid for a new suv, no complaints..... other than we have no idea if the 2.4 is going to explode. lol

 

[CKN]

My parents have a 2017 Kia Sportage awd. It got the flashing check engine light for engine knock. We were not impressed. Otherwise the car has been great. For the price they paid for a new suv, no complaints..... other than we have no idea if the 2.4 is going to explode. lol

OK-so it has the power train warranty out to 100K if they bought it new. Has the CEL been read?

 

[fisher83]

The people I know who have or have had a Kia Soul have liked them and had good service from them. If I were in the market for that style of car I'd definitely consider one. My daughter seems to like them so I'll probably eventually pick one up for her.

 

[Hyundai Respecter]

OK-so it has the power train warranty out to 100K if they bought it new. Has the CEL been read?

Might even be a lifetime warranty, if the 2017 Sportage was part of the Theta 2 settlement.

 

[92saturnsl2]

I really can't tell the difference between the IVT and a traditional transmission - I think the simulated shifts are that good and they're certainly quicker and smoother than my Tundra's 6-speed. No rubberbanding in downshifts either. Occasionally at full throttle you get the RPMs to stay high with that CVT drone but it does all it can to act like it's shifting.

I don't get the aversion to CVT driving dynamics. The beauty of a CVT is the gear, in theory, can be perfectly matched to engine power output, torque demand (by driver), speed, and a number of other variables. Plant your foot in it to pass someone, that might mean it needs to stay at max horsepower RPM (say 5500 RPM) till you pull your foot off, essentially getting the best gear ratio at all times for the condition. Why ruin it with artificial shifts that disrupt that?

I've driven plenty of the older CVTs that had no such artificial shift nonsense and although the feel (and noise) was a bit odd, I knew it was normal. They did the job and didn't need to pretend to be a conventional automatic IMO.

I feel like if CVT were invented first and everyone got used to them, folks would scream bloody murder about the obnoxious shifts in a conv. automatic.

 

[Leo99]

I rented a Soul and Veloster on different trips to San Diego. Drove the Veloster around the San Diego area and drove the Soul from San Diego to Los Angeles. The Soul was very nice for its price. The Veloster was a piece of junk.

 

[92saturnsl2]

I rented a Soul and Veloster on different trips to San Diego. Drove the Veloster around the San Diego area and drove the Soul from San Diego to Los Angeles. The Soul was very nice for its price. The Veloster was a piece of junk.

There's an early model Veloster (not sure what model year that would be) that I come across often on my way home from work. It looks like it came straight from a Fast & Furious movie, 2' high spoiler, loud blow-off valve, giant rims, lowering kit, coffee-can exhaust, color changing paint job, etc. I sort of feel bad for the guy every time I see him, but then I remember my younger days when I spent money on stupid stuff.

 

[aquariuscsm]

There's an early model Veloster (not sure what model year that would be) that I come across often on my way home from work. It looks like it came straight from a Fast & Furious movie, 2' high spoiler, loud blow-off valve, giant rims, lowering kit, coffee-can exhaust, color changing paint job, etc. I sort of feel bad for the guy every time I see him, but then I remember my younger days when I spent money on stupid stuff.

You need to go out and buy a huge K&N sticker. Keep it in your car. If you ever happen to pull up next to him at a red light, hand it to him, and say, "You're welcome"

 

[IndyIan]

I don't get the aversion to CVT driving dynamics. The beauty of a CVT is the gear, in theory, can be perfectly matched to engine power output, torque demand (by driver), speed, and a number of other variables. Plant your foot in it to pass someone, that might mean it needs to stay at max horsepower RPM (say 5500 RPM) till you pull your foot off, essentially getting the best gear ratio at all times for the condition. Why ruin it with artificial shifts that disrupt that?

I've driven plenty of the older CVTs that had no such artificial shift nonsense and although the feel (and noise) was a bit odd, I knew it was normal. They did the job and didn't need to pretend to be a conventional automatic IMO.

I feel like if CVT were invented first and everyone got used to them, folks would scream bloody murder about the obnoxious shifts in a conv. automatic.

Our Outback does get rid of the fake shifts if you keep the throttle under 25%, I assume most CVT's do this as well?
I also wonder if at high torque loads, it gets trickier to keep the required pressure on the belt/chain while varying the diameters of the two pulleys constantly? Having the fake shifts lets the car chop the throttle while doing the ratio change as well and then locking that in, along with the pully pressures.
At near WO it still does the fake shifts, I can't say I've pinned it WO for very long in quite a while, I think it still fake shifts.
Once your at cruising speed, it still varies the ratio pretty much infinitely to match rpm to load as the grade changes, unless you whack the pedal like you are passing, then it downshifts quickly, and starts doing the fake shifts.

 

[macarose]

We have so many Souls at the dealer auctions with engine issues, it's not even funny.

Kia really had a winner, and the buff magazines will do their absolute best to keep the hush-hush on their long-term reliability, as they did with Volkswagen about a decade ago and with the Big 3 before that.

However it's getting ugly right now with engine issues. When three year old models have 15% defect rates and seven year old models are vaulting over 25%, that's really bad.

The worst part is Hyundai/Kia is still picking and choosing who they cover, and the trial lawyers are more than happy to have that cake sliced. As long as they also get a few fat slices for themselves.

Kia Soul Reliability - Dashboard Light

Get long-term reliability information and rankings for the Kia Soul and other vehicles using the Long-Term Quality Index.

dashboard-light.com

 

[92saturnsl2]

Our Outback does get rid of the fake shifts if you keep the throttle under 25%, I assume most CVT's do this as well?
I also wonder if at high torque loads, it gets trickier to keep the required pressure on the belt/chain while varying the diameters of the two pulleys constantly? Having the fake shifts lets the car chop the throttle while doing the ratio change as well and then locking that in, along with the pully pressures.
At near WO it still does the fake shifts, I can't say I've pinned it WO for very long in quite a while, I think it still fake shifts.
Once your at cruising speed, it still varies the ratio pretty much infinitely to match rpm to load as the grade changes, unless you whack the pedal like you are passing, then it downshifts quickly, and starts doing the fake shifts.

I think it's more of people being resistant to change is why manufacturers implemented the fake shifts. The average new car buyer today is in their mid 50's. Car enthusiasts aside (that might appreciate the technology), folks this age are pretty well set in their ways when it comes to preferences and expectations.

I see enough car review sites complain about the strange feel of a CVT, that it's no wonder mfg approach it the way they do. One of the more recent cars I rented was a 2020 Outback, and the fake shifts (that occurred in nearly all driving situations) bothered me, mostly because they were unnecessary.

Back on topic, hopefully Kia has their engine problems sorted out, as I know of a couple people whose earlier model Souls ended up in the graveyard early due to engine trouble. I've ridden in a couple and they seem like fine cars otherwise.

 

[Wrenchturner44]

GON, glad you had a positive experience.

Since KIA has been making the Soul since 2008, it has to be fully refined and enormously profitable on a per unit basis even at fleet pricing schedules.