Many old people love owning KIA Soul because of its affordable price and fuel efficiency. The young American population does not like this SUV because of its color, design, and exterior and interior appearance, which differs from luxurious vehicles.
Why Are Kia Souls So Ugly? KIA Souls are so ugly because of a lack of a sporty exterior, vulnerability to fire risk, boxy appearance, busy-looking interior, and absence of lumbar support on front seats.
My friend bought this SUV in 2015, and I was surprised when I met him last week because he was completely satisfied. He said that he did not find anything ugly in it. It is pretty spacious with a comfortable interior. In addition, he also told me everyone has their preferences and personal choices, and they select things accordingly.
Lack of sporty exterior
The exterior design and overall appearance of the vehicle matter a lot. Moreover, it also attracts customers because of its appealing design.
Everyone cannot afford sports cars because these are not affordable and have a higher price tag. People love their sporty exterior design with prominent edges.
Many competitive brands have launched their SUVs with sporty exterior appearances.
KIA Soul is a luxurious SUV but does not have a sporty design. Drivers who like vehicles with sporty appearance do not prefer them.
Flat bottom
These SUVs have a flat bottom that has multiple benefits. It is helpful to increase the overall leg room under the steering wheel, which is a comfortable sitting position for the driver.
In addition, less ground clearance increases the fuel efficiency. Furthermore, these are highly fuel efficient because of their design.
My neighbor also owned the KIA Soul two years back but did not like it because of its flat bottom. He loves off-roading trips but could not drive on these roads because of the chances of hitting road hurdles.
He told me it is highly challenging for him to repair and maintain the lower parts because of the limited space and flat-bottomed surfaces. Little ground clearance and poor off-roading capabilities make these vehicles ugly.
Vulnerability to fire risks
KIA Souls is highly vulnerable to fire risks because of its faulty components. I also saw many of these SUVs on highways and city areas while catching fire on the road.
They commonly have Fire-related risks because of low-coolant levels, overhead engine parts, and oil pumps. In addition, fire risks can also occur because of electric shocks, brake fluid leakages, and smoke from batteries.
Many users complained that their KIA Soul caught fire because of the defective catalytic converter and oil leakages from oil pans.
Boxy appearance
It has a boxy appearance and rectangular-shaped exterior body panels.
SUVs with boxy appearances are cheaper to manufacture than ones with curved panels and prominent edges on their exterior body.
Drivers think that these are made of cheaper material, which does not last longer. The overall structural integrity of an SUV depends on its chassis, and it does not have a firm frame that can withstand road impacts and environmental changes.
Moreover, these do not look luxurious because of their boxy exterior, which is the old design.
Busy looking interior
I prefer owning a vehicle with sufficient interior cabin space so you can sit comfortably inside without feeling tired during long trips.
Once, I planned to purchase the KIA Soul because of its high fuel efficiency and comfortability. I contacted my neighbor for its reliability because he also had it a few years back.
He told me to select an SUV of some other brand because their interior is not comfortable. Interior components are not properly organized, which makes the passenger cabin look messy and ugly.
Moreover, you cannot feel relaxed during long trips because of their crowded interiors. Crowded interiors sometimes make drivers use different features while driving.
Absence of lumbar support on front seats
Lumbar support is the seat component that is used to provide support to your lower back. In addition, it is also helpful to correct your posture to make you feel comfortable.
Second-row passenger seats are not equipped with lumbar support, and you cannot feel comfortable while sitting on them.
These are not suitable for long trips because you cannot relax your back. However, my friend also faced the same issue because of the absence of lumbar support. I used the cushions to make my family relaxed during road trips. You can also roll the towel on the seat for a comfortable experience.
Clicking noise while turning
People with KIA Soul 2012 and 2013 models complained of clicking or ticking noises while turning. Drivers reported the clicking and ticking noise several times, but KIA did not resolve the issue yet.
Clicking noise while turning comes because of an issue with structural integrity. However, the ticking sound comes from faulty engine parts or loose steering components.
These sounds are also annoying for drivers because they cause distractions during driving. Many drivers complained that they performed multiple fixes to resolve the clicking sound issue but could not.
It went away when they replaced the faulty engine with a new one, which is a costly repair.
Oil leaks
KIA Soul is considered a cheap vehicle because of its oil leakage issue. It creates a mess in the area where you park them. You can see oil residues on the ground surface because of oil leakage from the pan.
It can also make your garage floor greasy and grimy. You require more effort for floor cleaning because grimy residues are hard to remove.
Oil leakage issues can also come from broken gaskets and seals that allow the oil droplets to enter the combustion chamber and exhaust system.
You can feel a burning smell from the tailpipe of your SUV because of oil leakage.
Erratic cruise control functioning
Many people engage cruise control in their vehicles while driving on the highways. It decreases driving fatigue because you do not have to accelerate to decelerate the pedal to change speed.
You can set the specific speed of your SUV and drive at a constant speed without pressing the pedal several times. Cruise control is the electric feature that is also present in the KIA Soul, but it is annoying for drivers because of its erratic functioning.
It starts functioning erratically because of the computer system glitches, blown-out fuse, electric issues, damaged sensors, and faulty throttle body.
Unlatched hood
The hood is the compartment located on the SUV’s front side. It covers the engine parts and contains the latches on their sides for their locking.
These latches do not allow the correct locking of the hood and make it appear ugly. The hood can open on its own while driving on bumpy road surfaces and hitting potholes.
An unlatched hood causes the outside dust and environmental elements to come in contact with engine parts. Moreover, the unlatched hood also increases the risk of oil contamination.
Defective catalytic converter
The catalytic converter is the part of the exhaust system that converts the toxic engine gasses to less toxic forms to decrease the risk of environmental pollution.
These are considered ugly SUVs because of the defective catalytic converter, which directly increases environmental pollution by releasing toxic gasses.
Catalytic converters become defective because of corrosion exposure. Corrosion can come on its parts because of its metal body and exposure to road salts and water.
In addition, accidental impacts also increase the risk of their failure. High mileage, malfunctioning oxygen sensors, and carbon buildup also make them defective.
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