Cars.com Compares Box-Cars
Cars.comparison: The Box-Cars (Cars.com)
Econobox Comparison Video
Although Scion was first on the scene with the xB, Kia and Nissan have introduced their own low-priced small, boxy cars, the Soul and the Cube, respectively. Cars.com reviewer Kelsey Mays has spent time in all three and rendered his verdict on each. If you’re in the market for an economy car, though, he suggests you might want to look elsewhere.
Reader Review of the Week: 2010 Kia Soul
“Nacho” from Auburn, Ala., begins this review by praising the new Soul for its innovative look and all the amenities it offers for a low price tag. As Nacho puts it so well, though, this car “is not the Holy Grail.” Nacho notes a number of areas where the car’s designers flubbed. Read the full review to find out why, on balance, the Soul earns a recommendation. Then post your own review here.
Honda Insight, Kia Soul, Toyota Prius Earn Top Safety Award
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released its latest crash-test ratings, and the 2010 Honda Insight, Kia Soul and Toyota Prius all earned the group’s Top Safety Pick award. The title goes to any model that scores the top rating of Good in front, side and rear crash tests. The cars also must be equipped with electronic stability control. All three of these cars come with that safety feature standard, although the Insight features it standard only in the top EX trim level.
IIHS considers all three small cars, though the Prius’ interior volume rates it as a midsize in EPA designations. The three join seven other small cars that have earned the Top Safety Pick award, but of those only the Scion xB, Subaru Impreza and VW Rabbit feature stability control standard. The Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Mitsubishi Lancer and Toyota Corolla offer it as an option.
2010|Honda|Insight
2010|Kia|Soul
2010|Toyota|Prius
Reader Review of the Week: 2010 Kia Soul
“Soulman” from Erie, Pa., was looking at a used Scion xB before deciding to spring for a new 2010 Kia Soul for only $1,000 more. How did the decision work out for him? He’s found a lot he likes about the Soul, but also discovered the car is not without its flaws. He explains why he chose the Soul and what he thinks Kia could do to improve it. Check out Soulman’s review, then post your own review here.
2009 Kia Soul Video
What makes the all-new 2009 Kia Soul so cool? That’s the question Cars.com’s Kelsey Mays asks in his review. Could it be the back-lit speakers that pulsate with the music? Or maybe the low price tag? Mays goes in search of answers in this video, while lucky viewers get a taste of his musical inclinations.
Through Ian's Lens: 2010 Kia Soul
In spite of dreary economic times, some car companies are manufacturing cars that look and feel cutting-edge. Spending money to make your wheels flashy may become a thing of the past for some car buyers, but now manufacturers are highlighting inexpensive cars with quality parts that create an aftermarket look and feel without the extra cash. Enter the 2010 Kia Soul, a boxy, four-door SUV-meets-hatchback that’s pitted itself against the Scion xB and the new Nissan Cube. The Soul is designed for young, hip twentysomethings, and it’s priced to sell.
The headlights and taillights are exceptional. The lamps and turn signals were plucked straight off a concept car and plopped right onto this production model. The taillights are tall, narrow triangles, while the headlights are multi-angled and covered in enough chrome to make an aftermarket light kit look like a flashlight.
The design aspect that most gives the Soul its edgy character is the shape of the car itself. The Soul’s outer shell has a rounded nose, matched with harsh window accents and sloped body lines. Its flat roof accentuates the angle of the front grille and windshield, while the flat back makes the rounded wheel wells look as if the car is moving while it’s standing still. It reminds me of a shopping cart being propelled at an insane speed down a hill.
Let me know what you think in the comments section below. As always, feel free to use the full-screen mode on the photo browser.
2010 Kia Soul: Weekend Athlete
Sometimes small cars surprise me by being capable of carrying unruly cargo, and other times I just find myself muttering, “Man, this thing is tiny!” When I saw the Kia Soul at the Chicago auto show, I thought it would fall into the “pleasant surprise” category.
It didn’t, and there are better cars its size out there for the weekend athlete crowd.
Cars.com Reviews the 2010 Kia Soul
Cars.com reviewer Kelsey Mays is in no way trying to convince people he’s a hip guy, yet as a young man in his 20s he’s right in Kia’s target demographic for its brand-new Kia Soul. This is why we need guys like Mays, though: While Kia will tell you how hip its new econobox is, Mays will tell you just how much car you get for your hard-earned dollar. In other words, value is cool. Now, does the Soul have value?
2010|Kia|Soul
Weekend Athlete in Squaresville
A box is a handy thing to carry stuff in, and I’m all about carrying things in the car. The very square Nissan Cube and Kia Soul were recently on hand at the Chicago auto show, so it made sense for me to check them out after hearing so much about them from my coworkers.
Serving as a baseline for comparison is the Scion xB, because it was one of the first boxy little cars out there and it’s closer in size to the Soul and Cube than, say, the Honda Element.
The Cube toed the line first, and it stumbled out of the gate.
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