2015 Kia Soul Exclaim Review

Tiny crossovers are flooding American highways and byways. In 2015, the Chevrolet Trax and Jeep Renegade joined the growing list of miniaturized SUVs, and now in 2016 the Fiat 500X, Honda HR-V, and Mazda CX-3 flesh out the roster of choices to no less than 14 different mainstream and luxury models.

That might be enough of a selection for you, but I’m going to raise the count and add the excellent Kia Soul to this group. Granted, the front-driver does not offer an optional all-wheel-drive system, but in every other respect the Soul is competitive with the other members of this relatively new class of vehicle.

Every time I drive the current Kia Soul, which was redesigned for the 2014 model year and grew significantly in size and sophistication, I am duly impressed. So, apparently, are Soul owners. In the J.D. Power 2015 Initial Quality Study, the Soul earned an award for its ability to satisfy the people who bought one.

As just one example of the attention to detail Kia invests in this vehicle, let me share a story. I brought the Soul to show AutoWeb Editor-in-Chief, Michael Harley. As soon as he opened the door, he immediately remarked upon the “triple-ribbed door panel map pockets,” a design that “avoids cracking by reducing excessive flex in the plastic.” A sure sign of quality enthused the EIC.

And quality does indeed infuse every nook and cranny of the Soul, from the heft and solidity of the doors when they are opened and closed to the materials used within the cabin. You can even get, in this modestly priced machine, premium Nappa leather upholstery (the soft, smooth hides usually reserved for luxury brands) and ventilated front seats and heated rear seats. Few of its competitors boast such a tantalizing list of options.

Yes, the Soul’s styling is polarizing, but it also gives this Kia plenty of personality. Its interior ambience is refined and the control layout is simplistic (younger buyers will appreciate the bold tweeter speaker towers and available lighting that pulses with the beat of the music), but above all the Soul is one comfortable ride. The front seats place occupants up high for a commanding view, yet it is very easy to get into and out of, as the seats’ hip points are located at a reasonable height. Rear seat passengers should be as happy, too. In short, despite its diminutive size, the Soul is a perfectly acceptable family car.

It’s also zippy around town — well, maybe not so much with the Base model’s 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with just 130 horsepower, but Soul Plus (+) and Exclaim (!) trim levels get you a 164-horsepower 2.0-liter four. Charged with motivating just over 2,800 pounds, it provides sprightly acceleration, but, like most small naturally aspirated powerplants, it could use a turbocharger for a bit more kick.

An Active Eco driving mode encourages the 6-speed automatic transmission to upshift sooner than later in order to conserve fuel, but with a deeper push into the throttle it is easy to override. My heavy foot likely explains why I averaged just 24.6 mpg, measuring short of the EPA’s official estimate of 26 mpg in combined driving.

My test Exclaim model, equipped with big 18-inch aluminum wheels wrapped in 235/45-18 tires, delivered nimble handling, but the short tire sidewalls and torsion beam rear axle suspension conspired for a very firm and sometimes choppy ride. Kia’s adjustable FlexSteer electric steering, which changes the weight but not the ratio over three settings, is a gimmick considering how generally numb the steering feels, though I suppose having a choice is better than none. The four-wheel-disc brakes demonstrated excellent pedal feel, response, and stamina during typical day-to-day driving.

While Kia makes its fully featured Your Voice (UVO) eServices technology available for the Soul, which includes a number of programmable features perfect for monitoring teenaged drivers, you cannot get a blind spot monitoring system regardless of how much money you spend. The Soul is, however, a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, recording “Good” results in the various test ratings, and it’s a 5-Star pick by the NHTSA.

By now, you might be wondering if there is anything about a Kia Soul that makes some other compact crossover more appealing. Yes, there is. With the rear seats, the cargo cover, and the compartmentalized bin under the cargo floor all in use, trunk space is limited. You can fix that by removing the cover and the bin, but Kia really needs to stretch the Soul a little so that it can carry more of your stuff without kicking passengers to the curb.

However, if you’re planning to buy a Kia Soul, I’ve got no really compelling reason to stop you. It’s a terrific tool for daily living, and I strongly recommend it.