You’ve probably seen the commercials with the hip hop hamsters driving around town in their cool car.  The Kia Soul has not only catchy styling but is also fun to drive. I’m not kidding when I say this really was one of the most fun cars I’ve ever driven.

The Kia Soul is very roomy and can fit 5 adults comfortably.  We were able to bring our two kids in booster seats and two dogs with ease.  Kia classifies the Soul as an “urban crossover.” It’s made for city driving and has the capacity of a small SUV but drives like a compact car with oomph under the hood.

Kia lent us a red Soul to drive for a week and we took it everywhere! We went from the vineyards of Temecula Valley to the beaches of Newport. The seats are super comfy and the climate control allows the perfect temperature.  It makes even the shortest trip to the store feel like a party. The second-row seats fold forward to boost cargo area over 53 cubic feet, and the cargo floor lifts to expose more storage area; a fitted cargo organizer separates the space into useful bins.

The vehicles come with an optional voice activated navigation, satellite radio and a back up camera for extra safety.  This was a feature I wish came on every car because it makes backing up from the driveway or in a parking lot so much easier and safer.  There are also side curtain airbags to provide extra protection to all passengers in the event of an accident.

Edmonds says:

In government crash tests, the Soul earned an overall score of four stars (out of five), with four stars for overall frontal impact protection and five stars for overall side impact protection. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded the Soul its highest score of “Good” in its frontal offset, side-impact and roof-strength tests.

The 2013 Kia Soul comes in 8 different color choice with numerous interior options including what I call, LED disco lighting! It’s awesome. The lights change color and get be set to respond the music playing in the car on the amazing sound system. There is also space to put the Best double strollers inside.

The starting price is a little over $14,000, which is affordable considering the fantastic gas mileage it gets. Like all Kias, it also has a 10 year, 100,000 mile warranty.  This month, Kia is also giving a $500 bonus towards purchase for members of the military on a 2013 Kia Soul.

*This was not a compensated post. Kia lent me a vehicle to drive for this review.