Driving the Kia Soul to my book reading

Driving the Kia Soul to my book reading
© Viva Fifty Media

Taking the 2015 Kia Soul for a spin is like a day in the park.

We got a top of the line model to review, with leather seats, Infinity stereo system, bluetooth, a huge sunroof—and did I mention it came in red?

Inferno red, my wife pointed out. She liked the three different driving alternatives for the wheel, from sports to comfortable.

And that the wheel had air conditioning and heating. I hadn´t paid much attention to those details!

We drove 2015 Kia Soul to Orlando

So we drove this little guy to Orlando where I had a reading of my debut novel Sofrito at an event put on by the good folks at Functionally Literate. The event was at the Avalon Island Gallery in downtown Orlando.

And let me tell you, for all those folks who think all Orlando is about is theme parks, you should check out the downtown section with its brick streets, old bungalows and wild club/bar scene.

Driving the Kia Soul to my book reading
© Viva Fifty Media

Okay, so back to the Kia. To be honest with you I was never impressed with the looks of these squarish cars: the Nissan Cube, the Honda Element and that Scion model whose name I forget but looks just like a military cap.

I don’t know what it is about these squarish cars. All that said, I was surprised by the new Kia Soul.

Its lines were cleaner.

It was less square and more aerodynamic looking than the other square cars. And in that Inferno red color with black trim, it was pretty cool.

Also read: Driving Mazda CX-9 in the Blue Ridge Mountains

Driving the Kia Soul to my book reading
© Viva Fifty Media

The inside was awesome

But here’s where things change. The inside was awesome. Maybe it was a bit tight for my wife and our three children, but I was definitely comfortable.

The best thing was the stereo. The Infinity sound system rocked us to a variety of 80’s tuned on satellite radio.

On the highway the car performed quite well. The leather seats had air conditioning and we had the moonroof open for light. It made the otherwise boring ride to Orlando much more fun.

But for me this car did its work in the city. It braked and handled very well in city traffic. It picked up nicely and moved about like a chap. Hats off.

Driving the Kia Soul to my book reading
© Viva Fifty Media

The Kia Soul seems to fit somewhere in between an SUV and a sedan

It’s smaller than a crossover but you ride high in the car.

It’s compact but at least our model was well-appointed. And I dare say it looked real nice in bright red with black trim.

Overall, the car was very good on gas. It´s an interesting breed all onto its own—kind of like a skateboarding tennis shoe.

It´s comfortable, cool looking, and different. I’m glad car companies are doing things different.

The Kia Soul certainly fits the bill. A nice car with a nimble ride and a comfortable interior.

To find more about the Kia Soul on social media, follow #DriveKia.

Phillippe Diederich

Phillippe Diederich is a bilingual author and photographer born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Mexico City and Miami. His photography has appeared in The New York Times, Time magazine, U.S. News and World Report and other national publications. Phillippe's novels Sofrito and Playing for the Devil's Fire are both published by Cinco Puntos Press. He is the recipient of a PEN/Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship and the Editor-in-Chief of Viva Fifty!

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