[Ok, other than the "I don't like the style or the car" I still haven't seen any good arguements on how the CM is better than the Soul

And the CM has 2 stars ouf of 5 for reliabilty while the Soul has 3 and has twice the warranty.

http://http://usnews.rankingsandrevi...l/Reliability/

I'm not even sure why I'm sticking up for the Soul other than trying to find someone to come up with legitimate reasons why it's not as good a vehicle. There seems to be the "it's Korean so it's cheap" or the "I paid more so mine is better" arguements being put forth.

The CM isn't even made in England, so it loses points on British heritage as well. Sure BMW has set the bar in many ways, and Kia is fairly new and had an early tradition of selling some of the worst cars on the road, but these measurements have changed over the years.

 

It doesn't matter whether there's data supporting either argument on reliability, the perception is what it is. But what I was answering was the "It looks better driving out of the manor house". As if everyone who chooses a mini is obscenely wealthy. Can I afford to reasonably drive a <$40,000 car without taking food from my family? Yes. Am I living in a country estate, with my only responsibilities being to make sure my financial advisors aren't ripping me off? Of course not. I honestly didn't consider a Kia Soul. 1, it doesn't have AWD, 2, it looks silly, and 3) I didn't consider it because I didn't consider it.

I AM considering a Kia Sorento SUV. But not as a replacement for a mini.

 

The CM handles better.

 

Better quality interior, better handling, availability of AWD, BMW has a longer track record of making reliable vehicles, and the Kia Soul is one of the ugliest vehicles ever designed.

Then there are the godawful commercials they use to advertise it.

 

British heritage wouldn't be a selling point for me. German cars rock (generally) based ONLY on my experience--300,000 miles on my old MB. You can try to turn this into some kind of class-thing, but a few of us have tried to explain that it doesn't matter how great the KIA is (and they ARE building market share for a reason).....I think it is unattractive. Bottom line.

 

My hubby and I looked at the KIA Sorrento when he was thinking about replacing his Jeep. Impressive list of standards and really a lot of bang for the buck. He decided to fix and keep driving his '95 Jeep though.

 

It's funny, if you search for a similar comparison between the Kia Soul and the Suzuki SX4 (which my Countryman replaced), the SX4 wins most comparisons. When I compare the SX4 and my Countryman, they're similar, but the countryman is better in every way.