Roof Rack

 

Kill themselves???

 

My wife just got a black 2010 Soul Sport! Don't you love it. I still have my 2009 HHR SS though, never getting rid of it, unless they come out with a twin turbo model.

 

Stop having so many kids? That seems to be the easisest thing to do STOP at TWO! The planet is crowded enough.

 

I got the 5-speed. I have a slight issue with the red dash and the glare it makes on the windshield.


The only other thing is my idle is around 600 rpm and if I'm just a little slow on the gas at a stop it stalls. I'm sure I'll adjust to it, once I put something other than the 87 octane gas the dealer put in it. I've been hanging out at the Kia Soul Forum also. There are some issues with the USB port and the Mood lights in Music mode when the outside temperatures get near 95 deg. So far though, I pretty much am enjoying this car.

 

We just bought a 09 white mazda5 for my wife to drive around w/ the kids. She loves it. I still have the 07 HHR and I still love it.

 

It does match your hat, pants and shoes though.

 

Touche, got me there.
As far as the mood lighting goes, in the front door speakers, they just work better at night.
Since I drive mostly at night, the red glare isn't much of a problem.
Once I got rid of the 87 octane gas that the dealer had in the tank, my idle is a more respectable 7-800 rpm now.
And I don't notice any problems with the USB port with my flash drive. Other owners complained about i Pod compatibility same as this forum.
My Kia Soul Sport is a nice 'mellow' daily driver, I keep the SS for my 'wild' side.

 

I'm glad to see someone here has a soul, im actually debating between the hhr and soul right now. I like them both for different reasons, and ive driven them both as well. I'd love to know your driving impressions of the both of them. I would love an aqua blue hhr but price difference between a soul sport and a hhr 2lt is kind of a turn off.

 

With the Soul, there are upsides and downsides.
I have the top of the line Soul Sport with the only option, a sun/moon-roof. I mean all options are standard on this car when compared to most other cars. If you were in Canada, there are a few more options installed as standard. Let's see; side marker lights and the roof rails that you see in the commercials. Plus different add-on options.
In Europe, you can even get a diesel engine.
Of course it is lacking in some available options also. It does have tire pressure sensors, but what good are they if they don't display what you're tire pressures are?
There is only one interior color option on the Sport, red/black.
The 2 liter engine only puts out 142 hp and if you try to pass on a two lane black-top, be sure you have plenty of room to finish the pass. The acceleration on this thing is seriously lacking. I have the 5-speed stick and am using 91 octane gas to help it out.
The car is blue-tooth compatible, but there are a few things to add to get it working.
The stereo, the up-graded one, has a 325 watt amp and pushes 8 speakers. The front door speakers have the mood lights. Why only those and not the back doors also, I don't know.
There is some serious big glass to see by. The front seats are wide and fairly comfortable.
Cargo space is not that impressive as the rear seats don't fold flat down as the HHR and the space is smaller. The glove compartment is HUGE and is about 1 foot deep and has a shelf in it. The upper dash storage is small.
Even getting 30-31 mpg, with the 12.7 gallon gas tank, you need to start looking for a gas station about every 250-275 miles. You'll be at the 1/4 tank mark.
Did I mention the 6 1/2" ground clearance? With the 18" wheels it seems to be more. At 6'2" getting out of the car, while still in the seat, the back of my knees hit the door sills as I step out and my legs are almost straight. Don't worry about taking corners though. It comes with stability/traction control, standard, and four wheel disk brakes. It has a rear torsion beam sport tuned suspension and has a wide stance.
Over all, it is a nice go-to-work/drive around town car. But, for the road and long hauls, give me the HHR. Since I have the SS and not the LT, I can't do much in comparison. And, you can not compare the Soul to the SS for performance. The SS and I'm sure the other models just appeal to the eye more than the Soul. Sure, they have the really cool commercial, something that the HHR does not have. And they have this great boom box with the novelties added. What, no On-Star or hands free on-board phone? It has Sirius instead of XM.
The Soul has only been out since March and they are selling lots of them, right now. The 2010 model may be the last run for the HHR.
Price-wise the HHR SS cost me about $10,000 more than my Soul. But, the Soul wasn't out there yet either. The kicker about the price on the Soul was the dealer $2,000 mark-up. They claim that with everything standard on this vehicle, they have next to no profit margin.
If it is price that worries you and not performance or that retro appeal, than go with the Soul. Then there is that 10-year/100,000 mile warranty also. But, what kind of driving do you do? I haven't taken any long drives in my Soul, but I do hear that it can be a little annoying. At highway speeds, it tends to get noisy. Not much sound deadening in the engine compartment. But, I have the stereo usually at 25 or so, so I don't hear anything.
From what I hear the automatic in the Soul performs even worse than the 5-speed on acceleration.
There are a few Kia Soul Forums on the internet, but they are still working on continuity, since there are people from around the world with different inputs to add. There isn't a lot of after market add-ons yet and Kia accessories are few right now, but they are working on it.