Beginning January 2013, the Kia Soul’s plus trim and higher came standard with Bluetooth. It is now included with EVERY trim level!
In This Article...
Bluetooth, does the 2010 Kia Soul have it?
You can voice dial by name using the Bluetooth phone technology in the 2010 Kia Soul Exclaim. It is common to integrate iPods, and the audio system generates clear sound. Cool lights are on the front door speakers.
The Bottom Line
The 2010 Kia Soul Exclaim delivers a useful cabin, a stylish design, and a very capable music and phone system despite its poor driving performance.
Car manufacturers are naturally risk-averse, so they don’t take many drastic steps. Despite the 2010 Kia Soul’s distinctive appearance, it has a body shape that is five years older than the Scion xB. The Soul and the Nissan Cube were two copies made possible by the xB’s success. All of these vehicles have a similar boxy four-door design that often forgoes sports car lines in favor of easily accessible seating with an upright stance. The Soul’s rakish roofline suggests sportiness, but that won’t be the driving experience.
The Kia Soul compensates for its lack of genuine driving thrill with some amazing technologies, which are all included with the Exclaim trim level. It gives an excellent interface for iPods and performs remarkably well with cell phones. Red lights pulse to music in the door speakers to make it apparent who the Soul is designed for. GPS navigation is the one thing that is absent.
sound and light We weren’t surprised to see an iPod connector at the bottom of the stack in the Soul because Kia has significantly improved its technological capabilities recently. We’ve previously seen comparable ports in several Hyundai cars, including the Genesis Coupe. The top of the stack is dominated by a monochrome screen the size of a business card, which is encircled by conventional radio buttons and a slot for a single CD player. The iPod’s menu is displayed on that screen, along with lists of artists, albums, and genres. We frequently weren’t sure whether to press a button or turn a dial to browse through music, so it’s not the finest interface.
The Soul Exclaim includes standard iPod integration, which displays the iPod menu on the vehicle’s sound controls.
The iPod port consists of a USB connector that can also read MP3 files from a flash drive and an auxiliary input that may be used with any audio source. Along with satellite radio, the CD player can also read MP3 files, completing the available audio sources.
We were mesmerized by the speakers’ pulsing red lights, despite the fact that it was gimmicky. The rear door speakers only emit sound, therefore this show is sadly only enjoyed by the front seats. Kia goes a step further by including a knob to regulate the light show, allowing the driver to select between music or pulse modes and adjust the intensity. And maybe most importantly, it has an off switch.
Kia gives the Soul Exclaim an outstanding music system in addition to the light show, with six side speakers enhanced by a subwoofer and center channel. The audio first came off as thin, but some prominent cracks from the drums let us realize that the system is skewed toward the treble. The audio became more balanced after using the three-band equalization to highlight the mids and bass, and we loved how clearly the instruments were reproduced. However, tracks with a lot of bass didn’t produce the satisfying wallop we were hoping for, merely a general hum from the inside panels.
The Soul’s Bluetooth phone system was the cabin technology that caught us off guard the most. After setting up an iPhone using voice commands, a straightforward process, we began exploring the device to see if it offered any useful phone book features. A phone system in a car in this price range often only allows the driver to voice dial certain numbers or receive calls. The Soul, though, allowed us to call by name and really downloaded our phone’s contact information. It was incredibly precise; when we requested for a name with various phone numbers in the phone book, it even asked if we wanted mobile, work, or home. When asking an iPhone to dial a contact, we discovered one minor bug: we had to say the last name first.
When a contact’s name is requested, the Soul will call the corresponding number in the phone book.
The phone features of this technology are comparable to Ford Sync, which we first saw in the Ford Focus, but Kia doesn’t offer the same capacity to utilize voice commands to choose music from an MP3 player as Sync does. The Soul solely supports voice commands for the phone system.
steady and gradual The 2010 Kia Soul has a 2-liter, 4-cylinder engine that is typical for its class and is more effective thanks to Kia’s variable-valve timing system. Although a four-speed automatic transmission is an option, a five-speed manual transmission is the default. Only four speeds, yes. The driving experience isn’t significantly improved by this transmission, but it reduces the cost of manufacturing the car.
The Soul’s front tires create a small chirp while attempting a 0-to-60 mph run, and the engine makes a low growl up to roughly 30 mph. For a brief period, everything seems to be moving quickly, but a quick peek at the speedometer reveals that 60 mph is still far away, and the automobile has stopped accelerating seriously.
The engine generates 137 pound-feet of torque at 4,600 rpm and 142 horsepower at 6,000 rpm. As compact city cars seem more nimble with higher torque, Kia would have done better tweaking the engine for more torque and fewer horsepower. The automatic transmission, however, is the main cause of the Soul’s sluggish acceleration because it upshifts to fourth gear at a speed of roughly 30 mph, placing the vehicle in top gear at a moderate speed. This transmission does have a few tricks up its sleeve to boost that efficiency. Overdrive can be disabled with a button on the side of the shifter, which causes the transmission to peak out in third gear. Be prepared for nasty engine noises as the tachometer increases. There are a few low ranges as well, which will help keep the gears low.
Two low ranges and a button that prevents the top gear from being used are included in the four-speed transmission.
Of course, this kind of behavior reduces fuel efficiency, which is why the transmission upshifts early in a shift. The 2010 Kia Soul Exclaim gets 24 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway, according to the EPA. We drove on a combination of city, interstate, and mountain roads during our testing, averaging 24.1 mpg, which is below the EPA’s recommended range.
The tachometer maintains a constant reading of 3,000 rpm at motorway speeds. The engine could have been run a little slower, increasing total fuel efficiency, if the transmission had an extra cog. For a passing maneuver, stomping on the gas produces negligible results and a delayed response while the transmission determines that it is safe to downshift.
On the interstate, the ride feels smooth thanks to the 18-inch wheels, but at lesser speeds, the economy car suspension is much more noticeable. The Soul’s foundation is rigid; potholes and other road defects are felt sharply within the cabin. The Soul performs unexpectedly well in turns thanks to the stiffness of its suspension. A stabilizer bar added by Kia to its multilink front suspension helps maintain the vehicle flat when inertial forces try to tip it over.
We put that handling to the test by diving into curves on our favorite twisty roads to gauge the Soul’s stress tolerance. Although the power train isn’t responsive enough to make this type of driving particularly enjoyable, it handled the corners without feeling tippy. Despite the fact that the Soul is not a sports vehicle, its handling is more than sufficient for emergency maneuvers.
In sum The 2010 Kia Soul Exclaim doesn’t have a particularly unique powertrain or suspension. The power is a little lacking but the handling is excellent. The fuel economy is acceptable but not outstanding. Everything that fuels the Soul is on par with other things. For cabin technology, it comes in a little higher, with the phone system standing out in particular. It gains points for the music system and iPod connection, but loses points for the absence of a GPS option. Finally, the car’s stylish appearance and all-around usefulness win it a high design rating. Only the iPod and satellite radio interface detracts from the design score; it could use some improvement.
The 2015 Kia Soul has Bluetooth, right?
Drivers in Waukegan can visit Classic Kia to get behind the wheel of the 2015 Kia Soul. Younger drivers, commuters, and anybody else searching for a spirited little car with flexible room will love this sporty wagon. There are three different trim levels available, each with a different set of functions, and it comes in a range of vibrant colors.
The 2015 Kia Soul base trim is the first in the model series. All versions have complete Bluetooth connectivity, allowing you to use the car to operate phone features. Calls may be placed, music can be streamed, and much more. On commercial free satellite, you can also listen to music, watch sports, or listen to talk radio. Additionally, USB ports are available for connecting an iPod or other mp3 player.
The 2015 Kia Soul+ follows. Better cloth upholstery, keyless entry, a cargo cover, and a more potent engine are features of the second trim level. Quite a few additional options, including as an eight-inch touchscreen, leather seats, GPS, HD radio, and a superior sound system, are available for this model.
The 2015 Kia Soul is the trim with the most options! Many of the 2015 Kia Soul+’s optional features are included in this model, along with additional options such a power driver’s seat, inside chrome elements, and 18-inch wheels. Additional available features include xenon headlights, a better instrument panel, upgraded leather upholstery, heated seats and a heated steering wheel.
The 2016 Kia Soul has Bluetooth, right?
By a product specialist Posted on Monday, May 8th, 2017 at 7:06 pm in FAQs, Kia Soul
It is not surprising that potential automobile purchasers are worried about maintaining their connectivity when driving their future car. We at Kia Marin are eager to learn more about the characteristics of the 2017 Kia Soul because we know that drivers seek the most cutting-edge automobiles. Bluetooth is a standard feature on all three trim levels of this famous model: Base, Plus, and!
All 2017 Kia Soul models come standard with Bluetooth Wireless Technology Hands-Free Connectivity and steering-wheel mounted controls, making it simpler than ever for drivers to stay connected while they’re on the road. This feature’s simplicity enables drivers to use their phone to make a call or play music without taking their hands off the wheel.
Technology Features in the 2017 Kia Soul
The Soul is crammed full of the newest technological innovations that appeal to drivers of the future, aside from Bluetooth, which is a basic feature. A SiriusXM radio system, a USB/AUX port, steering-wheel-mounted audio control controls, and a trip computer are included with all three grades.
A standard feature on the Plus model, the five-inch touchscreen audio display supports a rear-camera display and is optional on the Base model. The seven-inch touchscreen display with UVO eServices, Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay is available to those that choose the! trim.
The 2017 Soul has a lot of optional technology features, in addition to the entertainment component, that are intended to improve the safety of drivers, passengers, and pedestrians:
- Automatic Forward Collision Warning
- System for Lane Departure Warning
- System for detecting blind spots
- Alert for rear cross traffic
The Soul is a safe choice for everyone thanks to the option of the rear-camera display we described before, which allows drivers to boost their general awareness. Drivers can monitor their tires’ inflation levels thanks to a common tire-pressure monitoring system.