Tiny Extroverts.
Let’s talk for a minute about introverts and extroverts.
Everyone falls along the spectrum between the two. Most introverts gain their energy through solitude, peace and tranquility. They prefer to approach new people on their own terms. Rather than go out and mingle with new folks, they’d prefer the company of a good book or a Netflix marathon and maybe a nice glass of wine.
And then there’s the extroverts. The attention seekers. The folks who like being in the spotlight and on stage. The folks whose every actions scream at the top of their lungs “LOOK AT ME!”.
In case you’re wondering, I’m between the two. I like to go to giant parties and then hang out with a couple of friends watching everything going on. But that’s neither here nor there.
The point is a certain type of person is going to be attracted to a car that calls attention to themselves.
This brings us to the 2015 KIA Soul + (That’s not a typo, btw. The trim levels are the Base, The + (Plus) and the ! (Exclaim)).
Made famous by the wildly-successful ad campaign featuring, of all things, hamsters, the Soul is KIA’s 2nd best selling model after the mid-sized Optima and, other than the Scion xB, the last of a dying breed of boxy, millenial targeted compact hatchbacks.
So, let’s dig into it.
The car features a 2.0 Liter four cylinder engine mated to a 6 speed automatic transmission. There’s seating for 5 people. There’s a large hatch at the back.
Just like everyone else, really.
So what sets it apart from the rest of the pack?
First of all, let’s start with the basics. The ergonomics on the car are remarkably good. For a frame of reference, I took a first generation Soul on a road trip down to Long Beach about 3 years ago. Round trip, it’s about 1000 miles, and a common failing for city cars is that they’re uncomfortable over 200 miles. The Soul was, literally, the last car I could requisition from the airport. We loaded the Soul up with a weekend’s worth luggage, both kids and set off. And, amazingly, we were comfortable.
And the new car is even better. There’s more space, more sound-proofing, more everything. And the materials used inside feel better as well. I could see taking co-workers out for lunch in this car and not feeling ashamed or juvenile.
There’s amazing amounts of headroom. I can sit behind myself in it. The seats are comfortably firm and supportive. Also, for the techies out there, the car has what I like to call the KIA Shelf. Most KIAs have a small shelf in front of the shifter with two 12 Volt outlets, a USB port and an aux jack. The shelf is large enough to support at least two decent sized cellphones, and the car’s built-in Bluetooth makes streaming audio a snap.
From a practical standpoint, the car’s excellently spacious. Fold down the rear seat and it’ll satisfy most runs to IKEA or Home Depot, or pack all the band’s equipment in the back of it.
Secondly, and this was surprising for me to when I first drove this car, the ride is stellar. The suspension is buttoned down, there is no body roll whatsoever. Everything feels poised and taut. The car isn’t the most nimble thing on the road, but it certainly won’t be embarrassing on the local mountain road. Add this to the jam packed list of standard features (leather steering wheel, ventilated seats , the list goes on) and you can get a fully loaded luxury box. The pricing ranges between the Base trim ($15,000, give or take) to the Exclaim trim (which will run you north of $22,000) but you can get at the top end features that used to be exclusive to vehicles two or three times that amount, and it’s not just a car for shouty extroverts. That said, introverts would probably want to stay away from the “Alien 2” (pictured) and Solar Yellow paint jobs.
Bottom line, this is a car that isn’t really so much of a stand-out in any one category as it is a good all-around vehicle. It’s fun, capable, and economical. It’s the very best of cheap and cheerful.
I do have a couple of gripes about it. And that’s a common gripe to most city cars: The gas tank is rather tiny. On a long haul, you’ll probably have to re-fill more than you think you would.
Also, the material on the steering wheel feels extremely cheap. Honestly, if you’re going to design a part of your car that people will be touching constantly, you’d best bet to make sure that it feels nice.
But if you can get around that, this car’s a solid bet.
...Or is it?
Because if you’re a proper Extrovert, There’s this.
What you are looking at is a 2015 Nissan Juke SV. Like the Soul, it has a straight four cylinder engine. Unlike the Soul, the Juke has a turbocharger. Unlike the Soul, the Juke has available All Wheel Drive, which makes it handy if you live in a state that gets a lot of snow.
As you can see, the styling on the Juke is much more over the top than the boxy KIA. It invites you to keep staring at it, to the point where you’ll walk into random obstacles if you’re not careful. And what’s more, the Juke has a lot more personality than the Soul. This car isn’t just playful. It’s utterly, delightfully mad. This is your best friend in high school, egging you on to shoot those bottle rockets at the neighbor’s propane tank. This is your college friends encouraging you to hang out until last call, never minding that you’ve got a final first thing in the morning.
And you don’t have any idea how to get back to your college from Tijuana.
I seriously want to buy a beer for whoever set up the suspension on this car. It is SERIOUSLY one of the best handling little cars. Like the Soul, this is a tall little car, but also like the Soul, it handles the corners better than you’d expect a short wheel-based, tall little car to be (This would be a good car to get the Suzuki Samurai owners of the world over their fear of rollovers). But with the added torque from the turbo, the Juke can get itself out of whatever trouble it gets itself into in the first place. This car isn’t so much a mode of transportation as it is a co-conspirator.
It’s not just fun, it’s clever too. The transmission has different settings and drive modes, and the climate control program buttons pull double-duty as Drive Mode buttons and boost displays.
It has Bluetooth too, so you can do hands-free calling worry free.
I love this little car. I have great respect for any person, place or thing that not only embraces its own innate weirdness, but shouts about it from the rooftops before spray-painting a portrait of itself on the local water tower. The Juke is one of those things.
But, as with everything, there are drawbacks.
For one thing, the Juke has less space than the Soul, so it is less practical. And it's more expensive than the Soul. The base model Juke is $5000 more than the base model Soul. And fully optioned, it can run you well over $30,000. For the record, however, that top end comes with an option and features list as long as my leg.
Is the Juke worth that much more than the Soul? Well, that depends. For the money, the Soul is a very, very good car. But the Juke is far and away more fun. The only downside is you can’t haul as much and it has a higher price of admission.
But I’d still take it in a heartbeat.