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!

Car Review: Nissan Versa Hatchback

The Nissan Versa Found here: http://www.nissanusa.com/versa-hatchback/?next=Versa_Sedan.VLP.Versa_Hatchback.VLP

I took this car on a rather long trip:
It was about 600 miles. The weather was cold, with some rain and some snow.
I had the car for a week.

Ok, so first off I have a confession to make. I wanted to hate this car. You see I want american cars to be better than the little cheap foreign jobs, so that's what I wanted to happen.
It didn't. A few weeks ago I had a Chevy Aveo, and well you saw how that went. UGH...
This time around I was given it's competitor from Nissan, and well....

First off it's small right? Not so fast... it actually had ample room front and back, as well as plenty of space for my luggage, ect...

It also didn't feel cramped... I'm not sure if this is the headroom talking or not, I'm a little short for that to matter most of the time, but I have to say I didn't feel like it was a tinny tiny car.

The right rear seat does fold down, I was just being lazy, and the front seat was all the way back, so the headrests were arguing.

It is a bit of a downer that the seats don't fold truly "flat".









You can see the extra headroom I'm talking about here on the right -->
Now, on the down side... the lines of this car are or at least seem to me, to be a little feminine. At least at first glance, I think it's the front and rear styling that does it, while the sharp angle on the rear doors may offset it some, you have to be looking for that to notice it.

 The hatch has an electronic "button" rather than a handle, which adds a nice upscale feel, and is self assist... most of the time, however in the cold, it did need some pushing, this is obviously due to excessive use from being a rental car.

 Nothing special from the front, but nothing bad either.


The Versa is rated as 28-34 MPG. My drive was mostly highway, with two days of in town buzzing around, and I got 30 on the money.
I wanted it to do better, which tells me I had started to like it. This is one reason I wouldn't buy this car, for now... 30MPG just doesn't qualify as a reason to buy a "little" car anymore.
You can get a Chrysler 300 with that!

 The power plant is a little one, however it is geared well for buzzing around town, with no scary lag between mashing the pedal and getting out of the way. At highway speeds it did feel a little exhausted, however nothing that was "out of the ordinary". What I found odd, was the nagging feeling that it was missing one more gear... I was usually sitting around 3000 RPM at highway speeds. While this added to a sporty feel with better throttle response, I couldn't help but wonder about wear and tear, and the over all MPG that was lost in the end.

 One other issue that would give me pause on this little car is the driving position... it's... just wrong.

The steering wheel is tilt, but from too low, your choices are uncomfortable or more uncomfortable... and don't get me started on what that means in an airbag deployment...

Also, it really would benefit from a right side arm rest... you just have no where for that right arm to go....

As a plus, the "elbow pad" on the door is AMAZING, it's soft and feels great... but with the wheel at such a crazy angle, you can't really use it for your elbow...

So over all I wanted to hate it, wound up liking it, and would consider one if I was looking for a cheap, little buzzer car. It's well appointed, well thought out, sans the driving position, and that pesky missing gear...

I'm going with 3.5 out of 5 on this one. As I would have one if I was collecting cars.

Country Inn & Suites Monona, WI 25-29Apr11

Last weeks Room was here:
http://www.countryinns.com/madison-hotel-wi-53716/wimonona


Here's a walk through of the room:



Only a few -'s

• TV's could use updating
• There was a concerning stain on one of the chairs... ugh...

Now for the +'s

• Great internet speeds! Thanks to Charter Communications as the provider.
• Good breakfast, plenty of variety.
• Quiet rooms.
• Decent pool area.
• OK Gym area, could use dumbbells though.

Stoney Creek Inn Onalaska, WI 21-24 March 11

This weeks Hotel:

http://www.stoneycreekinn.com/locations/index.cfm?LocationID=9

Room Pluses:

• Fridge
• Extra space VS "usual"
• Makeup remover, and decent soap.
• Phone in room has speed dial to local restaurants and bars.
• $20.00 off coupon from front desk for local restaurants. (FREE)
• Great workout room, equipment is well kept and it also has a sauna.
• The pool is interesting, as you can swim under a wall and come out outside.
• Woodzey decor is always a nice change from the norm.
• Great web speeds:
  

Room Minus: