[Navy_Soul]

UNLESS anyone happens to know of a magic Soul Fairy that can make my car grow to accommodate a double jogger =P

Really though-sadly, I will have to part with my lovely black Sport by the New Year to fit my growing family. And if anyone has suggestions for larger vehicles, I would appreciate it.

My husband & I have test driven H3s, Enclaves, Terrains, Venzas & a handful of others. Nothing drives like a Soul though. Nothing else handles or hugs the road on tight corners like a Soul. Nothing else turns a head quite like a Soul.

And APPARENTLY there's some crazy unwritten (possibly written, I'm not really sure) rule that SUVs can't be manuals?!?!? Who's silly idea was that? I'm terrible when it comes to driving an automatic (it's so unnatural).

Lastly...if anyone happens to be on the "IN" with someone at KIA, could you politely suggest a SOUL XL? (you get that right? a Soul, just a tad bigger? HA!)

 

[corolla]

I would pack those suckers in back seat

If your talking 4 kids then maybe ummmmm thinking, tahoe but those drivers are kinda wack. How about kia optima. Then there is always van like new nissan looks cool

 

[dagofast]

It's a shame Kia still doesn't bring the Rondo here. Although Hyundai still has their Elantra Touring available with the same engine/transmission your Soul has. I just don't think it has 3rd row seats available like the Rondo could option up to.

Good luck with the family hauler! We still have our old '99 Suburban. Our daughter was 6 when we bought it and now she drives it a whopping 3 miles round trip to high school. And her little brother will be sharing it with her come this fall. 170k miles and still running strong, but they HATE to put gas in it.
We figure that 15 mpg and a 42 gallon tank will keep them broke and keep them close to home!

 

[Navy_Soul]

I'll only have the two babies, but it would be IMPOSSIBLE to take them shopping (since I'd have to choose between taking a stroller or not buying anything =P )

I've seen the Rondo-where is it that you live? They were out in full force back in Colorado, & I believe I've seen a handful here in SoCal as well.

I suppose I'm pretty picky when it comes to vehicles...I won't go back to a "car" until my children are all grown up & it can be my Lotus or 911 =]

 

[conwelpic]

In the US you would only be able to get a used Rondo, but they are still sold new in Canada. You can get a 7 passenger set up in Sorento and there is also the Sedona mini-van if you need even more room (good buys on them at present - at least in Canada).
The Soul has virtually same cargo capacity as the Sportage.

 

[fatabbot]

You can still get manual transmissions in some wagons/CUV's. Jetta Sportwagon's a decent choice. Subaru Outback and Forester both come with MT and have a lot of cargo space. If you don't mind driving a mini-minivan, the Mazda5 can be had with a manual, as well.

 

[Landric]

The Mazda 5 sounds like what you are looking for. Its a wagon/mini-mini-van, drives like a Mazda from what I have read (which means it should hug the road), and its available with a 6-speed manual. Its probably really the only vehicle that fits exactly what you are looking for.

I'm considering replacing our Sedona with a manual Mazda 5, but I'm not sure its going to make economic sense to do so, at least not soon.

The other option is to get a mini-van or wagon and keep your Soul. We have a Soul, Sedona, and a Saturn SL. The Sedona gets used when all 5 of us (two in car seats) have to go somewhere, otherwise we use the cars.

My mom just bought a used 2009 7-seat Rondo with 22k miles on it. I was originally planning on getting a 7-seat Rondo when I bought the Sedona, but the one I was going to look at was sold the day before I got to the dealer, and I couldn't find another 7-seater anywhere within several hundred miles of me. Of course, the Rondo isn't available in the US or Canada with a manual transmission, so that wouldn't be exactly what you are looking for anyway. Here is a picture of my mom's:

 

[Navy_Soul]

I spent the day looking at a few options...
I really can't stand the way that Rondos & Mazda 5s look, & I refuse to drive a minivan.

We don't need more than 5 seats...so third rows would just be a waste of money =/

I was also looking though some "old" pictures of mine & stumbled across this:

The Saab 9-4X =]

Sadly...it's not out yet =[

 

[SOUL4U]

The sorento comes in a manual tranny in the 4 cyl, or at least in canada it does. Lots of space for family of 4 with double stroller on one side and shopping on the other.

 

[SOUL4U]

i spent the day looking at a few options...
I really can't stand the way that rondos & mazda 5s look, & i refuse to drive a minivan.

We don't need more than 5 seats...so third rows would just be a waste of money =/

i was also looking though some "old" pictures of mine & stumbled across this:

the saab 9-4x =]

sadly...it's not out yet =[

please step away from the non kia vehicle!!!

 

[fatabbot]

Yeah, that Saab will never come out. The ship's already hit the iceberg....

 

[Navy_Soul]

My husband's the Saab guy "extraordinaire"
He's pushing pretty hard for either this or a wagon...
Aside from the lack of a proper gearbox-it's exactly what I'm looking for...

I do really like the Sorento though-sadly America's lame & doesn't offer any likeable car with a manual.

 

[99_XC600]

The SAAB is nice, but before you make any SAAB purchase. You need to realize that they are currently in desperate financial times and it doesn't look good for the near future.

You can read the ongoing SAAB story at

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2011/06/saab-story-the-board-bails/#more-400446

 

[Spearman]

BIG Kia

Navy Soul, My wife drives the big Kia Borrego. It's an Al Gore planet killer, but there's plenty of room and towing power; so much room that you could keep adding to your clan for a few more years. She has no complaints after 2 years of driving, towing and hauling with it, in sun and snow. I did read that Kia was pulling the Borrego from it's line up, either to update or terminate, which is too bad because as far as big SUVs go, it's the real deal.

 

[Navy_Soul]

The SAAB is nice, but before you make any SAAB purchase. You need to realize that they are currently in desperate financial times and it doesn't look good for the near future.

You can read the ongoing SAAB story at

Saab Story: The Board Bails | The Truth About Cars

We know the whole deal with Saab...pretty much have our fingers crossed for something good to happen to them at this point.

 

[kfergiez]

It's so sad that manual transmission are becoming scarce in the U.S. Apparently we are all old lazy geezers.

 

[Greg]

There are some good deals on used M/T Sorentos...at least in my area. 15k seems to be about average.

 

[Navy_Soul]

Those are for base models though...
I dunno if I can do a base model vehicle...there's only so much you can do to them.



wow-after ready through this a couple of times I've come to realize that I'm more picky that I thought...

 

[fatabbot]

Figured out what you're gonna get yet?

Yeah, that Saab will never come out. The ship's already hit the iceberg....

Saab's dying, too bad that 9-4 will never be released

Saab says no car production till August - Corporate News - livemint.com

 

[SteveinMN]

I did read that Kia was pulling the Borrego from it's line up, either to update or terminate

Yeah, Kia would have been better off introducing the Borrego about five years ago. Now, with $4/gallon gas pretty much here to stay (or maybe sometime soon to be thought of as the "good ol' days"), it's a hard sell. It's also hard to pitch the Borrego as this tossable little fuel-sipper, like the rest of the Kia lineup. What I had read on some car blog is that the Borrego is going to be taking a dirt nap.

It's so sad that manual transmission are becoming scarce in the U.S. Apparently we are all old lazy geezers.

It's hard to keep shifting when your hands are full of a cellphone, makeup, and fast food!

Seriously, one of the reasons there are so many automatics and automatic-like transmissions is that it's easier for the manufacturer to manage an engine's fuel efficiency and emissions when they also control the shifting. No more letting the driver decide to hang it in second gear up to 50 mph or to never use overdrive gears. No education of customers so they skip a gear when they can. It's just easier..