2023 Kia Soul for a month and it has met or exceeded my expectations in almost all areas. Smooth and quiet ride even at highway speeds. I am averaging 31 mpg combined, right at the advertised fuel economy. Seats are very comfortable front and rear. My EX black interior cleans up easily even after grandson spills- the hard plastic on the front seat backs is actually helpful in this regard. The six speaker sound system sounds great to me with no distortion even at strong bass settings, if you are using high quality audio such as YouTube Music or SiriusXM.
The LaneKeepingAssist will make a gentle tug on the steering wheel when engaged, but it is easily overcome by the driver. My only minor gripe is the default on Idle-Stop-Go feature which will turn off the engine at stop lights after about 20 seconds. The effect is most noticed on hot days when running AC fan high. When ISG engages, the fan speed will go low while the engine is off. The feature does disengage immediately when the car moves. I understand ISG is driven by EPA guidelines and is now on many new car models. At least Kia puts the button to turn off ISG in an easy to access location right next to steering wheel. But you do have to turn off ISG each time you start the car.
My guess is most drivers will find little to complain about with this vehicle, given the price point. However, Kia should really make LED headlights standard. For 2023 in the US you can only get LED on the GT line with a premium tech package. One more tip, the 5 year bumper-to-bumper and 10 year power rain warranties are great. But the electronics factory warranty is only 3 years. So your dealer will still try to upsell a longer warranty. Do your homework on other extended warranty options before purchase, so you can assess if the Kia platinum…
