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: Dodge Charger

We took this Dodge Charger out for a week long spin during a little vacation time. (finally)

The Chargers page can be found here.

It's models range in price from 25K ish to 47K ish. As tested was around 26K (some options included)

We ran it 684 miles and managed to return an average of 28.6 MPG.

Now, before I move on further, I MUST explain that the MPG would have been higher (something like 30) however we did some serious mountain climbing (Pikes Peek at 14,000 FT elevation) which I'm sure takes things out of the "norm".

Here is a rough map of our travels:

We wanted a full size car, that would be comfortable so how did it do on a week long trip?

In short quite well.

Upon pick up and heading out of the Denver airport the first thing I noted was again noise level. This time it was the lack of noise. My Handy App tells me that at 75MPH the cabin was experiencing 70dB of road noise. Very noticeably quiet. 

Acceleration was smooth, although at times it seemed a little under-powered, I found that I simply needed to be a little more liberal with my foot. It is a lot of car to move for the 3.6L 292HP but again, if you put your foot into it, the little 6 does perform well.

Design and looks, let's be short and sweet here, its looks are aggressive and bold. You either love it's nose, and taillights or you hate them. I find the design AMAZING! They took the last iteration of body style and cranked it up to eleven.

Room? Well it's ample. plenty of luggage space.

There are also some nice touches. In the trunk on both sides, lights and hooks for bags.

The lights don't stop there, on the underside of each door there is a similar light. Also of note, is the smart design of the door which allows for large water bottle storage in each door.

(something very lacking in the Jeep Compass)

 Interior impressions, great job! I already mentioned the quiet nature of the cabin, however it doesn't stop there. The instrument panel is really useful, and has plenty of menu options and display settings to tweak  for us tech types.

The center console is simple and well thought out. The Uconnect Touch Media Center screen is capable and smart. Not to much, not boring either. I'm not 100% sold on the CD placement being so much lower than the media center, but I could live with it. Climate control is also simple, but the controls have a good feel when used, and don't have the cheap fall apart feeling of the past. More upgraded models will have temperature control modules. This model also had push button start with a key fob you just keep in your pocket. I have to say, it's something I enjoyed and got very used to. When we dropped it off, I nearly forgot I had the key in my pocket.

Inside of the arm rest area you can see it's ample space, good storage, and as you can see 12V charger, and iPod, and line in options as well.

This model had auto lights, as seen here.

The rear seats had ample leg and head room and were actually comfortable as well.

There was also a pull down arm rest / cup holder in the back seat.

Additionally, the rear seats get another 12V power plug and some vents.

In summary:

$: 26,000.00

MPG: 28.6

Power Plant: 3.6L V6

Cabin noise: 70dB at 75MPH

We like:

• Quiet cabin
• great design inside and out
• ample room

Not so great:

• A little sluggish until you put your foot down
• CD tray placement
• Slight thinning of trunk space due to wheel wells

Over all I'd give it a four out of five. Good job Dodge, keep it up!

Car Review: Ford Focus

The Ford Focus found here: http://www.ford.com/cars/focus/

I have had this car on several trips:

This was the most recent in NC. 141 miles, good sunny weather with temps between 40 at night and 68 during the day.

This trip was much shorter, 42 miles, but much colder and with snow on the morning of day two.

This trip was 514 miles, and I had the titanium edition thankfully. (cruse control was great to have!)

It was cold, with snow covered roads on the northern side of the trip.








So what is it like?
Starting with looks, let's be honest... it works well. It's a good looking car. Way to go Ford!

Some how Ford has managed to make this car look smart and aggressive all at the same time.
The fuel economy is nothing to laugh at either, I have averaged 38 MPG on the most recent trip. I wasn't babying the pedal either. If I did have anything derogatory to say about the drive train so far it would only be that the shift points seem to be a little off. it's got plenty of torque to get you moving, but at times it seems to be very far away, and at others (like when backing up) it can really surprise the hell out of you!

I have to apologize for the sun in my photos, I wasn't aware of the poor quality until I uploaded them today.


You can still make out what is actually a well appointed drivers area, with enough gadgets to make you feel like it may be a fun car to be in. Turns out, it is! Lot's of menus to look through and learn, as well as an eco feature that tracks how eco your driving style is. Pretty smart! The only down side to some of the "bells and whistles" may well be a learning curve to get used to them, and to figure out some of the paring options for your phone. But don't be scared, it's not that tough to get through.

Notably, this model isn't any where near the top of the line either, I have had a "decked out" Titanium model on a previous trip, and I was truly taken aback at the sheer volume of gadgetry offered for the reasonable cost.

The car doesn't feel cramped, or small. This is a huge selling point for someone like myself, who would be "downsizing" from a full size car if I were to buy one. It also handles like a bigger car when it comes to stability on the road. I didn't feel any of the wind, or any push from grooves in the pavement, like I noted in the Chevy Aveo. I don't want you to get the impression that it's "big" in the corners, because it's actually a real pleasure to corner with. It has more than ample grip and the overall stance is confidence inspiring. I found myself wishing I had a test track at my disposal to see where the limits might lie in this little fun package.

As you can see here, I had ample room in the hatchback version for both my large suitcase and my backpack. It also has a nice cargo area "lid" to conceal what you may have in the back from prying eyes. In the four door version the trunk space is just as ample and easy to access.

Even in the back, things are looking good. It's not a Maybach by any means, but then neither is the price tag! With the base model starting at $16,500 it's nothing to laugh at either. Even the decked out Titanium model starts at $22,700. Again, a pretty darn good price point overall.

OK so, what's the verdict?

We like:

• Aggressive look
• MPG
• Interior styling & room
• Handling
• Price

We don't like:

• Transmission shift points
• Some of the "gadgets" learning curve

Overall it's 4 out of 5 for this Ford. A good buy in my opinion if your in the market for a small ish high MPG car that's still fun and confident to drive.