Kia Soul

If there’s one car on the road today that brings a smile to my face every time I see it, that would be the Kia Soul. It’s unlike anything else out there, and I love that about this little guy.

In the history of automotive advertising, the Kia Soul hamsters are legendary. The adorable human-sized hamsters that loved to party were the ideal way for Kia to launch this cute and quirky compact car. It showed a youth invasion was coming, and Kia was there to capture the next wave of drivers and car buyers.

Drop all of the animal analogies and jabber about buyer interest for a moment and actually stare at the Kia Soul, and you will see a small, round-eyed automobile that if seen on the streets in 1959 would likely have been mislabeled as “UFO activity.”

Kia has unveiled a new Soul model that packs in 40 hp and 45 lb-ft. more torque than the previous top of the line ride. The car is the Kia Soul Exclaim, and it comes with a 1.6L turbo GDI engine paired with a 7-speed dual clutch transmission.

When I first heard of autonomous cars, I worried that it might be an excuse to take driving out of the hands of humans and give it completely to a computer. With all of the tech so far letting drivers defeat the system if they want control, I am liking the autonomous future more and more.

If you keep your eyes open when you are out driving around your city, I guarantee you will see a bunch of the little Kia Souls driving around. These little vehicles look pretty good and are very inexpensive making them the perfect car for anyone on a budget wanting a ride that looks decent and holds up well.

The Kia Soul is one of those enigmas in the automotive industry. It defies categorization and is a bit goofy looking, but it’s been wildly popular. I think that’s because it really appeals to the creative and youthful market it’s trying to reach, and Kia has done a great job conveying the playfulness and economy of this little vehicle.

When the Kia Soul EV launched it was only available in California. Electric car fans that liked what Kia was offering and wanted to get their hands on the EV, but lived outside of California may be in luck.