Vehicle Review: 2017 Kia Soul Turbo Exclaim

It is time for another vehicle review in 2017! This time it is for the 2017 Kia Soul Turbo Exclaim! I haven't reviewed a Kia soul in a few years but the Soul Turbo is every bit of fun as the previous models but with a turbocharged engine! Let's hit the road and see how she handles! 

The gorgeous Wild Orange color really stands out as you cruise around town! And the awesome color combines with the modest visual changes made to the headlights and bumpers make this the perfect vehicle to take down to Newport Beach for dinner! The beautiful Lighthouse Bayview Cafe is the destination and they did not disappoint! Take a look at the view in the above picture! Not a bad way to spend the evening!

After an amazing meal, you must get the beignets! They are amazingly light and delicious! Thanks to the fine team at the Lighthouse Bayview Cafe for their gracious service and wonderful hospitality!



Getting back in the 2017 Kia Soul Turbo Exclaim, you will be surprised by the amount of room inside the vehicle! Take a 360 look inside the vehicle with me! Lots of leg room for you and your friends and that panoramic sunroof is a must here in Southern California!

Taking a closer look at the cockpit and you will see that the displays are nicely laid out. Everything is easily within reach.

The large 8-inch navigation system display is both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatible. You will also love the eight speaker, 315-watt Harman Kardon audio system. The audio is loud and clear and perfect when you have the panoramic sunroof open and the windows down while cruising down Pacific Coast Highway. Plus, the mood lighting grill with sound interaction looks really cool at night.

The large 18 inch alloy wheels are stunning and just add to the visual appeal of the vehicle. But let's talk about the turbo! The 1.6L Turbo engine brings 201 horsepower with it and it really zippy and makes this a really fun vehicle to drive! You get 26 MPG in the city, 31 MPG on the highway and 28 MPG combined.

The next drive is to brunch to join friends at Saddle Ranch Chop House in Orange. Awesome service, great food and of course these awesome cotton candy treats!



Then it was off to Hollywood for the Los Angeles premiere of Kong: Skull Island! My first time at the Dolby Theatre, the home of The Oscars! We had amazing seats provided by the amazing folks at Dolby! Kong" Skull Island was amazing and a great summer type blockbuster movie though it's only March!

We tried to see if we could fit Kong in the back of the Kia Soul but it just wasn't going to work. But you can see you get enough room for a trip or grocery shopping plus the seats drop down if you need more room.

The 2017 Kia Soul Turbo Exclaim is an attractive, practical and fun to drive vehicle with value in mind and a lot of pep in its step!

The Kia soul starts out at $15,990 for the base model but the top of the line Turbo Exclaim starts at $22,650. But with the added Tech Package that gives you all the tech imaginable plus HID headlights and LED foglights. The addition of the panoramic sunroof brings the total to a reasonable $27, 620.

Vehicle Review of the 2016 Kia Sorento SXL - Affordable Premium Luxury

Time to review the 2016 Kia Sorento SXL! I took this amazing SUV up to Northern California to see the sites and go on a food adventure or two! We hit up two of my favorite Disney places up north and discover a few new food places as well! Then we head back home to Southern California for a little Disneyland time and a new food adventure!

This gorgeous SUV is large and can handle a large family or a friend to drive up the state with. It's classic good looks make a bold statement and let people know that you have arrived. This is perfect for dropping the kids off at school or heading for a night out at the symphony.

The powered liftgate is great for helping you with the groceries or to help load up luggage for a trip. Check out the third row fold down seats to give you even more storage space in the back.

The cockpit is nicely laid out with all of the controls easily within reach. The display panels are super bright and easy to read even during the daytime. The large 8' infotainment screen is brightly lit as well offering a superb navigation system and SiriusXM.

There are several driving modes. I mostly drove in ECO mode and the powerful 3.3L V6 GDI engine easily made it over the Grapevine and the hills of San Francisco. The Sorento is listed as getting 17 MPG in the city and 23 MPG on the highway but I was averaging slightly more than that during the week.

The environmental controls are easy to use. I also love the air cooled seats since it was in the upper 80s here in Southern California. You also get heated seats and a heated steering wheel for winter time.

I love the second row sliding sunshades. My mom even loved the convenience of them when she sat in the second row. Just the perfect way to block out that glare from the sun and not have to worry about buying off-market ones with those suction cups that leave marks on your windows.

Heading up the 5 to Northern California you want to make the stop at Bravo Farms in Kettleman City. Not only is it a great time to stop to stretch your legs but there is so much to see and do here. You can have BBQ here, ice cream, do some beer or wine tastings, and they have a fun play area with fun photo ops like with this cow! Oh and they are the place where I get my root beer milk. Think of a melted root beer float! It is delicious!

Time to hop back into the Sorento and continue the drive to Sacramento! The seats are super comfortable and easily move into whatever position you need.

My first dinner up north is at a hole in the wall Japanese restaurant in South Sacramento called Edokko! Here I am enjoying a bento box with salmon, katsu and sashimi! A great spot to stop and get a great meal!

The next day it was off to The Presidio in San Francisco. The Kia Sorento SXL is sitting in front of Lucasfilm! That's right, Lucasfilm!

This location is home to the famous Yoda Fountain! This area is accessible to the public but don't expect to go walking around in their buildings. Though you can enter the lobby during the week. The lobby is filled with great Star Wars memorabilia,

Another great place to visit is the Palace of The Fine Arts which is just a short walk away from Lucasfilm.

But my favorite reason to visit The Presidio is of course to visit The Walt Disney Family Museum. I try to visit at least once a year. There is always something new to see and is probably one of the best kept secrets. The museum is never very busy and it is a shame. It is one of the finest museums you will find.

With so many exhibits and displays, my favorite is the amazing model of Disneyland. It represents the Disneyland that Walt knew and even showcases some ideas that never got off the drawing board. One of my favorite places to take a photo of the model is right here in front of the floral Mickey looking down Main Street. Walt always said that Mickey was a personification of him so the smiling Mickey face was Walt smiling and welcoming you to The Happiest Place on Earth.

After spending time at one of my favorite museums it was time to head out and see if I really know the way to San Jose. I would end my Disney Day there. It also made great use of the Surround View Monitor (SVM) which is one of my favorite safety devices on the Sorento. Four mounted cameras create this birds-eye view of the vehicle onto the in-dash screen. It made it so much easier when reversing or helping you to park correctly.

You also get all of the safety features I have come to expect from Kia such as a Forward Collision Warning System, Blind-Spot Detection System, and Lane Departure Warning System.

You're probably wondering why would I end my Disney Day in San Jose. The Tech Museum is the only place in the entire state of California showing Star Wars: The Force Awakens on IMAX on 70mm film! To see the movie the way that it was filmed was a great reason to see it here!

After watching Star Wars the way it was meant to be seen, it was off to one more food adventure in Sacramento. This is a Korean restaurant YD Tofu House. Look at all the bachan you get. These are various small dishes to compliment your meal.

One of my favorite Korean dishes is their fried chicken. I'm not exactly sure what is different about the Korean fried chicken cooking process but it tastes so much better than just regular fried chicken. The skin is so nice and crunchy and the meat is moist and juicy. Add the spicy Korean paste they offer and you have a fantastically spicy chicken dish.

Well after a few days in Northern California it was time to make the drive back home. Stopped along the California aquaduct that brings Southern California a lot of its water supply from Northern California.

Opened up one of my favorite features of the Sorento, the panoramic sunroof. Watching the rain fall or looking at the stars will never be the same again.

Of course no trip would be complete without visiting Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. A perfect way to end the trip was here in Cars Land. A beautiful day for a race.

After time in The Disneyland Resort it was time for one last food adventure. Headed out to Punjabi Tandoor for some fantastic Indian food. My friend Sarah is a vegetarian so I decided to go with vegetarian options so she could try as many options as possible. I went with a mushroom masala and the saag paneer. Sarah went with the paneer tikki masala and the other option we both sadly forgot what it was. The food was amazing and I cannot wait to go back again.

We put a lot of miles on the vehicle by the end of the trip but it was well worth it. I got a great feel for the vehicle and got to drive it in a variety of road conditions and got to test a lot of the features that are important to me and hopefully are important to you as well.

I loved the 2016 Kia Sorento SXL! A fantastic smooth driving vehicle that had a ton of leg room for everyone in the vehicle! It provided a very comfortable drive up the state! State of the art tech throughout and ton of great options and features make this a perfect vehicle for you and your family.

Fully equipped the 2016 Kia Sorento SXL came in at $46, 495.00!

Below are all the locations of all the amazing places we ate on the Food Tour Adventure!

Edokko: 358 Florin Rd, Sacramento, CA 95831

YD Tofu House: 5609 Freeport Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95822

Punjabi Tandoor: 327 S Anaheim Blvd, Anaheim, CA 90242

Sasaki Time's 2015 Kia Sedona SXL Review - The Perfect Food Tour Adventure Vehicle

Hey everybody it's Jason from Sasaki Time and I am back with another vehicle review! This time it is for the 2015 Kia Sedona S-XL! Now what would a single guy think of a family minivan? Let alone what would he do with it for a week? Well, I turned it into a way to go hang out with friends and take them on a food adventure of some of my favorite places in Orange County!  The mural in the photo above inspired me to showcase some of my favorite Mexican food places in the area!

So buckle your seatbelts and hope you brought your appetite! Here we go!

The super bright display panel is perfect in the daytime sunlight or at night! Everything is right in front of you and easy to read!

The Surround View Monitor (SVM) blew me and my friends away! Four mounted cameras create this birds-eye view of the Sedona onto the in-dash screen. It made it so much easier when reversing or parking correctly.

You also get all of the safety features I have come to expect from Kia such as a Forward Collision Warning System, Blind-Spot Detection with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, and Lane Departure Warning System.

The infotainment system has voice command controls, so bringing up my favorite SiriusXM station was a breeze.

My friends and I loved the optional second row First-Class lounge chairs! Look at that leg room and the leg rests! We would need all of this room after all the food we would be eating on this day!

The first stop on the Sasaki Time Foor Tour was breakfast at La Casa Garcia in Anaheim! It's a great local spot that has been in the area for over 40 years! We all ordered the napolitos, chorizo and eggs! It comes with a side of fresh fruit, some potatoes and beans and cheese! You also get tortillas and can make a couple of awesome breakfast burritos! A great meal and a great way to start of the day!

Time to hop back into the Sedona and start up the V6 engine that offers up 276 horsepower for a powerful, yet smooth ride. You get 19 mpg in the City and 22 mpg on the highway!

I love the built-in second and third row retractable sunshades. Such a great way to provide an even cooler cabin and protect those in the rear rows from the glare of the sun!

There are also three comfort zones. Each seating area can enjoy it's own heating and cooling options.

Now it was just about lunch time and here we are at El Torito Nuevo in Orange. They make the most amazing lamb barbeque! You get a huge mound of the lamb, tortillas, onions, cilantro, salsa, and a huge bowl of consome, made of the lamb drippings and garbanzo beans. This is a filling meal for around $9!

We have had more than enough food to last for the entire day but we still had two stops to go!

Super bright projector beam headlights with LED positioning lights provide more than enough light through any type of darkness!

Using the smart power liftgate is totally hands and feet free! The liftgate can open automatically when it senses the smartkey!

The third row is made up of these easy Slide-N-Stow seats! The seats slide easily under the floor if you need more room!

So many outlets! There are three 12v outlets, an AUX/USB outlet, two AC power outlets, and two USB 2.1 rapid-charging outlets. Perfect for keeping all of our phones fully charged for flooding Instagram with our food tour adventure photos!

Enjoy the sunlight with available dual sunroofs! I do wish that Kia was able to bring in the gorgeous full panoramic sunroof they have on other models!

The nice views kept us entertained while we drove to the next food location, Amor Y Tacos in Cerritos! They are the home to one of the best Happy Hours in town!

One of their signature items are the mole tots! This is the Happy Hour portion! It is massive! I love tots and this complex mix of mole and melted cheese is perfect!

The potato taquitos are filling and another large portion for Happy Hour!

The elota man corn brings Happy Hour to an end! The cheese and spices with the sweet corn is a perfect ending to Happy Hour!

The dual power-sliding anti-pinch doors are available and totally worth it! There are even four different devices to control the doors if need be!

So we take our time stepping in as we head to one last stop!

The last stop is at Elado Ice Cream in Anaheim! Mexican style ice cream is a perfect way to cool off! So many amazing choices but the guava dulce is my favorite! Guava sorbet, coconut ice cream with fresh mango and pineapple with sweet condensed milk make for one of the most refreshing desserts ever!

So after a very full day of enjoying food in the Orange County area, we happily stepped back into the Kia Sedona for the trip home!

I loved the Kia Sedona SXL! It proved to be a smooth driving vehicle that had a ton of leg room for everyone in the vehicle! It also proved to be the perfect shuttle for a grand food adventure! State of the art tech throughout and ton of great options and features make this a perfect vehicle for you and your family or for you and your friends. Maybe this is the vehicle I need to start up a Sasaki Time Food Tour Adventure business!

Fully equipped the 2015 Kia Sedona SXL came in at $43, 295.00!

Below are all the locations of all the amazing places we ate on the Food Tour Adventure!

La Casa Garcia: 531 W Chapman Ave, Anaheim, CA 92802

El Torito Nuevo: 1175 N. Tustin St., Orange, CA 92867

Amor Y Tacos: 13333 South St, Cerritos, CA 90703

Elado Ice Cream: 732 N. Anaheim Blvd, Anaheim, CA 92805