Details: Its upright stance hasn't changed, but styling enhancements and high-tech lighting make it seem more futuristic and youthful.

• Inside, mood lighting and a unique 3D-pattern surface on the upper door panels sync to the car's audio system.
• The surprisingly roomy interior has a lot of hard plastic surfaces, as you'd expect in an entry-level car, but it doesn't feel cheap.
• The standard 2.0 liter engine gets 30 mpg (27 city/33 highway), or you can upgrade to the GT-Line with 1.6-liter turbo.
• Even at this price, the Soul comes with standard safety features, including blind spot warning, lane change assist and rear cross-traffic alert.
• Forward-collision avoidance and driver attention warning are available on some models, but not on the X-Line I tested. They're standard on GT-Line models, along with a head-up display.

The bottom line: Car and Driver described the Soul as "a point-and-shoot kind of car, one that's competent, if not exactly fun to drive." I disagree. You feel younger driving the Soul.

Details: The Telluride comes with a 291-hp, 3.8-liter V-6 engine and an 8-speed automatic transmission.

• It has room for 8 with a second-row bench seat, but my 7-passenger SX AWD came with optional captain's chairs.
• The quilted Nappa leather seats and genuine wood trim across the dash made it feel more luxurious than its $45,815 price would suggest.
• Driver-assistance features were plentiful, including: standard blind-spot monitoring, automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assist and rear parking sensors.
• On 2-lane country roads with no shoulder, I got more lane-keeping warnings than I would have liked, but the technology did its job.
• A helpful feature for parents: a reminder to check the back seat upon exiting the vehicle.

The bottom line: The Telluride is a great family SUV. Too bad I was on the road all by myself.