A Road Trip upstate new york in a Kia Soul
I love road trips and honestly, I don’t take enough of them! I love riding in a car, seeing beautiful scenery, and listening to music. Even more importantly, I love the bonding you are able to do on a road trip. Face it, you’re stuck in a car with someone for a certain amount of time, so it pretty much forces you to bond. I got to do just that with a friend of mine as we took a road trip in a Kia Soul to Upstate, New York.
It was pretty early in the morning when we started loading up the Alien green Kia Soul, or as I liked to refer to it as The Green Machine. The trunk was pretty spacious. There was even a hidden area underneath which looked like a secret compartment. However we put everything in the backseat. Mainly because if we wanted to grab something it would be much easier.
There was ample room in the back seat. My friend had 2 big duffle bags, a jacket, and her purse and I had on carry on sized luggage, a camera bag, and a jacket. Not realizing there was a navigation system in the car I had a GPS and she had her phone. Once I realized there was one, we set it up to take us to our destination, Hudson, New York.
The Kia was pretty comfortable for the road trip ahead. There was enough ports to charge our phones, which is ironic since we were heading upstate to do a day offline with no electronics. We also hooked up the iPod so we could listen to some great music on the ride.
For the most part we started our day offline. My friend and I don’t get a lot of time to hang out or anything. We are both pretty busy and new friends having met through a mutual friend. We had a great time talking and becoming really good friends on our smooth ride. In fact, we even spoke about planning another road trip in the future.
We had to make a couple of sharp turns on our 2 and a half hour ride and the car handled really well. There was even a point where we had to make a quick U-Turn and the Soul did it with ease. I enjoyed our trip up, looking at the beautiful fall foliage scenery. It became better and better as we got further upstate.
Once we got Upstate and joined a huge group for the one day offline event we kept going in and out the car to grab things. It was pretty easy with the keyless entry to grab what we needed without worrying about keys in our hands. We had a great time and didn’t drive again till we headed back into Queens, New York the next afternoon.
The ride back was even more enjoyable. I was a bit more awake and realized there was a panoramic sunroof. It was a beautiful day, but we weren’t trying to feel the wind on the highway. However the warm sun felt nice for awhile until it was too much in our face. I thought the panoramic sunroof was a nice feature.
It was a gorgeous day and my friend and I talked about the event we had just left, but also enjoyed the ride back. The ride seemed to go much quicker, but once again we were able to enjoy the beautiful foliage. We got back and began unloading the car. We had more things we took back then we went with and still it all fit well in the backseat.
A great feature the Kia Soul offered was the gas milage. We went to Hudson and back and still had a ton of gas left in the tank. The Kia Soul is said to get 31 miles to the gallon on the highway and it did us well. We didn’t have to worry about stopping for gas!
The car had so many features and I didn’t want to give it back. I wish I could have kept it awhile longer as I really enjoyed my time with it. Although Alien green isn’t a color I would opt for, the Soul was much better than I had expected. I have always liked Kia’s, but wasn’t too sure about the Soul and I was proven differently.
Disclaimer: While receiving the 2015 Kia Soul to review, all opinions and views are my own.
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kayvonab
I haven’t been on a road trip in years but I do want to take one soon! This looks like a really good car to use for it though! My aunt has this car and she loves it!
Holly Dayz
I love them, they are so much fun. I really liked the car I am not surprised that she loves it. I wish I could have kept it lol
Jaye@Curvatude
This car looks like it was made for the road…compact and colorful. And I too haven’t been on a road trip in forever and used to love them, need to get back into it.
Holly Dayz
Yes get back to it, there is nothing like the open road! It was a great car for the road trip!
Bradley Cine
Great read. I’ve been thinking about buying this car. I’ll consider it a bit more now.
Holly Dayz
Oh really? I think you would enjoy it! You can rock out to your music in it!
Tyra
I have driven a Soul as a rental car and I will say it runs well. And you definitely can’t miss it!
Holly Dayz
It does run well. I liked it.
Prianka | Map Halves
Having a recognizable car from a distance is very key, as I once learned in an amusement park parking lot.
Every time I read a roadtrip post, my urge to take one grows stronger. The only problem – I’m 28 and I still don’t have a licence! I’m kicking myself these days for letting 16 year old me be so lazy about that.
Holly Dayz
Yes, that would come in handy, especially in an amusement park parking lot. You should take one soon. You can be the co-captain. Start with getting a permit.
Paula McInerney
Well you wouldn’t lose the Kia Soul in a carpark. Good to see that it was a good and reliable care to use on your road trip
Holly Dayz
Nope, it is an easy find. It was a great car to use.
Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie
Road trips are such fun whether they’re short or long. They can be spontaneous and are offer such freedom when traveling. It’s even better when it’s enjoyed with a friend!
Holly Dayz
I love that they can be spontaneous. Just get in a car and go. It gives a lot of freedom and opportunity.
Dave from Daves Travel Pages
Alien green is such a a cool name for a colour! And it’s certainly a car you were not going to lose in a crowd!
Holly Dayz
It stands out and turns heads.
brmsimmons
I’m a Subaru girl myself but the Soul is definitely a cute car.
Holly Dayz
It is a cute car.
Frugal Flirty N Fab
Great Post! I love road trips as well and I’m glad you enjoyed yours in your Kia Soul!! Luv the bright color!!
Holly Dayz
Thanks. Road trips are awesome.
Zofia Bałdyga
I don’t drive, but I like the car, it looks cute and comfy.
Holly Dayz
You can always go for a nice ride though.
Laura
Sounds like a good car to trip in. The only time I get to try put new cars is when we’re traveling a rent something. It looks like the Kia is comfortable.
Holly Dayz
It was a good one. Very spacious and I liked the features.
bree
Road trips are so much fun and it sounds like it had all the features that I would want in a car.
Holly Dayz
They are fun. I enjoyed the features. I know there were more that I didn’t even get to try.
Starkey
I’ve never driven a Kia Soul, but I think they are so cute. I’m surprised to see the amount of trunk space in the car.
Holly Dayz
The car has a lot more space that I anticipated. It was really nice.
shaunteebattie
I have a Kia Sorento. I drove a Kia Soul on a road trip to Southern Illinois. It is a great car, I thought about trading out for one. Great review on the features. I agree road trips presents ample opportunity for bonding.
Holly Dayz
Thanks, Kia has some nice cars. They really do, I enjoy them.
Mimi "MimiCuteLips" Green
Every time I see a Kia Soul I think of the commercial. I love, love, love the bold green color it just screams fun. I’m also feeling that double sun roof and all that natural light.
Holly Dayz
I was thinking of the commercial as well when I first saw it. The green really stands out. I loved the panoramic sun roof.
Ollie
This Green Car reminds me our trip in Sardinia, we had to put our stuff in te back seat, but to be honest I Liked that small car and I liked window in the roof 🙂 Good memories 🙂
Holly Dayz
I am glad I could bring back some fun memories for you.
Jonna Scott-Blakes
While I was in Dallas this weekend, my partner had a Kia Soul and it was really nice. We were surprised how much trunk space it had, and the candy apple red color was cute too. I’m on the road a lot and I love road trips for bonding – either with myself or whoever’s with me.
Holly Dayz
It is really nice. I saw the red one and it was so nice too. They have some stand out colors.
elenasonnino
I am not always a lover of road trips, but they can be a great way to explore. And wow…that looks like a lot of trunk space! I would never have imagined just by seeing Kia Souls on the street.
Holly Dayz
They are a great way to explore. You can see a lot more from the ground than in the air. The car can hold a good deal.
Jo
My cousin has one of these in Trinidad and it really is a smooth ride. That color is super cool. I love road trips. I just did my first one behind the wheel and it was great.
Holly Dayz
Oh nice. That is a place I would like to visit. Road trips are great.
Nicole M Williams
I’ve been telling the hubs that we need to do a road trip.
Holly Dayz
You two should!
Valerie Robinson
I have heard great things about this car. It is so cute and the color is fun! It definitely wouldn’t work for my large family, but you better believe that I will be downsizing as soon as I ship them off to college LOL!
Holly Dayz
It is a really nice car. I enjoyed it. The color is fun.
Chasing Joy
It looks roomy, like it has tons of storage space. Good gas mileage is a big bonus.
Holly Dayz
It is roomy and very comfortable. Good gas mileage is a def a big bonus.
Kimberly
I would have never thought the Kia Soul had that much room inside. It’s a cute car.
Holly Dayz
I don’t think a lot of people realized that.