2014 Kia Soul
Almost from the moment it arrived here for the 2010 model year, the Kia Soul became one of the brand’s top sellers. Its quirky design, low price, and the cute rodent advertising campaign, quickly made the Soul unforgettable. While aimed at the young, buyers from gen y to baby boomers were drawn to the Soul. Now, there is an all-new second generation Soul. So, let’s see if the 2014 Soul’s mass appeal is intact, or if it’s just grown up and out.
It seems like the Kia Soul has been around for a lot longer than just 4 years. You see them everywhere, no matter what social circle you travel in. But with the 2nd generation 2014 Soul, Kia is looking to see its social standing raised just a bit.
You see, despite originally being aimed at younger buyers, the Soul has proven very popular with mature drivers who found a “Soulmate” in Kia’s roomy bargain box on wheels.
On that point, the new Soul has a much more refined nature. To say the ride quality is greatly improved is an understatement. The chassis is stiffer, and a new subframe, mounted with impact absorbing bushings, and longer travel suspension, smooth things out exponentially.
The MacPherson strut front suspension has been further revised by moving the stabilizer bar rearward and the steering box forward. An additional 8/10ths of an inch of wheelbase helps as well, though even after all of that, a minority of our drivers still found the ride to be “bumpy”. All agreed it has gotten much quieter inside and is now a fairly comfortable place to spend daily commute time.
Engines choices are the same as before, but both have been tinkered with. The standard and already lethargic 1.6-liter actually rates less horsepower and torque than last year. The 2.0-liter in our Soul Exclaim adds direct injection for the same 164-horsepower but a small but welcomed boost in torque to 151 lb-ft.
Inside, we were very impressed with the upscale redesign. The bargain bling of the original has given way to a much more welcoming atmosphere. Mature drivers will like the new soft touch materials and the next gen. UVO infotainment system. Happily, Kia did keep a few of the Soul’s original youthful elements like the signature pulsating speaker lights.
But the most important change for all age groups is the improved seat comfort and overall roomier and more useful cabin. Cargo capacity is up to 24.2 cubic-ft. behind the folding rear seatbacks, 61.3 cubic-ft. with them flat.
The decidedly upscale Sun and Sound option package adds a panoramic sunroof, Infinity audio system, Navigation with a large 8-inch touch screen display, and automatic temperature control. And the available Supervision instrument cluster features a 4.3-inch color LCD screen between the tach. and speedometer.
Push button start, heated and ventilated leather front seats, heated rear seats, and heated steering wheel are all offered as well.
Kia also wisely decided not to tinker too much with the Soul’s unique exterior styling, sticking with the same boxy bulldog shape as before, even though all sheet metal is new. It’s now more rounded, less squared off, and a tad more aggressive thanks to the larger openings up front and a wider stance.
LED positioning lights are standard on Exclaim model, but the HID headlights come as part of the “Whole Shebang Package”. Fenders are still very pronounced and the blacked-out A-pillars give a wraparound visor look to the greenhouse.
Exclaim trim also adds a halo treatment to the high mounted tail lights that lend a 70’s disco era sci-fi look.
Standard wheels are 16-inches, with the Exclaim riding on 18’s. But, you won’t exactly be spinning those wheels off the line too much, as power, even with the 2.0-liter, is adequate at best. Sprints to 60 take a sleepy 8.9–seconds.
The 1.6-liter Soul comes with a 6-speed manual, but a 6-speed automatic transmission is standard with the 2.0. Shifts were soft, and power slow to build on the way to a quarter mile time of 17.0-seconds and 84 miles-per-hour.
But once we started tackling the cones, we began to find some “soul”-ful fun. Despite the more refined ride of the new Soul, handling has also improved. Turn in is quick, and both under and over steer can be found if you go looking. Brake performance is also impressive with consistent stops from 60 averaging a short 118-feet.
Government Fuel Economy Ratings are little changed. The 2.0-liter rates 23-City, 31-Highway, and 26-Combined. Fortunately even our lead footed drivers were able to achieve 26.8 miles-per-gallon of Regular in a mixed loop of driving. The Energy Impact Score is good at 12.7-barrels of yearly oil usage and 5.6-tons of CO2 emitted.
Even with prices sneaking up just a little, value continues to be a strong selling point; with base Souls starting at $15,695. Mid-level Plus models, at $19,195 and top-of-the-line Exclaims start at $21,295.
The Soul became an unqualified success in a single generation. And after some soul searching of our own, we conclude that the mostly very well executed updates will expand the 2014 Kia Soul’s mass appeal even more.
Specifications
- Engine: 2.0-liter
- Horsepower: 164
- Torque: 151 lb-ft.
- 0-60 mph: 8.9 seconds
- 1/4 mile: 17.0 seconds @ 84 mph
- EPA: 23 mpg city/ 31 mpg highway
- Energy Impact: 12.7 barrels of oil/yr
- CO2 Emissions: 5.6 tons/yr
2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz
Hyundai’s Trucklet Gets A Lot Techier And A Little Truckier
Small trucks are once again a big deal here in the U.S., with more options to choose from than we’ve had since the 1980s heydays, including newcomers like this Hyundai Santa Cruz. And just like the Hyundai Tucson crossover that it’s based on, the Santa Cruz gets some major updates for 2025. So, it looks like it’s time for us to do some more tiny truckin’!
The Hyundai Santa Cruz pickup truck, and the Hyundai Tucson compact utility that it’s based on, get some significant updates for 2025, mostly revolving around style and tech. So, while our focus here is on the Santa Cruz, just know that most of what you see also applies to the Tucson.
The biggest changes happen inside where the Santa Cruz adopts Hyundai’s curved panoramic display that puts the 12.3-inch driver display and 12.3-inch infotainment screen into a single housing that stretches from behind the steering wheel to over the center stack. And while the center stack itself remains relatively minimal, they’ve redone the climate controls and actually added a few more physical buttons and dials back in. There’s also a better-looking steering wheel with a Driver Attention Sensor behind it; and while the Tucson moved its gear selector to the column, the Santa Cruz keeps its beefy old school shifter right there on the console. That, combined with an overall feel that’s not quite as open as the Tucson, goes a long way towards helping this trucklet feel more truck-like.
XRTs have a Surround View Monitor, Blind Spot Monitoring, and some branded logos. Rear seat room is more plentiful than you’d think seeing it from the outside, but you do sit very upright, and the seats themselves are not very comfy.
Exterior changes center around the usual new grille and wheel choices, but the off-road-inspired XRT gets a tiny bit more serious, featuring a unique front fascia with added tow hooks and a tidied-up undercarriage for better approach angles; plus, exclusive 18-inch wheels with all-terrain tires. No changes to the integrated 4-foot bed with all trims getting storage cubbies on the side of the bed as well as underneath the floor. The integrated bed cover comes with XRT and above or is available in SELs as part of an added Activity package which also adds a sliding rear window.
[It] is certainly one of the best riding vehicles around with a bed.
The Santa Cruz is certainly one of the best riding vehicles around with a bed, nothing rough or tumble here. In XRTs, you will hear a little more road noise from the more aggressive tires, but it’s far from being annoying. And the Santa Cruz’s size makes it very easy to whip in and out of parking spaces.
Nothing changes mechanically; that means a standard 191-horsepower, 2.5-liter naturally aspirated I4 engine in SE and SEL. While XRT and Limited get the turbocharged version of that engine with 281 horsepower, 311 lb-ft of torque, plus standard all-wheel drive. AWD is available on SE and SEL for $1,500. The turbo engine gets a unique dual-clutch transmission which gets an added tow mode for ’25, while the non-turbo works with a traditional automatic; both are eight-speeds. Max tow rating is 3,500 lbs. with the standard powertrain and 5,000 lbs. with all-wheel drive.
After towing our crew to Mason Dixon Dragway, the turbocharged Santa Cruz XRT delivered us to 60 in 6.6 seconds, about half a second slower than what we achieved back in ’22 with a Limited. Full power was a little late to arrive, but once it showed up, it was ready to get to work, providing steady power the whole way down the track. Our best quarter-mile time was a 15-flat at 96 mph. At wide open throttle, DCT shifts were smooth with no power loss moving through the gears, but it does still stumble a little at slower speeds around town.
The handling experience with the XRT was also different from Limited, as the off-road tires struggled to get a good grip on the pavement when we pushed hard; leading to oversteer and more roll than we remember. There was great feel and feedback coming from the brakes in our panic braking runs however; also, consistent fade-free stops from 60 in just 105 feet.
Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 19 City, 27 Highway, and 22 Combined; we averaged a good 23.1 mpg of Regular. That’s an average Energy Impact Score; consuming 13.5 barrels of oil annually, with CO2 emissions of 6.7 tons. Starting price is a low $30,100, but things get much more serious for the XRT which starts at $41,600, though that’s still well below the average transaction price for a pickup truck these days.
So, until Subaru brings back the Brat or Baja or something similar, the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz will remain as the most car-like “truck” you can buy. For purists, that’s an absolute turn-off, but for a lot of others, it’s exactly what they desire.
Specifications
As Tested
- Engine: 2.5-liter turbo-4
- Transmission: 8-speed DCT
- Horsepower: 281
- Torque: 311 lb-ft
- EPA: 19 City | 27 Highway | 22 Combined
- 0-60 mph: 6.6 seconds
- 1/4 Mile: 15.0 seconds at 96 mph
- Braking, 60-0 (avg.): 105 feet
- MW Fuel Economy: 23.1 mpg