Here we have yet another interesting comparison of the two latest econobox cars, the 2010 Kia Soul and Nissan Cube. Both of them were evaluated during Chicago Auto Show, by Patrick Olsen from Kickingtires.com who pointed out some of the strengths and weaknesses of both Gen-Y vehicles.
After we have seen the Soul beating Scion xB and Nissan Cube S earlier today, here’s another win for Kia Soul! Go Kia!!
February 26th, 2009 at 3:37 am
man! the cargo access is huge on the cube! and I like those sliding seats. ripple effects looked kinda nice but in the end, I’d h8 2 be seen in a car that looks like that.
February 26th, 2009 at 11:38 am
I liked the interior of the Soul much better, more interesting to look at, the Cubes dash and such looks too flat and boring and the colours are dull.
February 26th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
The wide rear opening on the Cube is nice, but if you have a big box back there, it looks like would be a pain to secure. It looks like Kia could have adopted the same type of setup but chose to put the compartmentalized storage under the floor to make a flat load floor.
February 26th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
I agree that the colour theme in the cube’s ins sux.
February 26th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
I could agree with the man about one thing. The Soul has damn cheap hard plastics inside. Kia really took a step backward here. Hope this doesn’t bother too many future customers.
February 26th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
You hit one important nail on the head himi…….the Kia Rio5 has a nicer, more up-scale interior than the Soul…. and I don’t know why. I am still puzzled as to why Kia gave the Soul the older iron-block engine, when they have a more refined engine currently available in the Forte. If they fixed those points the Soul would be unbeatable….even if they raised the price a little bit. I still think it’s better than the Cube, for looks and warranty, but it could have been a slam-dunk for Kia.
February 27th, 2009 at 2:05 am
That engine helped the Soul win its Popular Mechanics comparison test, and other reviews haven’t complained about it either.
February 27th, 2009 at 2:38 am
Yes, it wasn’t that long ago that you wouldn’t be caught dead with a alloy engine block. What with the maintenance problems further down the track if the engine coolant is not kept perfectly up to scratch.
But alloy heads and blocks have been around for quiet a while now and the days of just sticking water into your radiator are long gone.
February 27th, 2009 at 2:43 am
Not really too much of a reason to go through the relatively expensive process of fitting it with an engine that was not even ready when the Soul debuted in Korea! When the Soul was beginning its R&D, the Beta was the only 2.0 available. The Theta was JUST ready when Kia began R&D-ing the Forte. That is why the Soul has the Beta. In this economy, there was just not excess funds available to go through the process of integrating the new engine. Believe me, it isn’t going to hurt any of the Soul’s sales!!
March 4th, 2009 at 4:11 am
himi –
Production souls will have better interior graining than what was shown as the auto show, which should help interior quality. Also, the missing center armrest that the gentleman pointed out is now added will be standard on all but the base model.
Hako –
Best thing to do is experience the interior at a Kia showroom, the production Souls are just starting to arrive in March. The gentleman had reviewed a pre-production unit. I think you will find it is of the higher quality you’d expect from Kia.
re: the engine: I’ll ask the product guys about the engine. I know both the 1.6 and the 2.0 have aluminum heads, but not sure why the 2.0 has an iron block. I know iron is heavier, but typically less expensive. If engineers determined that there isn’t a true performance benefit in this particular application, I can see where they would go with iron to save cost, and pass along that lower cost benefit to the consumer in the form of a good price or adding more beneficial features (like the armrest).
March 4th, 2009 at 5:02 am
On Kia.com website, I noticed that Kia not only had an armrest but it is an armrest with storage and can be shared with a passenger. I’m glad about that.
March 4th, 2009 at 5:07 am
Yes, although the base model doesn’t come with an armrest, it is an accessory