2012 Kia Soul Research & Reviews

Overview & Reviews

Average Score

4.37/5 Average
41 Total Reviews
This Year's Model Updates:

The 2012 Kia Soul arrives with a number of notable upgrades, including more powerful and fuel-efficient engines, new six-speed transmissions and revised steering. Styling has been updated inside and out, and there are a number of new technology options.

Pros:
  • Long warranty.
  • Ample passenger space
  • Funky style
  • User-friendly controls
  • Loads of available features
  • Low price
  • Top crash scores
Cons:
  • Noisy and busy highway ride.
  • Limited cargo room versus competitors

User Reviews:

Showing 21 through 30 of 41.00
  • The Best Boxie Sedan EVER! - 2012 Kia Soul
    By -

    Well I like to start these off with the bad news. Unfortunately I have nothing negitive to say. I purchased my 2012 Kia Soul from Nationwide Kia, in Lutherville, MD. Those guys did an amazing job of showing me everything and informing me about the Soul. The deal I got was amazing even tho the inventory is low on these at the moment . Would reccomend the car to any and everyone .

  • Wow! - 2012 Kia Soul
    By -

    I love my new Kia Soul! I have one child, and this is a perfect little vehicle for my small family to drive in town and in the country. The gas mileage is fabulous for long drives and I can easily park in small parking spots in the city. I have not owned a car I love this much in a very long time. There is plenty of cargo space in the back, and I LOVE the satellite radio! The combination of great features and great gas mileage makes road trips exciting rather than exasperating. We are so pleased to have purchased this car!

  • Beware of dealer - 2012 Kia Soul
    By -

    Quite a few dealers sell KIAs as a secondary model-more of a "cost leader". Some really dont care whether the customer is happy with poor service because its not their "main" brand. If factory mats fail at 7000 miles thats standard due to "cheap" materials. I was disappointed with dealer treatment and with their service department, plus poor followup from their sales department. Had Scions, Mini Coopers, Jetta TDIs and got outstanding service. Not in KIAs case. Mileage not as advertised, but did not expect it to be. All round, I feel the car can be great, just dont expect decent service or followup after the sale.

  • Soul - 2012 Kia Soul
    By -

    Great experience buying newSsoul at Jeff Belzers in Lakeville MN. Working with internet Leasing Consultant Kara Little was great NO Pressure Love the Soul fun with the automatic transmission over ride to manual what a blast

  • Fun Little Car!! - 2012 Kia Soul
    By -

    I have almost 9,000 miles on my Kia Soul. So far it’s doing great. I am averaging about 32 mpg in the city. Only one kid left at home now so I am down-sizing my life so I got rid of my luxury mini-van and went with the simplest and cheapest new car I could find. I went with the 6 speed. I bought the car with my business in mind so I have graphics and tinted windows installed. I also purchased a center console/arm rest which I love. The car is not the best for long trips. I took it to Florida (about a 16 hour drive) and we nearly were blown off the highway a few times. It handled fabulously other than that. We even had an 18 wheeler tire explode just as we were passing the truck and my husband managed to drive and shuttle around the pieces of tire with no damage or incident. Eventually this will become my husband’s every day car and I will get something better for traveling. All in all, a great little car to scoot around town in! Yesterday I got a letter from my dealer stating that they needed some 2012 Souls and wanted to try and put me in something else if I wanted to trade it in. I’ll pass!

  • Im A Soul Man! - 2012 Kia Soul
    By -

    Its a great car for the money.. I purchased a base soul with the 1.6 automatic 6 speed ac power windows Cruz and a very nice stereo system. I still cant believe that you would get so many accessories with only buying a base model car. Back in the old days you where lucky enough to get a cigarette lighter. they claim to get 26/35 mpgs so far I have been getting 38 with mixed driving city/ hwy. Again Im Not a lead footed driver. all I can say is Wow I fell in love with this car.. it handles like a dream This had been my fifth new car purchased in the last 30 years and after buying those American made cars fords & chevys I always had regrets afterwords. but not with this car.....

  • Fun AND Value - 2012 Kia Soul
    By -

    I have had my Soul for about 9 months now, and have 11K miles on her. I find it way too fun to drive, and as a daily driver I find my commute a far better experience than it once was. It has great performance considering the 2.0 liter engine (I also own a Hemi...), and scoots along just fine. The biggest issue is its lack of aerodynamics (but the BOX is cute!) so its mileage suffers on the highway if you are travelling faster than 65-70mph. Below 65mph it gets GREAT mileage, so I can easily average 30 mpg on my daily commute (20/80 city/hwy). Comfy seats, Awesome UVO sound system, bluetooth features, and more, make it fun! I have had absolutely NO reliability issues! 11K miles and HAPPY!

  • Nice Set of Wheels - 2012 Kia Soul
    By -

    We had been married 44 years. For the first time in our marriage, my wife asked for a specific car, the Soul! I said, a what? We usually buy a new car ever year or two; I give her the new one and I use the older one in my sales job. My wife loves this car. She is 52" and it fits her perfectly. It sets higher so she can see fine and this makes getting in and out much easier for her. We have had no problems with the car. It has excellent pick up and stops well. It will seat five but one of them had better be a child in the back seat! Our only complaint is that the ride is harsher than need be. I understand the new ones are a bit softer. I dont like not having a spare tire so I got one at the junk yard. I change my own oil and it is easy to do on the Soul. We bought this car with 3000 miles on it, the previous owner felt is was too small for his family but it is perfect for us. All our kids are grown. Gas mileage is a little less than I had hoped for. At 65 mph and on the flat Interstates in IL, I cannot get over 30 and a milk a car for gas mileage. I could get 36 on our 2010 Malibu on the same roads. I didnt like that it did not have "driving lights" so I bought OEM fog lights on eBay and installed them so that they are on whenever the ignition is on. I do like the fact that after an amount of time, the car will automatically turn off any lights left on after you turn the car off; headlights, dome light, etc. My wife and I would highly recommend the Kia Soul. We have the "Plus" model. We have only had one recall and that was optional. (UPDATE) This car is amazing, still no problems and my wife loves it. We almost traded it for a 2016 Soul but this one is just too nice to give up. Go buy one.

  • DO NOT BUY A KIA - 2012 Kia Soul
    By -

    Dont waste your money on a Kia. The engine BLEW on my 4 year old car that I took wonderful care of - Connecting Rods failed. I had my car in my local shop for over 2 months and they couldnt identify the error. A month later, I receive a note direct from Kia that theyre extending the warranty of my car to 120,000 miles DUE TO THE EXACT REASON MY ENGINE BLEW (connecting rod failure). I had since sold the car to a junk yard for $500 (because no one wanted it) and I lost over $8,000 compared to the KBB value of my car. Now Kia wants nothing to do with it because I didnt choose to repair my engine for $8K (what the car was worth at the time...) BOTTOM LINE - Kia does NOT care about their customers - they do not care about brand loyalty or repeat customers. Theyd rather sell you a piece of junk car, wait for it to fail and then wish you luck with your next purchase. BUYERS BEWARE - DO NOT BUY A KIA.

  • Pretty good for a first new car! - 2012 Kia Soul
    By -

    Got my 2012 base manual soul the first day they had them on the lot. I chose the manual base and love the 6-speed. The car is amazingly peppy. Since getting mine I have had to have a new rear axle put on the car (I had the swaying road problem too), a new gauge cluster installed, I have had a flat that was not fixable with the fix-a-flat system in the car, and I had a pebble nick the windshield, create a small pit, and quickly had a crack over a foot spread across the windshield, and I have had the battery die for no apparent reason. Aside from those problems, the car has been awesome! Take advantage of roadside assistance, I have 3x already and always quick and free! Oh, and 38 mpg mixed!

Kia Soul Reviews By Year:
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