Kia Soul: What's the appeal?

[Joey D]

You may think that the base model is well-equipped, but for my likes (and those of most of my teenage guy friends) it's too bare. And by the time that it has enough things added to it, none of us would pay that money over something else.

Teenage GIRLS on the other hand, love the thing. I see them in it all the time. I guess it depends what you want in a car.

What do you consider well equipped for a car that cost $15,000 brand new? You're not going to get much no matter how you look at it. For the price the Soul is fairly well equipped compared to other vehicles it competes with. A fully equipped Soul! comes in at a little less than $25,000 and you get things like satnav, premium sound, automatic climate controls, sunroof, leather seats, and many other features that would be considered higher end options.

The base model is similarly equipped as other vehicles it competes with, and when you spec it up slightly, the base model is better equipped for the price than its competition.

The Soul isn't marketed towards teenage guys who are interested in cars either, the Forte Koup is more geared towards that market segment. The Soul is geared more towards people in their 20's and 30's that want something practical, gets good fuel economy, and is inexpensive.

Saying that a car is out of style simply because it has some retro looks is by far one of the funniest things I've heard today.

Underneath the Mustang's retro body lies a nice leather interior, Bluetooth connectivity, a crushing stereo system, Sirius XM, and many more nice touches that keep this car from being ANYTHING close to out of style.

Style != Good or Bad. I'm talking purely about the styling of the car. I've owned a retro car, I had a Mk2 MINI Cooper for 4 years and the styling was out of date, didn't mean it was a bad car though.

I like the Mustang, I don't think it's a bad car and depending on what the 2015 Mustang is like, I'd even consider buying one. But the current generation looked out dated even before it went on sale in 2005 since it was nothing more than a rehash of something for the 1960's. In 10 years I'd wager the current generation of Mustangs will look even more dated too.

 

[Moglet]

There will always be a market for Mustangs, simply because it's a Mustang. It's got history and heritage and unless Ford decide to somehow ruin the Mustang name in some way, there will be a good market for them.

Who's to say it won't be the same for the Soul? You can't predict the future. For all you know the Soul could be considered a style icon in 10 years time!

Also, why do you bring up speed limit? I can take my Mustang to the local track for a track day. I wouldn't want to do that in a Soul.

Because you said the following:
"Unlike the Kia, it will get you where you're going in a hurry if you need it"

And I know alot of people who admire it for it's "vulgarness." It's an American icon as far as cars go, why can't it be flashy?

There's no reason it can't and for some people it will remain the best car in the world but today's market is totally different from the type of buyer the original Mustang was aimed at and that is why cars like the Soul are becoming more and more popular. Personally I love the Mustang but the price of fuel isn't getting any lower.

Some people don't. Most is a stretch. From my high school student friends (boys and girls) to their parents, to my family, to the amount of mustangs that you see on the street, the general population seems to think that they're still very cool.

I think the Lamborghini Aventador is very cool but there's realistic cool and there's 'I can't afford one' cool. How many Souls and small cars are you seeing on the street in comparison to big engined cars like Mustangs? The market is changing.

How much did she pay for this special Halo edition? I know you said that its good value for the money, but I'm pretty sure that a special edition model isn't going to be exactly cheap.[/b][/color]

It was free, but that's another thing entirely.
The list price is £11,695.

That gets you the 1.3l engine with an auto gearbox, pearlescent paint, polished face alloys, dual exhaust tips, leather heated steering wheel, air conditioning, 2 level heated front seats, Bluetooth connectivity, iPod and Aux input stereo with MP3 CD compatability and steering wheel controls, electric windows, electric folding heated mirrors, auto locking doors, reverse parking sensors with audio and visual alarms, LED lamps front and rear, daytime running lights (no other Picanto model has the LED DRLs), front and rear fogs, auto headlights, LED lit dials, interior courtesy delay lamp, steering wheel rake and height adjustment, split folding rear seats with retractable headrests, traction control and all the usual stuff.

That's a fair bit of kit for a small car!
EDIT: As a comparison, the highest level Ford Ka is £11,225 and that doesn't include reverse parking sensors (£250 option), auto headlights, heated steering wheel, heated seats (only available with the leather interior on the Ka), pearlescent paint, Bluetooth & USB (£250 option) but does include a heated windscreen.