I have never owned a vehicle that didn't has a GM or Dodge emblem. Wives will steer you to do different things ....
My wife is a representative for Quiznos subs. She has a pretty large area to cover and it keeps getting bigger. Previous area was all within a day trip and she's used a 99' Chevy Lumina (awesome vehicles IMO) I inherited in 2013 with 30K on it which now has 183K on it, yeah she puts some miles on. Side note: I've owned 4 GM vehicles with 3.X liter engines and they have all been excellent, I love them and wanted another. The Lumina is still very dependable but it was time for an upgrade for wifey.
In the last year her area expanded to overnighters and longer, so when she does longer trips she rents. She's rented everything and the Kia Soul convinced her that it was what she wanted, I objected. I just am not a fan of 4 cylinder engines and small. For Christ sakes I'm uncomfortable in the 14' Camaro I surprised her with a couple years ago that only has 4000 miles on it, how was I going to fit in a Kia Soul??? She kept telling me they have tons of room. She likes it because she swears her field of view is excellent, she can see everywhere in all directions, gets decent gas mileage and it runs good ........... yeah sure Ok.
She was away 2 weeks ago, end of the month so I went looking. Played hardball with a few dealers and bought a used 2016 red Kia Soul, + trim package with 11K miles, lots of warranty left. The trim gave me a few niceties the I wanted for her, 2L upgrade from the base 1.6L, nicer wheels, BU camera, running lights and Bluetooth along with all controls from the steering wheel. I abstained from the ! trim, I saw it as potentially less "issues", hell I thought I was stretching my gut feel far enough with a foreign car!!
Now prior to buying I sat in them only (never driven one) and came away shocked with how much room they have. I'm big and I'm very comfortable in the Soul, front seats or back! I'd never driven one until after I wrote the check mainly because I don't have to, it is my wife's car, it's what she wanted. Obviously I had to get it home and one of the reasons I bought was to surprise her when she got home.
Once behind the wheel I was pleasantly surprised at the car's performance. In PA, hills are a way of life and always my disdain for the 4 hole engine but so far so good driving away. In the pilot seat all amenities are accessible from the steering wheel, radio, cruise, info, and communication. It has USB, power, and radio auxiliaries jacks. It even has a driving mode for steering, stiffer for sport, softer for comfort and neutral for in between. Had to go a few miles before I could put it on cruise with rolling hills. Another surprise, no violent shifting with the cruise set at 70 and rpm's right at 2000! Got closer to home where the hills are a lot steeper and 2 lane (no cruise). The car did have to work a bit harder but the shifting was decent. I can live with it and I don't have to drive it.
In all, so far I'm on the + side of impressed, let's hope this continues. First tank got a smidge under 32mpg. Haven't emptied the second tank yet, she's renting this week .............
My wife is a representative for Quiznos subs. She has a pretty large area to cover and it keeps getting bigger. Previous area was all within a day trip and she's used a 99' Chevy Lumina (awesome vehicles IMO) I inherited in 2013 with 30K on it which now has 183K on it, yeah she puts some miles on. Side note: I've owned 4 GM vehicles with 3.X liter engines and they have all been excellent, I love them and wanted another. The Lumina is still very dependable but it was time for an upgrade for wifey.
In the last year her area expanded to overnighters and longer, so when she does longer trips she rents. She's rented everything and the Kia Soul convinced her that it was what she wanted, I objected. I just am not a fan of 4 cylinder engines and small. For Christ sakes I'm uncomfortable in the 14' Camaro I surprised her with a couple years ago that only has 4000 miles on it, how was I going to fit in a Kia Soul??? She kept telling me they have tons of room. She likes it because she swears her field of view is excellent, she can see everywhere in all directions, gets decent gas mileage and it runs good ........... yeah sure Ok.
She was away 2 weeks ago, end of the month so I went looking. Played hardball with a few dealers and bought a used 2016 red Kia Soul, + trim package with 11K miles, lots of warranty left. The trim gave me a few niceties the I wanted for her, 2L upgrade from the base 1.6L, nicer wheels, BU camera, running lights and Bluetooth along with all controls from the steering wheel. I abstained from the ! trim, I saw it as potentially less "issues", hell I thought I was stretching my gut feel far enough with a foreign car!!
Now prior to buying I sat in them only (never driven one) and came away shocked with how much room they have. I'm big and I'm very comfortable in the Soul, front seats or back! I'd never driven one until after I wrote the check mainly because I don't have to, it is my wife's car, it's what she wanted. Obviously I had to get it home and one of the reasons I bought was to surprise her when she got home.
Once behind the wheel I was pleasantly surprised at the car's performance. In PA, hills are a way of life and always my disdain for the 4 hole engine but so far so good driving away. In the pilot seat all amenities are accessible from the steering wheel, radio, cruise, info, and communication. It has USB, power, and radio auxiliaries jacks. It even has a driving mode for steering, stiffer for sport, softer for comfort and neutral for in between. Had to go a few miles before I could put it on cruise with rolling hills. Another surprise, no violent shifting with the cruise set at 70 and rpm's right at 2000! Got closer to home where the hills are a lot steeper and 2 lane (no cruise). The car did have to work a bit harder but the shifting was decent. I can live with it and I don't have to drive it.
In all, so far I'm on the + side of impressed, let's hope this continues. First tank got a smidge under 32mpg. Haven't emptied the second tank yet, she's renting this week .............