One of the more interesting designs to come from KIA in the last few years has to be the Soul. The square-like design of the car was an instant hit with me, as it seemed to be an ideal people mover.
KIA keeps things real simple, and when buying a Soul, the vehicle comes with two basic engines and four models with varying degrees of equipment. In keeping with their good value for the dollar, the base 1.6L Soul comes with a great array of standard features like 4-wheel disc brakes, all the air bags, heated front seats, fog lights and even power windows and locks.
As the name implies, the base car comes with a 1.6L double overhead cam engine with 138hp. and a 6-speed manual transmission (automatic optional). One interesting feature, especially if you live in hilly areas, is the hill assist control on the manual transmission. What happens is that when you brake and stop on a hill, the brakes hold for a split second as you let off the clutch and accelerate on up the hill. I have used this and I think it should be standard on all vehicles with a clutch.
Inside the Soul, things are pretty conventional concerning heating and sound system controls in the centre dash. These things here are well laid out so you shouldn’t get confused if you ever have to jump into one and drive it without instructions.
Like other cars, the Soul can be had with a Navigation system that is similar to other units on the market. Rear seating is what you would expect from a car of this size but big enough to put a couple of adults in the back. One thing the Soul does not have is a lot of cargo space with the rear seats up, about 19.3 cu.ft. or 546 cu.L, however with the rear seats down that space almost triples making it very practical.
If you decide that you need a bit more power, you can move up to the 2L engine with a jump in power to 164hp. If luxury is what you need, the upper models offer all the highline things like leather, links with iPods, 18-inch alloy wheels and performance tires. Wheels and tires will defiantly enhance the handling qualities of the car but necessitate the use of snow tires in the winter.
A couple of things that caught my eye when looking over the Soul’s option list were decals offered for the vehicle. One was the traditional, old style-racing stripe placed over the car on either left or right. The other is a dragon decal mounted over the car as well. Those who like camping can get a tent that attaches to the back hatch area that looks to sleep about four.
Prices for the Soul start at about $16,800 and go up to about $25,600 for the top-of-the-line model with additions like leather, sunroof and projection headlights. Just about all the people I polled, who owned a Soul were very pleased with the vehicle in general, as well as the great fuel consumption with an average of about 8.5 city and 6.5 highway litres per 100km.
