Blue Box: 2018 Kia Soul 2.0 automatic

[MetroMPG]

Out with the old, in with the new...



My parents recently replaced their 2005 Camry, which started having "17 year-old car problems".

New vehicle is this 2018 Soul EX.

EPA Soul vs Camry:



City ... 21 ... 25
Hwy ... 30 ... 31
Comb ... 27 ... 25

https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find...38830&id=20930

Not surprisingly, because it's a box on wheels, the Soul's highway fuel economy is worse, despite the extra gear. But city economy is noticeably better.

I'm currently doing ALL the driving for my folks (Mom's losing her sight & Dad's not currently mobile enough to drive.)

I'll update this thread with random fuel economy observations.

[mpg_numbers_guy]

Does the 2018 Soul have autostop? Autostop makes a huge difference in around town fuel economy in the 2021/2022 Souls.

Interesting fact about the new souls - sport mode has 8 "gears" yet at highway speeds it will run at 7th "gear" -- putting it into sport mode and locking in 8th gear at 45mph and above actually helps fuel economy a lot.

[MetroMPG]

No autostop. I just do it manually.


I have been using the manual shift mode too: You can get it to start from a stop in 2nd gear. Also, you can get it to upshift up a few km/h sooner than it otherwise would compared to leaving it in auto (eco) mode.

[MetroMPG]

First fill, 100% city driving, mostly short trips:


28 mpg = 8.45 L/100 km



Oof.


It's a bit over EPA city (25), but not by much.

[wdb]

I'd imagine the Soul provides relatively easy ingress/egress for your parents. As important as fuel economy is, that matters a lot too. I shied away from SUVs when I was hauling my mom and dad around, because I didn't want them having to try and climb up into them. Found a nice station wagon that had a roomy back seat and plenty of space for two walkers. Fuel economy was similar to what you get on the city side, but highway mileage broke into the 30's.

[MetroMPG]

...relatively easy ingress/egress for your parents...

That was the primary consideration for my poor old dad - his back is in terrible, terrible shape. It was painful watching him slowly fold/unfold himself from the Camry. The door opening in the Soul is 3 or 4 inches higher, so quite a bit easier.

I've also had to make another anti-ecomod for his comfort: I am intentionally running the tire pressure LOW (below placard) to smooth out the ride. Otherwise sharp bumps transmit jolts straight to his back. Poor guy.

[Piotrsko]

Myself, I would leave the tires hard but buy the cheapest soft shocks I could find. Tires are economy related, shocks aren't best I can see