2014 Kia Soul reviews are coming in

[mmntech]

It could definitely use a Turbo model, or even something like the BRZ's 200 HP engine. I mean it's fine as a commuter car, but the chassis definitely feels like it could handle more. I also wish there was a stick-shift version in the 2.0, not just the 1.6.

Or better yet, diesel. They do make a 1.6L one for the European market. Pair that with an AWD option.

 

[Kaido]

Or better yet, diesel. They do make a 1.6L one for the European market. Pair that with an AWD option.

I would absolutely love a 5-speed AWD Soul TDI. That would be nuts :wub:

 

[Kaido]

2014 Kia Soul SUV Styling Pack adds some aggression:

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/09/11/2014-kia-soul-suv-styling-pack-frankfurt-2013/

Unfortunately, the SUV styling pack seems to only be coming to the European market Which is really too bad because it helps balance out some of the ugliness of the new design:

http://i.imgur.com/RPjukA4.jpg

 

[Kaido]

Looks like it's officially 24 MPG city, 30 MPG highway. I can live with 30.

Although I would have liked to have seen a CVT option - I really like how the Versa hatchback drives with it, very smooth-feeling. That would be really nice coupled with the Soul's stability.

 

[Kaido]

The 2014 model is now available:

http://www.kia.com/us/en/home?series=soul&year=2014

* $14,700 starting price
* 1.6L 130HP @ 24/30 MPG, or 2.0L 164HP @ 23/31 MPG
* Available in 3 models: Base, + (Plus), ! (Exclaim)

I am extremely disappointed that the top-end model is not offered in the darker "Kale Green" color The specs say the leather trim is optional on the Plus, but the car builder webpage doesn't have it listed as an option, at least not yet. I'm not a fan of the new Skittles-green color; I definitely like the darker green, but if I'm going to buy one, I'd rather get the pimped-out model if I'm going to keep it 5 or 10 years.

http://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content...-1020_20130828_11_25_39_Pro-2014-kia-soul.jpg

The other unfair thing is the foreign models gets the Smart Parking Assist System for both parallel & perpendicular auto-parking:

http://stwot.motortrend.com/files/2013/08/2014-Hyundai-Avante-self-parking-demo.jpg

Video in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GN21i5CTDGs

Commercial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyMjXwHsruI

C'mon man! I want an AWD TDI Soul with CVT & Smart Parking! :biggrin:

 

[Kaido]

Video review on, uh, Fox News:

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2013/11/15/test-drive-2014-kia-soul/

Loving the dark green color!

 

[FeuerFrei]

Car and Driver drove it

I like this side-by-side with the outgoing model. Looks hot.

 

[Drako]

They managed to make it even uglier. D:

:biggrin:

 

[Kaido]

They managed to make it even uglier. D:

:biggrin:

I cannot dispute that, but like a three-legged dog, you love it anyway :awe:

 

[Kaido]

Car and Driver drove it

I like this side-by-side with the outgoing model. Looks hot.

I'm waffling between this and a Forester. The Forester is more practical (CVT, AWD, Subaru quality/safety/resale value, better visibility, more room), but the Soul is way more fun. But the Subaru also has some nice options like a Turbo, power liftgate, EyeSight, etc. (albeit at a much higher pricetag). I'd like to trade in my Volvo while it still has some value...my head says Subaru, but my heart says Soul

 

[heymrdj]

I just got done talking to my local dealer to see if they had an Exclaim on the lot. Turns out the Solar Yellow one they had was still just a plus model. Called Kia and it seems to me that they haven't even made a run of the Exclaims yet . I'm not test driving one until I can find an Exclaim!

 

[heymrdj]

Dealer just got three Exclaims off of the truck Tuesday. I'm scheduled to test out a base model Exclaim tomorrow. They got a fathom blue and a solar yellow. They did have a fully loaded Exclaim with the whole shabang package, but it was sold *the* day it got off the truck .

 

[Kaido]

Dealer just got three Exclaims off of the truck Tuesday. I'm scheduled to test out a base model Exclaim tomorrow. They got a fathom blue and a solar yellow. They did have a fully loaded Exclaim with the whole shabang package, but it was sold *the* day it got off the truck .

Dang! Take pics when you take your test drive!

 

[heymrdj]

Dang! Take pics when you take your test drive!

Well I took some crappyish pics (didn't have much with me) but here's the two cars. Sadly they are just base Exclaims, so no HID's and only have the crappy tube style LED DRL's (which you can't see worth a damn in the day) vs the jewel LED's (haven't seen the new ones in person yet).









I found the inside materials excellent, they've really refined the feel of the car. The increased stiffening is certainly apparent and the car has amazing road manners for it's body style. I was still disappointed with no increased power levels for the car, 0-20 is good, but it just feels like it needs more mid-range torque. The inside is wider as well a little roomier.

Sadly as much as I love these vehicles, I found a competitor that seems to blow away the thing by a huge margin. By allowing itself to top off at nearly 27k, it's opened itself up to a heap of competitors in the c'ute market. I'll crosslink a separate thread on that soon.

 

[Kaido]

Nice, thanks! What competitor were you looking at?

My local dealer only has 4 in stock...3 white, 1 green, and 3 of those are the base models. They do have a green base in stick-shift...I've missed driving stick and it looks like the base now comes standard with cruise control, so that could work well for me (I drive mostly highway). I'd prefer the top-end $26k model with all the bells & whistles, but honestly, it'd mostly be a work commuter and stick-shift would be more fun, and that runs less than $16k with quite a few nice features.

The only downside is that I waited too long on my trade-in. KBB said my '01 Volvo was $5600 last year with 180k miles on it; I'm at 195k now and it's saying $2700, so that wouldn't shave too much off the price. Could probably get more selling privately. One of the big drivers for me is the jump from 20 MPG in the Volvo to 30 MPG in the Soul (mostly highway miles), although I'm also considering a Nissan Versa Note CVT for around the same price (albeit 40 MPG). My work commute bumped up slightly to about 1,200 miles a month and the transmission in the Volvo is starting to slip once in awhile. I'm in no rush though, I just miss my old green Soul!

 

[heymrdj]

Kaido, I think the competition is a Sport (or Latitude if you have a good dealer) is the new 2014 Jeep Cherokee, the new CRV, and the base model Ford Escape. The cherokee wins hands down on fit and finish, as well as (imo only) looks, and finally powerplant (4cyl with the 9 speed is very poweful for its size, and he 6cyl with 9spd will chirp tires on that low gear).

I just did some shopping (I have dealers in the final battle for a deal right now). Let me tell you the Nissan Vera Note CVT should just be off the list unless price is the only factor. Horrible crash rating, featureless, and gutless. I'm looking at a 2014 Fiesta SE (the fit and finish is hands down best in its class, and reviewers say so) and the 6spd powershift automatic is butter smooth (plus if you want to save 1095$, the 5 spd manual is rated as one of the best clutches in class and many dealers order tons of these because of their popularity). Plus with the Ford lineup you can get a manual on any trim, even fully loaded Titanium models (in fact I had trouble finding a titanium because all they had were fully loaded manuals, according to the dealer most people into these hatches want sticks). You can lease a SE for about 265 a month (with remote start) 0 down, or if you pay 300 month (0 down) a fully loaded titanium with nav/moonroof/sony audio package and exterior protection package (mudflaps, bumper guards ect), push button start, and remote start. You really cant beat that value in the small hatch market. Granted the Versa Note is bigger if you need the 4 people space (I don't, 4 people is a once every few months thing and when they came with me they said they could easily handle the leg room for an hour or two at a time). If that's the case, check out the Focus.

Sadly at this point, as much as I love its funkiness, the Soul is off my list. It doesn't bring enough to the table for 26 grand.

 

[Kaido]

I swung by a local dealership tonight & took the stick-shift out for a spin:

http://i.imgur.com/LXExw4M.jpg

Pros:
+ Incredibly quiet. Like electric car quiet. Even accelerating!
+ 6-speed, yay! Nice notchy shifting too, it was effortless to drive as a stick-shift
+ 1.6L has enough power, doesn't feel like a slug at all like the reviews said
+ Left side visibility is GREATLY improved
+ Feels much smoother & more stable (bigger)
+ $15.5k per the pic, very reasonable price
+ Feels pretty roomy
+ Handles great in the snow

Cons:
- Only 30 MPG. Should be at least 35 MPG. On a 1.6L no less!
- Lawnmower rims on the stick-shift model (barf)
- Some design misses (ugly raised nose, front honeycomb grill is WAY too large, etc.)

I really liked how the previous generation handled & drove; this update is even better - smoother, quieter, more stable. Feels like a size up driving-wise. There was some interior weirdness tho - minor stuff. First of all, it almost felt a bit oversized inside (too roomy, if that makes sense, but not in the useful way - in more of a Jack & the Beanstalk way - and I'm 6'1"!), similar to the new Camaro - the bottom of the window sills were upper bicep height, but unlike the Camaro, there was an armrest at a normal location. The front windshield is a lot shorter in height, similar to the Camaro, but still plenty of visibility. The 1.6L stick didn't come with a backup camera and it REALLY needs it - although the left side visibility has greatly improved, there's still a tiny rear window that is up too high to see even like a 5-year-old behind you.

Some of the interior roundness is a bit weird in person. The speakers look funky, the interior door handle is kinda weird, etc. Nothing major, but the overall circular design looked more interesting in the pictures. I liked the slight snugness of the previous interior design a bit more, I think, but I only took it on a quick test drive at night in a storm right before they closed, so it wasn't a good long test with any highway driving or anything. The interior door handles just kind of looked & felt a bit cheap & small, I dunno. The rims on the higher-end models really help the overall look too:

http://www.everymandriver.com/wp-co...OUL-on-Everyman-Driver-with-Dave-Erickson.png

I miss the bumper guards on the doors - I would definitely add those aftermarket. No sunroof on the base model, which I would really miss, and no cruise control, although that isn't a huge deal on a stick I guess. I really enjoyed the snow & ice performance, it was about 10F out and the trucks were out plowing, so I had some fun with it on the backroads. Handled like a champ, even better in the snow than my old one was, really easy & enjoyable to drive in bad conditions. The extra stability helped. Felt even more solid the the last-gen Forester that I took out (anxious to test the updated 2014 Forester, but that is outside of the budget I want for my commuter car, max ~18k). I'm in no rush to update, but I really miss my old Soul and our current Civic is pretty boring, so it'd be fun to have a car design I really like plus a stick-shift transmission to cruise around in. It'd be a small hassle on heavy traffic days, but I could live with it.

 

[Kaido]

Kaido, I think the competition is a Sport (or Latitude if you have a good dealer) is the new 2014 Jeep Cherokee, the new CRV, and the base model Ford Escape. The cherokee wins hands down on fit and finish, as well as (imo only) looks, and finally powerplant (4cyl with the 9 speed is very poweful for its size, and he 6cyl with 9spd will chirp tires on that low gear).

I just did some shopping (I have dealers in the final battle for a deal right now). Let me tell you the Nissan Vera Note CVT should just be off the list unless price is the only factor. Horrible crash rating, featureless, and gutless. I'm looking at a 2014 Fiesta SE (the fit and finish is hands down best in its class, and reviewers say so) and the 6spd powershift automatic is butter smooth (plus if you want to save 1095$, the 5 spd manual is rated as one of the best clutches in class and many dealers order tons of these because of their popularity). Plus with the Ford lineup you can get a manual on any trim, even fully loaded Titanium models (in fact I had trouble finding a titanium because all they had were fully loaded manuals, according to the dealer most people into these hatches want sticks). You can lease a SE for about 265 a month (with remote start) 0 down, or if you pay 300 month (0 down) a fully loaded titanium with nav/moonroof/sony audio package and exterior protection package (mudflaps, bumper guards ect), push button start, and remote start. You really cant beat that value in the small hatch market. Granted the Versa Note is bigger if you need the 4 people space (I don't, 4 people is a once every few months thing and when they came with me they said they could easily handle the leg room for an hour or two at a time). If that's the case, check out the Focus.

Sadly at this point, as much as I love its funkiness, the Soul is off my list. It doesn't bring enough to the table for 26 grand.

Yeah I definitely see your point, I REALLY like the car, but for $26k I'm going to get a BRZ or a nicely-equipped Forester, not a pimped-out Soul. Unless I really just had the money to burn, because then I'd do it for sure :biggrin:

My parents have a 2008 Versa hatchback and it is a surprisingly REALLY nice ride. The CVT is butter-smooth and it just handles like it's on rails. Really great visibility and the hatch has plenty of room. Feels roomier than the Soul in terms of storage, actually. My local dealer has a few nice ones for around $16k in the 40 MPG CVT configuration, so roughly the same price as the 30 MPG stick-shift Soul. It would be far more practical car in terms of being primarily a work commuter. The updated 2014 Versa hatchback gets a "Good" rating in all categories at IIHS:

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicle/v/nissan/versa-sedan

However, the NHTSA's front driver is only 3-stars and front passenger is only 2-stars, so you're trading great MPG at a low price for safety, definitely:

http://www.intellichoice.com/1-12-2...note-1-6-sv-4dr-hatchback-safety-ratings.html

The 2014 Kia Soul, at a full 10 MPG less highway, is actually a Top Safety Pick for this year: (not quite as good as my wife's TSP+ 2013 Civic, but pretty dang good for the price!)

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicle/v/kia/soul

It was also awarded a 5-star safety rating from the NHTSA:

http://www.kiamedia.com/us/en/media...=RSS_AllPressReleases&utm_source=KiaMedia.com

I didn't like the Fiesta at all - I didn't fit in it (we ended up going with a Honda Fit at the time). Liked the concept, didn't like it in person. Really intrigued by the new high-MPG model tho! Not a fan of Jeep SUV's in general, and I don't care for the 2014 Cherokee's looks. Which is funny, because I love the Soul's weird design, haha. I did check out the Sportage & Sorento at the Kia dealership and they looked pretty decent; they had some killer deals on the 2013 Sorentos they were trying to move out the door (same price as the new Sportages, but with AWD!) - it's a bit too big of a car for me though. The lease deals on the 2014 Sorentos were great too - use my trade-in to nuke the $3k down payment and it'd be $149 a month lol. They are being really aggressive on pricing right now - it's a lot of car for the money!

One oddball car I'm interested in is the Mini Cooper. They were already closed today, but I'll probably swing in tomorrow for a test drive. They have a lease special on the year-end models for $179 a month (the basic hardtop model), which is pretty decent. It'd be more of a for-fun car than a useful car, but for mostly going to work & back, why not? I've loved the Minis even since the old ones, so a red one with white stripes woud be super fun. Just a bit concerned with the small size (vs. the very large SUV's in my area).

So I'm pretty much all over the map. Buy or lease, 30 MPG minimum highway, something CRV-sized or smaller, no rush. Probably either $18k or less for a buy, $250/mo or less for a lease, although I'd prefer $200 or less. Since it's my work car and I can't miss work, reliability is a really big deal for me. I'm pretty sure I could easily get another 6 to 12 months out of my Volvo, it's just a risk thing, which is probably minor right now, but might be worth trading in or selling while it still has a bit of value and nothing major is wrong with it. Although I would like to see it go over the 200k mark

There are lot of interesting deals going on. I saw a Dodge minivan for a nice price:

Lease a 2014 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN SE for $269 per month for 39 months. Total due at signing: $2,999. No security deposit required.+

MODEL AVAILABILITY
GRAND CARAVAN SE - MSRP $23395

That would be useful, and the only way I would ever drive a Dodge would be on lease. Lots of options to mull over.

 

[slugg]

The great thing about the Kia Soul is that when it's parked next to a Pontiac Aztek, it makes the Aztek look like it was designed by Pininfarina.

But really, it should be illegal to make a car this ugly. Unfortunately, it's too expensive for a LeMons race, so it really has no purpose in life. Hyundai should pay for my therapy for dealing with the anguish of looking at such a car. Every time I see one in traffic, I feel a little more depressed and my eyes feel like they want to rip themselves out of my body.

The Kia Soul is ugly.

 

[darkswordsman17]

Sorry the Aztek is uglier.

I actually like it (don't love though, it certainly can be improved).

What's with the "chins" on some of these cars though? It and the new Mini, its like they're taking styling cues from...well late 90s/early 2000s Pontiac by tacking on big stupid looking plastic bits. At least they're painting them though.

 

[heymrdj]

Yeah I definitely see your point, I REALLY like the car, but for $26k I'm going to get a BRZ or a nicely-equipped Forester, not a pimped-out Soul. Unless I really just had the money to burn, because then I'd do it for sure :biggrin:

My parents have a 2008 Versa hatchback and it is a surprisingly REALLY nice ride. The CVT is butter-smooth and it just handles like it's on rails. Really great visibility and the hatch has plenty of room. Feels roomier than the Soul in terms of storage, actually. My local dealer has a few nice ones for around $16k in the 40 MPG CVT configuration, so roughly the same price as the 30 MPG stick-shift Soul. It would be far more practical car in terms of being primarily a work commuter. The updated 2014 Versa hatchback gets a "Good" rating in all categories at IIHS:

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicle/v/nissan/versa-sedan

However, the NHTSA's front driver is only 3-stars and front passenger is only 2-stars, so you're trading great MPG at a low price for safety, definitely:

http://www.intellichoice.com/1-12-2...note-1-6-sv-4dr-hatchback-safety-ratings.html

The 2014 Kia Soul, at a full 10 MPG less highway, is actually a Top Safety Pick for this year: (not quite as good as my wife's TSP+ 2013 Civic, but pretty dang good for the price!)

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicle/v/kia/soul

It was also awarded a 5-star safety rating from the NHTSA:

http://www.kiamedia.com/us/en/media...=RSS_AllPressReleases&utm_source=KiaMedia.com

I didn't like the Fiesta at all - I didn't fit in it (we ended up going with a Honda Fit at the time). Liked the concept, didn't like it in person. Really intrigued by the new high-MPG model tho! Not a fan of Jeep SUV's in general, and I don't care for the 2014 Cherokee's looks. Which is funny, because I love the Soul's weird design, haha. I did check out the Sportage & Sorento at the Kia dealership and they looked pretty decent; they had some killer deals on the 2013 Sorentos they were trying to move out the door (same price as the new Sportages, but with AWD!) - it's a bit too big of a car for me though. The lease deals on the 2014 Sorentos were great too - use my trade-in to nuke the $3k down payment and it'd be $149 a month lol. They are being really aggressive on pricing right now - it's a lot of car for the money!

One oddball car I'm interested in is the Mini Cooper. They were already closed today, but I'll probably swing in tomorrow for a test drive. They have a lease special on the year-end models for $179 a month (the basic hardtop model), which is pretty decent. It'd be more of a for-fun car than a useful car, but for mostly going to work & back, why not? I've loved the Minis even since the old ones, so a red one with white stripes woud be super fun. Just a bit concerned with the small size (vs. the very large SUV's in my area).

So I'm pretty much all over the map. Buy or lease, 30 MPG minimum highway, something CRV-sized or smaller, no rush. Probably either $18k or less for a buy, $250/mo or less for a lease, although I'd prefer $200 or less. Since it's my work car and I can't miss work, reliability is a really big deal for me. I'm pretty sure I could easily get another 6 to 12 months out of my Volvo, it's just a risk thing, which is probably minor right now, but might be worth trading in or selling while it still has a bit of value and nothing major is wrong with it. Although I would like to see it go over the 200k mark

There are lot of interesting deals going on. I saw a Dodge minivan for a nice price:



That would be useful, and the only way I would ever drive a Dodge would be on lease. Lots of options to mull over.

I enjoyed reading your thinkings on the cars. Have you tried a 2014 Fiesta though? They've changed up some of the dynamics from the 11-13 models. Also, Focus? Focus HB actually leases about 10/m cheaper than the Fiesta because of higher residuals.

 

[Kaido]

Sorry the Aztek is uglier.

I actually like it (don't love though, it certainly can be improved).

What's with the "chins" on some of these cars though? It and the new Mini, its like they're taking styling cues from...well late 90s/early 2000s Pontiac by tacking on big stupid looking plastic bits. At least they're painting them though.

I believe it's for safety reasons. The IIHS includes a new small frontal overlap test that the modern cars need to do well on to get a good safety rating, so putting a nice big crumple zone up front fixes that problem pretty well. I'm not a huge fan of the large nose on the 2014 Soul, but it's also been awarded a 5-star safety rating from the NHTSA & a "Top Safety Pick" from the IIHS on the 2014 redesign, so they're obviously doing something right.

 

[Kaido]

I enjoyed reading your thinkings on the cars. Have you tried a 2014 Fiesta though? They've changed up some of the dynamics from the 11-13 models. Also, Focus? Focus HB actually leases about 10/m cheaper than the Fiesta because of higher residuals.

Thanks! Nope, have not tried a 2014 Fiesta. Found the one a couple years ago extremely cramped. I live right down the street from a Ford dealership & stop in all the time (they have a lot of electric/hybrids on display out front), so maybe I'll check it out. The one catch is that it only gets a 4-star crash test safety rating in some categories: (safety is a bit of a hangup for me)

http://www.cars.com/ford/fiesta/2014/safety-ratings

The one Fiesta I'm really interested in is the recently-announced 1.0L manual Ecoboost that gets 45 MPG highway. They have some really aggressive lease packages, too - the $15k model is about $2500 down, $150 a month, so my trade-in would pretty much nuke the money down and leave me with a monthly payment well within my budget. That's less than $40 a week! Haha.

I also do like small cars, but I need to fit well in them to enjoy them (ex. like the Honda Fit, TONS of room inside!). The Kia Soul is safer, feels really stable, and is extremely roomy inside - plus I really like the design style. But the appeal of a 45 MPG, 1.0L, 3-cylinder engine is just plain cool! Also, I couldn't figure out how to configure it online (it's only available as an SE sedan or hatch), so I'm not sure if it's available yet, and they don't have any of the 1.0-liters in my area at all.

Plus long-term, as a work commuter, 45 MPG would be really great, especially on my wallet. There's no electric car battery range limitations, there's no expensive hybrid pricetag (2014 Prius nets 51 MPG, but starts at just over $24k - so 6 MPG extra for $9,000 more, plus a battery to change down the road), there's no diesel systems to worry about like urea refills, etc. It's just a small car that gets great MPG. I watched some Youtube reviews and they say the Ecoboost turbo makes it pretty snappy, so it's very drivable.

In addition, the price-per-mile in terms of fuel savings would definitely help the budget. I'm currently driving about 1,200 miles a month. My Volvo gets an average of 20 MPG (fairly consistently) with a 21-gallon tank, and at an average of $3.61 for regular fuel in my area, it's $75.81 to fill it up for a 420-mile range. That's 2.86 tanks of gas per month, or $216.81 monthly for gas in the Volvo. The Soul get 30 MPG highway with a 14.2-gallon tank for a range of 426-mile range for $51.26 per fillup. That's 2.82 tanks of gas per month, or $144.55 a month, which is a $72.26 savings in fuel charges per month (although that would disappear into the increased car insurance cost, haha).

So the 1.0L Fiesta would be a different story. With 12.4-gallon tank, the range would be 558 miles per tank, meaning I'd have to fill up less and at lower cost of $44.76 from empty. That's only 2.15 tanks of gas per month driving 1200 miles on average, which means my monthly fuel bill would be $96.23. Coming from the Volvo's $216.81 monthly average, I would save $120.58 monthly, or nearly $1500 a year in fuel savings. So I'd really only need to fillup twice a month and it would only cost $100 a month to drive. That's pretty awesome!

While I wasn't able to configure the 1.0L online (it shows the SFE package on the main page, but not in the configurator), I did run the numbers for the SE hatch model: $16,550 total with a monthly lease of $138 ($1730 down, 24 months, 10.5k miles per year, would probably buyout at the end to skip the over-mileage issue). And that's not including trading in my Volvo, which KBB says is worth $2700 right now as a trade-in with current mileage & condition. Using the trade-in on a 5-year loan, that's still only $235, which is less than my $250 monthly budget. Plus 0% ARP for 60 months, $500 bonus cash, and whatever other garbage they want to throw in.

Plus, I'm not in any rush to upgrade, so I have time on my side. I heard that February (President's Day) is the best time to buy a car after the end-of-year slump, so I could easily wait. The Volvo could easily last me another 6 months or another 5 years. But, the transmission slips occasionally, the car has started making the occasional odd noises, and since I've seen the past 10 years of service records & costs, I know exactly how much it's going to be to continue to maintain it at a drivable level (previous owner averaged $3k/year in maintenance, yikes!). But it's also very well-maintained and has served me well for the past 9 months, it's just a bit of a hog on gas, but no worse than a truck I guess.

Anyway, definitely a cool ride & a nice option. If I can find a 1.0L locally, I'll definitely take it out for a spin!

 

[darkswordsman17]

I believe it's for safety reasons. The IIHS includes a new small frontal overlap test that the modern cars need to do well on to get a good safety rating, so putting a nice big crumple zone up front fixes that problem pretty well. I'm not a huge fan of the large nose on the 2014 Soul, but it's also been awarded a 5-star safety rating from the NHTSA & a "Top Safety Pick" from the IIHS on the 2014 redesign, so they're obviously doing something right.

I'm talking about the sorta lip around the lower grille and foglights (and same with the rear). It and the Mini both have it and it looks...odd. The old car had it on the front and a little bit on the back. I don't think that will help in that crash test at all and its very clearly just the plastic molded to jut out some.

Seems like a lot of cars now have little styling bits like that that just hurt the looks and add complexity for no real reason.

 

[Kaido]

I'm talking about the sorta lip around the lower grille and foglights (and same with the rear). It and the Mini both have it and it looks...odd. The old car had it on the front and a little bit on the back. I don't think that will help in that crash test at all and its very clearly just the plastic molded to jut out some.

Seems like a lot of cars now have little styling bits like that that just hurt the looks and add complexity for no real reason.

Oh I gotcha, the part that juts out, right? Yeah, not really sure about that. Maybe just a design trend, I dunno.