TOBERMORY & 4 REASONS YOU'LL LOVE THE NEW KIA SOUL

Friends, the end of summer is sadly upon us, but we weren’t going to let it slip away from us without one last fun adventure. So on an otherwise average Monday morning, we picked up our friends in our shiny new Kia Soul, and headed 4 hours North of the city for a last minute adventure.

There’s something about quiet roads, open countryside, and road-trip chats with your besties that truly feeds your soul…

Tobermory as a destination is one of the places you do a double-take on, and question whether it’s really Canada. The water really does looks like the Bahamas, but with lots of greenery and cliff-adorned grottos. It’s a small camping town, but small townships like this make me so proud and excited to be Canadian. There’s honestly just so much to explore.

Half of the reason we wanted to take a last minute over-night road trip to Tobermory was because the end of the summer was looming over us, but the other reason was because Dave and I got the incredible experience of test-driving the brand new, entirely redesigned 2020 Kia Soul EX Limited for a couple of weeks. And we figured, what better way to put a vehicle to the test, than to escape the city in it.

The week prior to our trip, we had been driving the Kia Soul all around the city, and it’s one of those vehicles that truly surprise you at every turn (literally and figuratively). Its compact (yet spacious) size is perfect for young city-dwellers and adventurers alike and, since Dave and I are actually in the market to buy a new car, the Kia Soul might’ve just won over our hearts.

Needless to say, after 2 weeks, lots of city-driving, and a whole road trip later, we’re fans; and we wanted to share some of favourite aspects of this versatile, super fun, and vibrant vehicle with you. Here are the top 4 things we loved about the Kia Soul:

1

SMALL BUT MIGHTY

When you first see the Kia Soul, its silhouette and shape are the first thing you notice. Its classic boxy silhouette has quite a confident stance when you see it on the road. Yet, you also can’t help but realize it’s also quite compact. After getting behind the wheel, the Kia Soul is the perfect small but mighty vehicle. Tight downtown city parking? No problem. Lots of props, beach must-haves, and the cargo of 4 people who over-pack for an overnight trip? Also, no problem. We were able to fit everything into this seemingly compact vehicle, without sacrificing any passenger space. This was definitely the major selling feature for us of our new Soul-mate (see what I did there? haha)

2

GADGETS GALORE

Our Soul-mate also had our back on multiple occasions with its tech-forward features. It not only has USB-ports, but it also offers wireless charging. The Kia Soul also features an up to 10.25″ multi-media screen, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, a heads-up display (still the coolest thing ever), and the coup d’etat? Two words. Mood. Lighting. Yes, my friends, you heard right. The Kia Soul’s interior space is built with these panels that light up, with different lighting profiles (there’s one called “Romantic), that change with the music you’re listening to, to create a full sensory experience. I may or may not have found that to be the coolest thing about the vehicle. A car that can #MoveItLikeMel sounds like the perfect car to me.

3

SMOOTH SAILING

Besides being a super smooth ride, the Kia Soul is also a comfortable one. Beyond passenger space, it also features comforts like automatic dual-zone climate control. Not only can Dave and I adjust our climate to our own personal preference, but I loved that the seats have both a heating and cooling feature (my fellow Canadians know the struggles). The Kia Soul also has your back when it comes to its Rear-Cross Traffic Collision Avoidance Assistance (because LBH, sometimes checking over your shoulder doesn’t always do the job), Smart Cruise Control (which certainly helped on a total of 8 hours driving), Advanced Forward Collision Avoidance Assist (because road and fellow drivers can be unpredictable), Lane Keep Assist System (because we make mistakes too), and Blind Spot Detection (it’s got its eyes on things you can’t see). Needless to say, all of the above were highly appreciated. We appreciate you, Kia Soul. We appreciate you.

4

AFFORDABILITY

And because I pride myself on being an expert budgeter and because #adulting, I LOVE the fact that the 2020 Kia Soul begins at such an affordable price-point. I don’t know about you, but being a young couple living in the city can sometimes be tough on the budget. The 2020 Kia Soul starts at a very affordable $21,195, which is a price-point that’s honestly quite incredible… and will leave you just a little bit more at ease while smiling and enjoying life.

If you’re thinking of headed to Tobermory to check out the grottos (especially during the high season), I recommend booking your accommodations in advance (it gets pricey and full very quickly). There’s only one parking area in the park where the grottos are. You can register for parking online via Parks Canada (make sure you do this in advance too), but note that they are only 4 hour slots. Other than that, the grotto gets super busy during the afternoon and the jagged limestone rocks don’t offer a beach, so bring lots of towels and blankets to sit on. The grotto is about a 30 minute hike from where you park, so bring comfortable shoes. You see why we had to pack up the Kia Soul for an overnight trip now? haha

This 2 day stint to Tobermory was such a blast, but honestly, the journey was almost more fun than the destination (isn’t it great when it happens that way?)… mostly thanks to our 2020 Kia Soul. I don’t rave about cars often, but this is one of those vehicles I think embodies me as a person haha You could even say it’s sort of my car spirit-animal. If you’re considering an affordable vehicle, that’s got your back, is ready for adventures, and is just as fun as you are (because girl, you’re fun), I would definitely check out the Kia Soul. I’ll be honest, I’m having a bit of withdrawal from it already.

Here’s to more adventures, cheers-ing to the last bit of summer, and finding the Soul-mates that make it all that much more fun!

mel inspired