Have to confess- I liked my Kia Soul rental

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.
30 years of listening to automatic transmissions shift I guess. I don't really care either way but my point was it has a very "natural" feeling to it and that's good.
 
A lot of people like the features, styling, and general design of Kias. What they need to sort out is engine reliability and parts availability.
One thing that Kia / Hyundai do have down pat is the manufacturability of their vehicles. They are ingeniously designed in many aspects to be assembled with minimal effort at the cost of not being able to be easily disassembled. I know this first hand. You can also witness this yourself if you find one in a salvage yard that has been scavanged for parts.
 
If I was in the market for a smaller foreign vehicle, EVERY Mazda I’ve rented (CX-30, CX5, CX9, MX6) have been fun to drive, really good on fuel, and electronics are extremely smart. And I’m a multiple Subaru owner and would still buy them, but Mazda seems more polished on everything except the obvious: the legendary Subaru AWD systems.

No way, even after a few years of “success”, am I buying a brand or engine that’s had numerous recalls at the full replacement level. Engine or trans. No matter how well it feels when it’s brand new.
 
One thing that Kia / Hyundai do have down pat is the manufacturability of their vehicles. They are ingeniously designed in many aspects to be assembled with minimal effort at the cost of not being able to be easily disassembled. I know this first hand. You can also witness this yourself if you find one in a salvage yard that has been scavanged for parts.
I think most manufacturers are guilty of this these days. I watched an Eric the car guy video where he had to take the whole dashboard out just to get to the blower motor in an older Honda (or maybe it was an Acura). At least that’s not too difficult to access on the Soul.
 
I don't get the aversion to CVT driving dynamics.
I think it is from older ones in setups with no power. Step on the gas, all the revs, but no forward motion. Worse, on all of them, they don’t seem “capable” , they feel underpowered, as any throttle change results in rpm change. Big rubber band effect.

Its not quite the same but I don’t mind ecvt at all.
 
In my opinion test driving a new car or almost new car should always be a good/great experience. I find that longevity is the real test. Test driving a five-year-old with 50,000 on the clock is much more revealing of the quality, to state the obvious. This is for someone who retains and maintains their vehicles. Was going to say guessing this applies to many on this forum, until I read somewhere that the average owner now keeps their vehicle for 8 to 10+ years. Hard to believe this is true, but maybe?

Anyone remember the days of Rent-a-Jalopy?
 
OK-so it has the power train warranty out to 100K if they bought it new. Has the CEL been read?
Yes. It was the code that looks for engine knock. They handed the keys back to my parents, said they didn’t believe they were having engine troubles and they are hoping all is good.

When they had the flashing check engine light the car went into limp mode.
 
Off to the dealer in limp mode. My dad also believes in 5000 km oil changes or less. This engine has had an easy life.
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The big issue with me and CVT was the low ratio wasn't low enough - like starting off in 2nd.
Some manufacturers actually put a 2 speed planetary in the CVTin subcompacts so it had a low gear range to help the tiny engine.

I liked my wife's 2017 Subaru Crosstrek. It had a tiny converter that flashed nicely then immediately locked when you got to 5-10 mph - and stayed locked unless you boarded the throttle. Great around town performance and no slush. She's had it with electronic aids and doo dads and touch screens, so she now has a 6 speed manual Crosstrek and knob controlled HVAC. The radio is still a challenge :)

I was courting a manual trans SOUL before I got the Ford. The dealer was questionable - so I passed.

I do miss the manual. Funny thing, the six speed AT in my ford has first gear so low** I typically use 2nd to start off! It also has jolting shifts that are unwelcome in my old age.
But I would also complain if they were soft and slippery :LOL:
______________________________________

**4.58:1 x 3.51:1 x 149 lb-ft = 2395 lb-ft of torque in first gear !
 
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Yes. It was the code that looks for engine knock. They handed the keys back to my parents, said they didn’t believe they were having engine troubles and they are hoping all is good.

When they had the flashing check engine light the car went into limp mode.
I can't believe they are still up to this bad acting! They know that engine is a grenade.

My sister in law had her engine replaced a couple years ago- same deal MIL lit for check engine and operating in limp mode.
She had to wait two months to get her car back. But they gave her a KIA Sorento as a loaner
so she was not penalized.
 
Like I said earlier, its a nice little SUV. It just has a knocking time bomb of an engine. If it does blow no one knows if Kia will replace it or not. It probably will involve lawyers. So this is why its just not worth buying their products.

FYI my parents are in their 70's. This car has an easy life. My Dad wanted the oil changed because it was 6 months since its last. It only had 3400 kms on it. The car went into limp mode at 60,000 kms.
 
I can't believe they are still up to this bad acting! They know that engine is a grenade.

My sister in law had her engine replaced a couple years ago- same deal MIL lit for check engine and operating in limp mode.
She had to wait two months to get her car back. But they gave her a KIA Sorento as a loaner
so she was not penalized.
The incessant H/K bashing is amusing, and apparently contagious. Why aren't there as many posts regarding the foibles of other makes? For example: BMW. I've had 3, and my son also. While they don't have the exploding engine syndrome, whereas the owner gets a free loaner while a new engine is installed, the number of trips to the dealer to deal with small things is infuriating. My son and I have both learned that the only way to own one is to lease a new one, with good warranty, or buy CPO with an extended warranty. Always small things: fuel pump, pressure regulator, oil leaks!!!, pieces of trim falling off, etc. Other makes have their problems; I'm referring to BMWs because of personal experience. The oil leaks are the most aggravating; they need to hire Toyota engineers to design good gaskets!
Flame suit on!

Incidentally the number of Kias seen on the roads of SoCal is amazing, seems like one out of 5 cars. The folks drive them for the mundane trips and save the Beemers, MBs, or giant pickups for other purposes.
 
Because at least with another make, you're not driving a Hyundai or Kia
You forgot the defects on the Ford are readily apparent right off the assembly line. The H/K's at least take a while. Ford has a company culture of poor quality...again a company culture of poor quality and disasters of new product launches.

And don't forget the poor guys with 6.0 motors that after the second replacement Ford told them to take a hike.
 
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The incessant H/K bashing is amusing, and apparently contagious. Why aren't there as many posts regarding the foibles of other makes? For example: BMW. I've had 3, and my son also. While they don't have the exploding engine syndrome, whereas the owner gets a free loaner while a new engine is installed, the number of trips to the dealer to deal with small things is infuriating. My son and I have both learned that the only way to own one is to lease a new one, with good warranty, or buy CPO with an extended warranty. Always small things: fuel pump, pressure regulator, oil leaks!!!, pieces of trim falling off, etc. Other makes have their problems; I'm referring to BMWs because of personal experience. The oil leaks are the most aggravating; they need to hire Toyota engineers to design good gaskets!
Flame suit on!

Incidentally the number of Kias seen on the roads of SoCal is amazing, seems like one out of 5 cars. The folks drive them for the mundane trips and save the Beemers, MBs, or giant pickups for other purposes.

People are really reaching to post threads these days....in case you haven't noticed.
 
The '20 > '22 SOUL get SUPERIOR rating for safety at IIHS . SMALL overlap is GOOD for driver and passenger . MODERATE overlap FRONT is GOOD . Only ACCEPTABLE for side impact . Headlights are GOOD and POOR depending on Level ( LX , etc. ) . The issues of the engine , C.V.T. , I.SG. and a few other issues have kept us from purchasing one . Did test a SOUL about 4 years ago . Th M.P.G of display showed 39 . KIA / Hyundai are 3 > 4 m.p.g. less when calculated , so likely 35 or 36 . Didn't mind the I.S.G.. Go to carcomplaints.com for owner complaints , T.S.B..s and recalls .
 
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