Kia's Turbocharged Box Is The Perfect Cheap Car For Family And Fun
The last thing we're going to do is tell you that the ridiculously named and un-Googleable "!" trim for the 2017-2019 Kia Soul was the brand's answer to the Civic Si or anything like that. At the end of the day, it's still a Kia Soul. Its design is still as dorky as ever, and "sporty" might be a generous way to describe even this 201-horse turbocharged version of the iconic Hamstermobile. But, the Exclaim trim that Kiawas selling from 2017 to 2019 is more fun to drive than you probably think, without compromising everything that makes the Soul a charming little family crossover.
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2017 Kia Soul Exclaim Automatic
We're not going to go on record and say that it's the perfect fun-to-drive family car, but it's a good one, and may just be the best compromise between fun and practicality that small families are going to find in this price range. Here's why we're naming this one a hidden gem.
The following is based on data sourced from the automaker and used car sales resources, with any conclusions or opinions drawn thereupon being those of the author.
What Makes The Exclaim Almost Sporty?
2017 Kia Soul Exclaim (15)
2017-2019 Kia Soul ! Performance Specs | |
|---|---|
Engine | 1.6-Liter Turbo 4-Cylinder |
Power | 201 hp |
Torque | 195 lb-ft |
Drivetrain | Front-Wheel Drive |
Transmission | 7-Speed Automatic |
0-60 | 6.5 Seconds |
Top Speed | 129 mph |
Alright, so, you take a look at these specs and, yeah, it's not exactly a hot hatch. But bear in mind that the standard Kia Soul from 2017 would take about 8.5 seconds to get up to 60 mph, so if you've driven a Soul before, the difference is noticeable. More importantly, the Exclaim is more than the sum of its performance numbers.
Kia Soul front 3/4
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Back in 2019, we praised the "!" for feeling "limber and ready to spring into action." With the 1.6-liter turbo under the hood, the Soul's small, boxy dimensions suddenly make a lot of sense, allowing the car to zip in and out of traffic at will, and handling corners with ease. The transmission is automatic, but manual gear changes can be made via the console shifter for a more engaging feel. Basically, this is Kia meeting gearheads halfway.
We'll say it again: calling it a "sporty" SUV might be a stretch. But, there's some pep in this Kia's step, and you'll definitely notice it when you tap the accelerator.
It's Still A Kia Soul
2017 Kia Soul Exclaim (14)
The modest performance bump makes the Kia Soul "!" a fun car to drive, but everything that makes it a great family car is everything that makes any other Kia Soul a great family car. It's classified as a subcompact SUV, but the generous headroom offered by its boxy design has the Soul feeling much bigger on the inside than it looks from the outside. The rear hip room stretches about 49 inches across, and you've got a total passenger volume of 101 cubic feet. That should be enough space to not have to hear "mom, he's on my side of the seat!" the whole way back from the Grand Canyon.
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Standard features for the 2019 "!" (we'll never get over how silly that trim name is) include keyless entry, cruise control, Bluetooth connectivity, and steering wheel-mounted audio controls. Basically everything you expect of a mid-range crossover from the end of the 2010s. If you can find a 2019 model with Option Group 040, this was a $6,000 add-on with a ten-way power-adjust seat for the driver, automatic emergency braking, some extra leather and leatherette trim here and there, seven-speaker sound, and a handful of style and comfort upgrades in the cabin. Six grand was maybe a bit steep for upgrading a budget-friendly crossover back in 2019, but a fully-loaded Exclaim should be a steal by now if you can find one.
All That, And It's Reliable, Too
Ultimately, a good family car has to be safe, and it has to be reliable. Good news: the Soul won a Top Safety Pick+ award with the IIHS for the 2018 model year, and a Top Safety Pick for 2019, and it averages a quality & reliability rating of 85.6/100 with J.D. Power from the 2017 to 2019 model year, so it's a sensible pick, too.
The car is cheap to maintain. CarEdge estimates a ten-year maintenance cost of around $7,180 for a Kia Soul. According to RepairPal you should expect to spend around $437 a year maintaining it, with the most expensive common repair affecting these late 2010s models being a steering knuckle replacement for up to $484. You can say Kias "feel cheap" if you like, but a major upside to cheap cars is cheap repairs.
Where Can You Get An Exclaim Of Your Own?
2017 Kia Soul Exclaim (8)
Kelley Blue Book puts a 2017 Exclaim at a Fair Purchase Price of around $9,032 at last check, with typical listing prices a hair more, at $9,177. A 2019 model should run you about $12,529. These are dealer prices. A 2019 Exclaim in Good condition is estimated at $10,677 if buying from a private party, while a Certified Pre-Owned could run about $13,229.
Our advice would be to go with a dealer or CPO if you can, unless you can get a real cherry deal from a private seller. The extra two, three grand you'd spend going through a dealer could save you several thousand dollars getting a private-seller car up to code, and, as charming as the Exclaim may be, you probably don't want to make a Kia Soul your project car.
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CarEdge suggests that a Kia Soul should be worth roughly half its MSRP eight years after it drives off the lot. For a 2017 Exclaim, which initially sold for $22,990, this would put the car at around $11,495 today.
All of these prices assume a typical mileage for the car, which, at the broadest reasonable range, would be somewhere between 70,000-100,000 for a six-to-eight-year-old family crossover.
Small On Price, Big On Fun
The philosophy behind the "!" trim seemed to be: why should sports cars and hot hatches and performance models have all the fun? What Kia came up with turned out to be a budget-priced, family-friendly daily driver that, while not pretending to be anything it isn't, proves that driving doesn't have to feel like a chore for suburban SUVs in the sub-$30,000 price range. Nearly a decade since the Exclaim first hit the market, the fun-for-your-dollar ratio is even higher.
Sources: Kelley Blue Book, Kia, CarEdge
