Grandma Review: 2014 Kia Soul
Derek’s Grandma returns, by popular demand.
I am a very lucky lady. And I don’t say that because I have won the slots every time I have gone to Vegas. I live in the kind of comfortable circumstances than many seniors do not enjoy. I have had a fulfilling career as an educator of children and adults that I only recently gave up. I am surrounded by amazing friends and family and have been fortunate to get through 81 years without any major health problems. So it was just my luck that my brand new Honda Fit was crashed into just days after I got it.
Since the case is now in the hands of police, I can’t talk about it too much. But I was left without my new car for a week. Fortunately, everyone involved was fine, and Derek and his parents helped document the incident, get the car to the body shop and arrange a rental for me.
When Derek and I first went car shopping, he tried to show me the Soul. I dismissed it immediately. It looked far too odd for me, and truthfully, I had my heart set on the Fit as soon as I drove it. But I didn’t want a big car as my rental, and I had a choice between the Soul or a Hyundai Sonata.
The first thing I noticed about the Soul is that it makes you sit a lot higher and more upright than the Fit. I like this. It’s easier to get in and out of, and the visibility is good – but I miss the little glass triangular windows in the Fit, that are placed ahead of the front windows. The interior of the Soul also looks a lot more like my old 2000 Civic. There’s no touch screen (something I’ve gotten used to, having had lots of practice on my Samsung tablet) and it feels a bit dated compared to the Fit. Derek tells me that most rental cars are basic, and the Soul that I had was probably a base model. But everything seemed dark and drab. I find that now that I’m used to the touch screen, it’s easy for me to use. Getting used to lots of unfamiliar buttons has turned into something that distracts me.
I also didn’t like the lack of cargo room in the Soul. Even though it seemed like a bigger vehicle, i immediately missed the space in the trunk, and the flexibility of the seats. My gentleman-friend’s walker didn’t fit in the back, and the rear seats couldn’t fold as well as the Fit to help me put it in easily.
What I did like? Power. Lots of it, compared to the Fit. The engine felt much stronger and more responsive. The Fit feels like it has one second of hesitation before it gets going. In the Soul, it was instant. The visibility and the higher seating will be two things I miss. I even came around to the looks of the car. It’s cute and easy to find in a parking lot.
If I had a bit more money to spend, then a Soul with more features and equipment than my rental would have been nice. But I’m happy with my Fit, and even happier to be back on the road in my own car.
Derek’s Grandma provided the rental car, gas and insurance. Photos and editing courtesy of Derek.
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Speculating from Derek's grandma's description, her new Fit was struck while stationary and unoccupied: I mean some drunk/textbot drove into it while it was parked. Also, I rise in admiration of an owner whose new car is already bent, but she does not complain or sob or demand from the heavens to know, 'WHYYYYY!!!'
I didn't much care for the Kia Soul I had for a long distance (over 1,000 miles) rental. It wasn't as good as other Kias I've rented. I liked the appearance and I thought it had also really grown on me by the time I turned it in. The lack of covered storage was an issue with me, too. Mostly I disliked its driving dynamics. The car had little on-center feel. That's unnerving when you are on the highway. Some reviewer once described it as having a "flinty" ride. That sums it up. Not a a showstopper, but not good, either. I hadn't thought of it, but yeah, the upright seating was a plus.