This is one very good point that hyundai/ kia missed completely. Not everyone is a car enthusiast and many customers just need a decent looking affordable transportation, not high tech cars loaded with latest gadgets. They stopped making simple cars and that will likely be their downfall.
There were almost no problems with the early models. Almost 200,000 miles on a 1.6L engine is pretty much proof of that. It's the NEW engines that are JUNK. They are going the wrong way with their TRASH technology.
My aunt has a lime green one and my best friend’s wife has a white one with near-limo tint. I always think about the hamster ad campaign when I see them! 😂
I always wanted one but I know they got a million recalls and will break.I had a 2012 optima that had the engine lock up twice and have to be replaced twice.
Same. I love the size and format, but a ten year old out of warranty Kia is asking for trouble. Pick up a late model Scion Xb instead, and you get the 2.4 Camry engine in that
I had a ‘15 Kia Soul as my first car and it was fantastic! Never ran into any issues with it at all, but due to concerns regarding the trend with people *still* stealing Korean cars, I traded it in for a ‘22 Subaru Legacy, which is also a great car to drive.
@@geraldscott4302 Mine isn’t junk, but really the only issues I’ve been having with it are just occasional minor software glitches and the auto stop/start system not always willing to work.
267k miles on my 2015 Kia Soul base 1.6L with sportmatic (automatic) transmission. The transmission is the same thing in a Dodge Dart; transmission made by the joint venture of Dodge/Mitsubishi. Biggest pet peeve is the way it lags between gears sometimes. It's not all the time it lags but when it does it just feels like it's complaining it doesn't want to mooooooooooooooove. Lol. There's a shift improvement kit but they're out of stock and I'm unsure how much that improves the shifting or what it would cost to do. Second biggest pet peeve is the rough ride yeah it rides not much better than my old 1992 Ford Festiva (Kia built/Mazda engine-transmission). Third pet peeve is if it goes at freeways speeds (70+ MPH), then the fuel economy drops down to 24 MPG and I'm pretty disappointed in that fact. Fourth pet peeve is the wind/road noise past 60 MPH. Favorite things about it is the frontward visibility, reliability, cost to maintain, and combined fuel economy in the city/business district 25-45 MPH (30-31 MPG combined). Lots of good, lots of bad. It's an economy car after all, $17.5k new according to the sticker. I bought it with 203k miles.
@@MicahDoesIt Only things wrong with it is burning a quart of oil every 1k miles if I did alot of highway driving and it needed a fuel pump. Other than that it was in very good condition. I ended up selling it for $2500, I could've gotten $3k out of it if I waited long enough. just three years ago it would've been worth $2k. but damn do I miss that car. I'm 6'3" and it fit me so comfortably. I was looking for a change and now I'm just reminiscing
@@Lincolnator721 so you think I should buy the one I’m looking at. On KBB I’m seeing alot of people say they had one that went to engine failure with like 66k miles on it. The one I’m looking at is at 141k miles so I’m worried it won’t last at least 4-5 years
@@MicahDoesIt Which engine does it have? I believe the 1.6L is more reliable than the 2.0L but that is from what I've seen across many forums, anecdotal evidence though. I've seen a 2015 2.0L with nearly 400k miles, original engine and transmission but the owner did full synthetic oil changes every 4k miles and using OEM Kia/Hyundai oil filter (very important to use OEM as OEM knows best). Oil changes are much cheaper than an engine replacement. Being that these have a GDI engine, they do require more frequent oil changes due to blowby. They're not well made I admit but they will last a long time with frequent oil changes. Make sure to check the history, if the oil changes weren't done every 4k miles at least and with OEM oil filter then I'd forget it. That being said, anything is a gamble in my opinion. My 2015 had the original engine and transmission in it as well
The thing that makes the first and second generation Kia Souĺs so perfect was they were trying to create a VW Beatle, or Model A Ford. A people's car. This car was an upgrade from unreliable used cars for many of their customers. Great warranty, excellent value, excellent utility. This car allowed many single mothers to afford rent and make it to work. I personally know poor folk who were able to improve their socioeconomic status because of the practicality, economy, and reliability of the Kia Soul. It has literally pulled people put out of poverty.
the kia soul is actually NOT a perfect form of transportation, id rather use a bike with no seat to get from A to B then even step one foot into a kia soul
I've often thought the 6 speed manual, 2.0l version of this would be a pretty good compromise between amusement and utility. They seem to be pretty rare, though.
My parents offered to sell theirs to me as my second car. I was interested cause I learned to drive on it, and I actually really liked it. But then the Kia Boys happened, and I decided to get a Honda Fit instead xD (They had offered for me to just finish paying off the remainder of around 8 grand, with the car at around 80k miles on it.) My first car was a 1998 Accord. Learned to drive manual on it, and decided to get a manual Fit as my second. Gonna go automatic for my third car, as I’ve started to grow out of the stick shift phase, and just want easy transportation xD Also, I’ve started to get sciatica in my left leg.. so sometimes pressing the clutch pedal is painful. Maybe every other or third day, it acts up for the first 10 minutes of a drive.
I don’t understand the hate this car gets. I know the driver stereotypes, but the car itself is really really good. Everyone wants simple utilitarian cars, but once they go on sale they get all the hate. This is one of those cars I secretly love and don’t bother telling people because of the opinions people have on it
I drive a red 2019 Kia Soul +. Bought it brand new, and it’s been great! However, I do use a steering wheel club wherever I go and park it, and have not yet taken it to the dealership for the software update.
Nobody mentioned here how it looks like a land rover (somewhat similar to the disco v at the front) and has a rear end similar to a toyota will cypha. Overall, unique and is a much better car than a cheap mirage or mirage G4.
It's good basic transportation, there are a lot of these running around the part of Florida I live in. If I ever had to replace my 2016.5 Mazda CX-5 I would consider one of these.
7:10 replacing the engine might not be hard, but it won't be financially beneficial to do it. The engine costs more to replace than replacing the entire car.
There’s a reason why they sell them with a bigger warranty than any other brand when you buy them new. If that wasn’t enough they got a bunch of recalls and class action lawsuits against them for the stuff that typically breaks.
My wife has a '17. It's a pretty good car. Wish for more power, wish the steering feel were better. Wish the seats were a little more supportive, but I'm getting old and that's my complaint about many, many cars now. My aching back.
The license plate number is recently issued, like this month. It could be used and the new owner started driving for Uber/Lyft. The owner could also have forgotten to get ther emissions tested or pay for a new sticker and had to get a new plate. But yeah, current plate number sequence
I'd go for the 2.0 engine if I were to buy a car like this. Reliability issues aside, you get more power (in some cases it's needed), and fuel economy won't be much worse than the 1.6. Alternatively, one could look at the Scion XB, but 2015 was the last year for that car, it didn't have many features (pick your transmission, pick your exterior colour, and that's it), and it still had a 4 speed automatic transmission in 2015 (not the best for fuel economy). But at least you won't have to worry about your engine blowing up unexpectedly even with regular maintenance.
I just bought one it's 2014, manual and it is the same body. and I was afraid of buying the wrong car, but this video calms me lot thanks, my kia soul has 65,000 miles, I bought it used from a kia dealer.. thanks again….
My mom bought a pair of them a 13 and a 15, the 13 had around 60 thousand miles on it, and the 15 had 100, the 13 burned a lot of oil, and the front end was worn out and clunking, got rid of it with 80 thousand, the 15 must have burned so much oil that it had ruined the cat ! It has the catylist efficiency code, they were fun zippy good on gas , but the low quality of them really threw me off, got a 2012 Camry instead
Second gen Soul is also my favorite. Particularly love how Kia designed the rear end of this one like it's carrying a backpack (a cute touch I must say).
despite having an ix20(jc) that shares a lot with this car, the soul is one of the few vehicles on planet earth that pisses me off. i just can't stand one. this being said, great video as always, you are improving a lot❤
Too bad they're outdated tho and have weak engines. Some people look for power and torque when they're overtaking other vehicles while they're five inside.
My dad’s 2014 was almost stolen. They broke the rear passenger window, and messed with the steering column. Luckily someone from his job noticed and scared them away before they could start it. They were maybe 10 seconds away from having it. Replaced all of the broken bits myself, and installed a Viper alarm system. At least to try and deter people from trying. My dad lost the original letter for a free club, and we got the second letter a few weeks after the attempt happened xD
In terms of reliability, it’s been fine. He doesn’t drive it hard, and I’ve been doing fluid changes on it ever since 66k miles. Changing the oil every 5k or 5 months. Changed the transmission fluid around 73k. Currently the car is about 105k, and still perfectly fine mechanically. Cosmetically, it’s got some dings, scratches, peeling clear coat on the plastic bits (side mirrors, bumper cover), and the driver’s seat fabric is getting worn. But it’s perfectly fine for a commuter / small family car.
I used to think the Kia Soul was a pretty decent looking transportation appliance. Then they put huge ghetto wheels on it, got rid of the tires, and stuck the black plastic clinker at the top of the rear pillars, turning a decent looking washing machine on wheels into one of the ugliest things on the road. It's amazing that a direct injection engine managed to last that long. I actually considered buying one of these back in 2013, but I wanted a manual transmission, and you could not get those with cruise control (Mazda was able to make that work, why not Kia) So I bought a 2006 Mercury Grand Marquis. with 87,000 miles on it. I still have it. It now has 384,000 miles on it, and still runs like new. No major repairs. I figured that if I was stuck with ban automatic, I might as well go for full blown luxury and comfort. Don't know if you have done a Ford Panther car, but they are wonderful. Especially the 2003 and up. Being able to replace an engine /transmission and keep a car going is a VERY important thing. Pretty much impossible with newer cars. And I don't believe a 2015 Kia Soul has a CVT. A CVT would never have even come close to reaching that kind of mileage. It would have taken at least 4 of them. The air cooled rear engine VW Bug managed to be both a perfect transportation car, and an enthusiast car at the same time. I've owned three of them. Would still have one, but I've reached the age where I need A/C. BTW, that "Big Friggin Bottle" test is probably a good idea. I have a 2006 V6 Mustang that has one normal sized cupholder, and another round holder that is unfortunately too big to put a normal sized cup or can in, without it flying out in a turn, or sloshing the contents all over the place without some kind of adaptor to make it smaller. The smaller cup holder holds almost all 44 oz. convenience store or drive through drinks.
