My Long and Winding Road to a New Car - Part 3

At this point, my wife and I are starting to feel like we're making progress in this vehicle decision process, or so we thought.

We narrowed down our selection to four vehicles that fit within, or close to, our requirements: Kia Soul 4u, Nissan cube, Nissan Versa, and Toyota Matrix XR. And after taking all four vehicles for a test drive, we thought we'd be able to pick the one to purchase, but that wasn't the case. We were able to eliminate two of the four with ease, and were left with two vehicles that we really liked, but we couldn't figure out which one we liked the most.

Eliminated with Honour

Nissan Versa Hatchback 1.8 SL
This is a very nice, solid vehicle to drive with a very smooth ride, partly due to Nissan's CVT transmission. With plenty of leg room and headroom in the front and rear, it was a very comfortable vehicle to sit in whether you were the driver or a passenger in any seat. The nicely appointed interior gave it a sense of quality and comfort that was not so evident in other cars in its class. However, it's brother, the Nissan cube, is built on the Versa platform with a few extras... more leg and headroom, more cargo space, and a couple of extra safety features -- Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) and Traction Control System (TCS). In our case, the Nissan cube basically trumped the Versa.

Toyota Matrix XR
This was a nice sporty vehicle to drive with solid handling and good acceleration -- something you would expect from a Toyota and a 2.4-litre engine. But that was the problem... the engine size and performance aspects became negative attributes to our goal and requirements for a vehicle with better fuel economy. And the price of this model pushed it beyond our limits. If Toyota offered the 1.8-litre model with an option to upgrade to a premium stereo and add the folding front passenger seat, I think this one would have had a better chance. I know, I know... the Pontiac Vibe 1.8-litre model has such packages, but if you recall one of our requirements... We won't support manufacturers who begged for money.

The Final Contenders

That leaves us with two vehicles to choose from... the Kia Soul 4u and the Nissan cube 1.8 SL.

It's kind of fitting that these two vehicles are left standing to dual it out in our little battle royale. Both vehicles are the first entries into the Canadian realm of entry-level small boxy utility vehicles aimed at a younger generation. But, based on conversations with other people and some car sales people, it appears that people in my generation may be embracing them a little more than the intended market. "Your generation?" you ask? For those of you who don't know me, my wife and I are 40+... a fair number of annual steps from the 20-somethings the cube and Soul were initially targeted at.

It obviously appears that my wife and I have come to the logical realization that this is the type of vehicle that suits our needs and lifestyle at this time in our lives. Perhaps it's the need to offset the serious luxury sport sedan in our repertoire of vehicles with a second vehicle that's smaller, more economic, has flexible cargo space, and sports a fun & funky attitude (obviously some sort of mutual mid-life crisis that my wife and I share). The marketing people at Nissan and Kia may want to re-evaluate their target markets for these vehicles... it may be broader than they first thought, or perhaps split at either end of the spectrum.

After the test drives, my wife and I reviewed the specs/features, read automotive reviews/blogs by experts and consumers, and had our little discussions about the cube and the Soul. But we still couldn't come to a conclusion... neither of us could pick one car over the other. For me, it might have been my attempt to remain objective because I had been so involved with the Nissan Hypercube contest that I didn't want to be biased towards the cube. For my wife, it might have been her attempt to remain unbiased since she had some distaste towards the Nissan Hypercube contest, and still thought the cube was ugly.

This was creating a stalemate, and the only results from this was frustration.

Battle of the Boxes

I asked my wife to create a list of likes and dislikes/concerns for each car, and I created my own list. Perhaps this would help us identify which car we like more. Here's what the lists looked like after we combined them:

Kia Soul 4u

Likes

• Warranty
• Sunroof
• Slightly larger more powerful engine --> slightly better acceleration
• Heated seats
• 4-disc brakes --> better braking
• Slightly stiffer ride
• Better center console arrangement (higher gearshift, iPod jack placement, storage trays)
• Exterior styling (my wife really liked the Soul's, and I found it acceptable)

Dislikes/Concerns

• Concerns about quality/reputation
• No cup holders available in rear seats (just bottled water holders)
  

Nissan cube 1.8 SL

Likes

• Size/Space
• CVT transmission, which translates into smoother drive (no shifting)
• Rear bench seat can recline as well as move forward/back to offer bigger cargo space options
• Intelligent Key. Passive keyless entry (you just need to have the key with you and be in the vicinity of the door to unlock the door) and push-button start ignition (you just need the key inside the car to start the car)
• Comfortable seating and upholstery
• Lots of cup holders, including rear seat center pull-down armrest with 2 cup holders
• Nicer instrument cluster & steering wheel

Dislikes/Concerns

• Comprehensive portion of warranty is less than Kia's (but powertrain, emission control, and corrosion is the same)
• Brakes: 2 front disc, 2 rear drum -- concerns about braking
• No heated seats (but they can be added by the dealer as an aftermarket installation -- for a price)
  

It was clear from the lists above that the battle between these two boxes was in a dead heat. This wasn't getting us any closer to a resolution, but we definitely knew what we liked and didn't like about each car.

A Little Grain of Salt Goes a Long Way

Although our comparison list didn't seem to get us anywhere, we did discover a couple of items that required a closer look. The more powerful engine of the Kia Soul seemed to provide better acceleration. And we didn't have any actual values for the braking distance of either car -- all we knew was that the Soul had 4-disc brakes (which usually translates into better braking), and the cube had 2 front disc, 2 rear drum.

We acquired some details from ConsumerReports.org indicating that the cube's braking distance was 14-feet farther than the Soul. That's quite the difference, and certainly could be a result of disc/drum versus 4-disc brakes. But several reviews indicated that the cube braking was above average for its class, and one reviewer went as far as saying that the cube's handling and braking may be best in it's class. A bit contradictory to the ConsumerReports numbers.

With a little more digging on the Internet, I found some results from Edmunds.com... Interestingly enough, it posts the braking distance for both the cube and the Soul to be much shorter than the ConsumerReports numbers. It also posts the braking distance for the cube to be 4-feet shorter than the Soul's. If I average the values between the two sources, it puts the cube at only 5-feet farther than the Soul, which is not really that significant of a difference to be a concern.

The little extra digging also showed that the Soul's actual 0-100km/h time was only 0.2 to 0.8 seconds faster than the cube depending on the source. I thought it might be more of a difference given the peppier feeling of the Soul's 2.0-litre engine. However, this may be where Nissan's CVT transmission gives a helping hand. Since the CVT transmission does not change gears, its acceleration is continuous. When the automatic transmission on the Soul changes gears, it is actually decelerating between gears because the wheels are not receiving power from the engine for that half-second or so. I thought this was quite the brilliant analysis, and I gave myself a pat on the back for thinking of it. I do have my moments of brilliance -- please take note of the date and time as it may not happen again for another decade or two.

This additional evaluation helped us to reduce some of the skewed values that, on first look, pointed us towards one car, but after introducing multiple sources, pointed us to a better truth of the values. In short, don't trust a single source... take it with a grain a salt and evaluate multiple sources. You'll also find that reviewing postings from average everyday consumers on blogs and forums may give you some good insight into things that you, yourself, find important... things that the typical automotive reviewer/expert may not evaluate nor include in their articles.

We Need a Compass

At this point, we still don't have an idea which car either of us is leaning towards. We have to give some credit to Nissan and Kia for putting together two competing products that are truly competitive and difficult to choose between.

My wife and I decided to add some weighted values to our comparison list, noting that some things were more important to us than others, and hoping this would give a clear direction.

Weighted Comparison

Kia Soul 4u

• 2 - Sunroof
  I've had a sunroof in my commuter vehicle for over 20 years. I really like being able to have it open in the summer instead of consuming additional fuel to operate the A/C, which can consume an additional 5% - 10% to operate. It's also nice to have a tilt open mode so it can be slightly open when it's raining.
• 2 - Heated seats
  I've gotten used to having these in the winter on my current commuter. It really takes the chill out of the bones after scraping ice off the windows for 15 minutes.
• 3 - Warranty
  The fact that Kia is offering a better warranty does mean something -- either their product is a bit better, or they're willing to go out on a limb to entice you to buy their product. Either way, that extra comprehensive warranty means they'll pay for it if it does break/fail.
• 1 - Slightly stiffer ride
  It could be the 18" wheels with lower profile tires, but it does give the ride a bit of a sportier feel.
• 2 - 4-disc brakes
  Although re-evaluation of the values from multiple sources indicates that braking distances are not too far from each other, we still felt that 4-disc brakes are a more solid braking solution.
• 1 - Center console position/layout
  Placement of storage trays, iPod/power jacks was nicer, and the fact that the gearshift was higher made it an easier more natural reach.
• 1 - Exterior styling
  My wife liked the Soul's styling, and I found it acceptable, which means it gets the point because my like for the cube and my wife's distaste for it cancels out any points for the cube's styling.
• Total for Soul: 12 points
  

Note that the stronger engine was removed from the Kia when we put this new weighted list together because we felt the difference in the actual acceleration values were no longer important compared to how it "felt".

Nissan cube 1.8 SL

• 3 - Size/Space
  More Leg room and headroom than the Soul is a big plus.
• 3 - Intelligent Key
  This was a big hit for my wife. I don't think she realizes how many times she mentioned it to me. The fact that you can keep the key in your purse or pocket and unlock a door or start the car can be so handy. It can also be a safety factor... if you're in a parking lot and someone's following/chasing you, you don't need to try to find and fumble with your keys.
• 2 - Rear bench seat (slide fwd/back and reclining)
  The reclining rear seat provides additional headroom for really tall people, and an opportunity for a rear passenger to sit back, relax, and fall asleep. The cargo space can be increased in size without folding the seat down by merely sliding the rear seat forward, making the cargo space more flexible.
• 2 - CVT transmission - smoother ride
  This will definitely be more noticeable and nicer to have during stop-n-go rush hour traffic -- smooth driving, no gear shifts.
• 2 - Nice dashboard and steering wheel
  As corny as the moon-earth symbolism that Nissan incorporated into the design, it does look nice, it's easy to read, and suits the funky interior space. My wife felt the layout and feel of the controls on the steering wheel were much better.
• 1 - Cup holders
  One review indicated there were "about a dozen" cup/bottle holders. You start losing track after about 6. Regardless of how many actually exist throughout the car, the rear seats have a pull-down armrest with 2 cup holders, plus 1 large cup holder at the back-end of the center console that someone in the rear seat could use. The Soul only has a bottled-water holder in each passenger door -- no place for that Slurpee, you gotta hold it for the duration of the ride (here, hold this while I put my seatbelt on).
• 2 - Quality/reputation
  I've been a Nissan/Infiniti owner for over 21 years now. I know the quality of their cars and what to expect regarding maintenance and types of repairs. Kia, on the other hand... we have concerns and uncertainty about there products when they reach over 7 years of age.
• Total for cube: 15 points
  

What Now?

Although the weighted list indicated that we're leaning a little towards the Nissan cube, we still were not convinced. For all the cars we've purchased in the past, both prior and during our marriage, it was always a clear-cut choice. There was always that deep-down feeling that it was the right car.

But that's not the case this time. We feel the same way for both the cube and the Soul; either car could be the one, and it was getting both of us really really frustrated.

So my wife and I decided we should take the Nissan cube and the Kia Soul for a second test drive...