2013 Kia Soul Expert Review

The 2013 Kia Soul seems to have just about everything you could need in a car, without inundating you with too many fluffy extras. The five-seat Soul is available in three trim levels: base, Soul+ and the Soul! that I drove. If you're in the market for similarly priced and styled vehicles, you should also check out the Nissan Cube and Scion xB. The Soul hasn't changed much since last year's model.

EXTERIOR

The Soul really speaks for itself in terms of exterior design. When we first saw it back in 2008, it was aggressively styled with straight lines and square corners, standing out against a backdrop of progressively sleeker cars. With several other similarly shaped cars on the road today, the Soul is no longer the odd man out.

Its modernized-mail-truck look will either appeal to you or not. Between its shape, its features and its fun, youthful marketing, the Soul tends to appeal to a younger market, but quite a few Boomers are driving them, as well, thanks to the Kia's retirement-friendly price tag and hip-high front seats, which make it easy to get in and out without too much strain or bending.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY FEATURES

The Soul's boxy shape lends itself to practical interior cabin space. Backseat passengers not only have plenty of headroom, but also fantastic visibility due to the large expanses of glass and the slightly raised, theater-style rear seat. For young kids with a tendency to motion sickness, the extra-wide view might just keep you from having to stock your glove box full of gallon-sized Ziplocs.

The 39 inches of backseat legroom was plenty of space for all three of my girls' (ages 8, 10 and 12) gangly, growing legs. That's quite impressive compared with the Nissan Cube's 35.5 inches of rear legroom. The Scion xB falls between the two with 38 inches of rear legroom. There was just enough seat width to squeeze all three of my kids in side by side, with just one of them in a slim Bubble Bum booster seat.

Storage areas throughout the Soul's interior helped keep my sometimes-chaotic family-car life a little bit more under control. A small center console up front was just large enough to stash my phone and snacks. In-door storage bins in all four doors, plus netted pockets on the front seatbacks, held all my other odds and ends.

I appreciated the remote keyless entry, which is standard on the Soul trim level, with the added benefit of push-button start that came as part of a $2,500 Premium Package. This package also gave my family two-tone, easy-to-wipe-clean leather seats that were heated up front for my driving pleasure. The standard Bluetooth technology was a cinch to pair with my phone, though the flip side was that it was also a cinch to pair with my 12-year-old daughter's phone. This gave her the ability to play and replay "Party Rock Anthem" while driving through the school carpool lane, Chick-fil-A and more. Apparently, it was hilarious. Just ask my kids.

BEHIND THE WHEEL

The base Soul has a 138-horsepower, 1.6-liter four-cylinder. The Soul+ and my Soul! test car have an upgraded 164-hp, 2.0-liter engine. All Souls have front-wheel drive, and the base and Soul+ come with either a standard six-speed manual transmission or an optional six-speed automatic. The Soul! is automatic only. Mine had plenty of zip and zing for daily, around-town driving, even while in Eco mode, which can help drivers improve gas mileage. On the highway, however, you really have to nurse the Soul to keep it up to speed, unlike other vehicles that seem to practically drive themselves.

SAFETY

The 2013 Kia Soul is an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick, having received the institute's top rating of Good in front, side, rear and roof-strength tests. It hasn't undergone the small-overlap front test. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave the Soul an overall crash-test rating of four out of five stars.

Courtesy of cars.com