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Buyers looking for the ideal vehicle here at Jim Butler Kia
of St. Louis have usually done a fair amount of homework and come to us
prepared to make the final decision on the model to best fit their needs. As there
are a few last items to check out before you make your mind up, price point and
daily drivability are two qualities that have guided shoppers towards the 2023
Kia Soul. Making its official debut in 2008, it has now undergone a third-generation
refresh and seen some tech and styling tweaks.
The lineup now has four trim levels instead of six, and they
all derive power from one turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine. The Motor1.com
auto review team tested the GT-Line model just in time for spring and
found a very well-evolved ride at an excellent price. The Soul’s interior has
gotten more appealing with each generation, and the current model offers a 10.3-inch-high
resolution touch screen, a new type of seat inserts and stitching, and the
all-digital gauge cluster.
The Neptune Blue color is well-coordinated and appointed
with the interior, as the Soul now possesses the design geared towards a more
selective buyer. As people are embarking on their daily shuttling or longer
weekend trip, the Soul offers a good amount of sound and vibration containment,
making for a peaceful drive and an ideal space to quickly check a few important
incoming emails or schedule changes. The seats are large and very wide, and
rear seat passengers enjoy 38.8 inches of legroom, a considerable improvement
over the Nissan Kicks’ 33.4 inches.
Drivers now have high expectations for what their newest
selection offers, as some supply chain issues have eased a bit and a sense of
some normalcy is present in manufacturing efforts. The Soul excels greatly at
offering features that are usually reserved for cars with a higher price tag,
boasting heated seats, push-button start, radar-based cruise control, USB A and
C ports, and wireless charging. The continuously variable transmission provides
very smooth off-the-line acceleration, and braking is perfectly executed by
modern-model standards.
The Soul is available with a Level 2 hands-on driver-assist
system, that keeps the driver safe by establishing a preset distance from the
car in front of you and guiding you gently back inside the lane. It requires
the driver to constantly have one hand on the steering wheel and is an
excellent form of technology to have as a bonus in a vehicle at this price. Other
excellent safety features on board to assure that your destination is reached
timely and assuredly are camera-based forward collision avoidance assist, lane
departure warning, high beam assist, and rear occupant alert.
It’s always best to know where your firmest competition
lies, and the soul faces off with the Chevy Trailblazer, Hyundai Kona, and
Mazda CX30. The Edmunds.com driving team remarked that this
year’s Soul felt “nice and spry around town”, with natural steering and
excellent cornering abilities. The height-adjustable front seat and generous
range of steering wheel adjustment provide enough flexibility to accommodate
any size driver. One recommendation we would make to render every single trip sizzle
with out-of-this-world audio would be the available Harman Kardon Stereo
System, one of the finest brands on the globe to enjoy sounds with!
