Last weeks trip: Denver, CO

Last week saw me in Denver, CO


I flew on Southwest from MKE to DEN

The early morning flight was uneventful with decent customer service.

Initially I did not rent a car.


I stayed at the LaQuinta in the Denver Tech area:

$65▼La Quinta Inn & Suites Denver TechCentermore info‎

7077 South Clinton St Greenwood Village, CO 80112 (303) 649-9969 lq.com‎  3 reviews

What I can say:
The rooms aren't bad, the staff is however a little lack luster overall. Not much personal attention to the guests, if any at all. You can tell the hotel is in need of a re-fresh as far as overall upkeep. The internet is painfully slow everywhere but the lobby. The in room TV's are great, with a good TV Guide on board, and even some calming screen savers on them.
All in all three of five stars if you ask me.


Later on, I picked up a dodge Charger rental from this enterprise location in a nearby hotel:

Enterprise Rent-A-Carmore info‎

7801 East Orchard Road Greenwood Village, CO 80111 (303) 221-0750 enterprise.com‎ Write a review

I already have a review of this car located here.


Some places I went for grub:
First off my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE STEAK HOUSE IN THE WORLD:

Ted's Montana Grillmore info‎

5370 Greenwood Plaza Boulevard Greenwood Village, CO 80111 (303) 771-3038 tedsmontanagrill.com‎ 19 ZAGAT ·  7 reviews

Street view

We also sampled some down home BBQ:

Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Incmore info‎

10230 East Arapahoe Road Centennial, CO 80112 (303) 792-2444 dickeys.com‎  9 reviews

Street view

I also took a quick run before a storm blew in from the mountains and cut it short ( I was going for three miles)

My return flight was early squirly Friday also on Southwest, however this time around we were about 10min late. Our flight attendant was quite a joker, really making the safety briefing fun, and a lot less mundane.

Encountered some turbulence over MN due to some storms, but we arrived about 10min late in MKE and all was well.

Car Review: Kia Soul

Last week I had a KIA Soul for a long trip to the UP (Upper Michigan).
MSRP: $13,900 Starting $18,145 as tested
MPG: 29-36

My trip took me 750 Miles in a mix of weather from heavy storms and 65F to Sunny and 90F. I was able to manage an average MPG of 30.

First off let's not go much further until we discuss this vehicles first decision maker. The styling. If you hate it, no reason to read further, as it's a love / hate thing. If you don't hate it, lets look deeper that that mug.

Acceleration

In this department, it's ample. I was able to pass when needed without too much worry. The acceleration was ample, and smooth throughout the power band. I didn't detect the dreaded "dead" spots some new small vehicles are showing. Good job KIA.

Handling

Again, nicely done. Don't get me wrong, it's not going to turn on a dime without some groaning. It's not a sports car you know. But it's size does give it the ability to "buzz" around town and corners smoothly and quickly.

Versatility

Again scoring high on this mark. The rear fold down seats are easy to work with, and the rear cargo area is nice and wide. Plenty of room for work stuff (as you can see here). 

Comfort & Gadgets:

Up front you'll find ample space for all of your gear, and plenty of charging and aux inputs for the stereo. My unit also had blue-tooth which was a breeze to setup.

 I was prepared for the seats to be annoying and uncomfortable on such a long drive, however I was surprised with how I felt five hours in. Still doing well, not really needing a break other than to stretch out, no annoying pains or sore spots. The interior is what I would call responsive and well laid out.

I'm actually currently in the market for a smallish 20K or less new ride with good MPG, a bit of fun, and decent looks. I have to admit about half way through the week I started asking myself if the looks were an issue or not. It was growing on me.

The layout of the dash is also appealing, and simple.

The glove box is ample. 

simple well placed controls.

Front door arrangement allows for medium but not large water bottles etc...

The rear door layout. (Same story with the water bottles)

In summary:

$:18,145

MPG: 30

Power Plant: I-4 DOHC w/138-164 HP & 123-148 Torque

Cabin noise: 80dB at 60 MPH

We like:

• Zippy feel & low end acceleration
• Loads of nooks to store my stuff
• ample room

Not so great:

• A bit much cabin noise
• Style (for me)
• The large fake "speaker" in the middle of the dash.

Over all I'd give it a four out of five. Surprisingly good KIA!