I’ve always been a fan of all things different, a little weird or slightly left of centre. With this in mind, I was genuinely looking forward to spending a week with the recently revised Kia Soul. After all, it certainly does turn heads.
The Soul, true to its unique style, is part of a very small club of light compact SUV vehicles which are designed with both young and old(er) market demographics in mind.
The exterior design is funky, fresh and yet another reminder of the European flavour that Kia has bought to the table over the past few years. The dominant front grille, 17-inch alloy wheels and large foglights give the Soul a slightly aggressive feel, all the more adding to its youthful appeal.
The eye-catching exterior design is perfectly complemented by the sleek, yet edgy interior. Featuring contrast stitching on the seat contours and steering wheel, oversized instruments and quirky front dash speakers which are morphed into the air vents emphasises that Kia’s strong focus on modern, current design elements.
The dash is simple and very easy to navigate with a large (albeit black and white) display. It does lack satnav as an option so if this is a must-have feature you will need to BYO.
The Soul does, however, include all the more basic essentials such as Bluetooth, cruise control, and iPod connectivity which are all simple to utilise.
The cabin layout is interesting to say the least. With the seats in upright formation you are left with a very small boot that can only fit two average sized bags. However, once the 60/40 split rear seats have been folded down, the space becomes surprisingly large allowing you to really get the most out of this ‘big’ small car.
Despite the smaller than desirable boot, rear seat passengers will enjoy the decent legroom, almost as much as I loved the high driving position and comfort of the front seat.
The Soul is not only funky in the looks department; it packs a punch on the road thanks to the zippy 2.0-litre 113kW and 191Nm four-cylinder petrol engine. It remains relatively economical with my reading after five days of combined commuting coming in at 8.1L/100km.
Acceleration is smooth through the gears with the Soul reaching 100km/h on the freeway faster than anticipated; and with little engine noise to speak of.
I found the electric steering noticeably assisted the feel and responsiveness of the drive particularly through corners. As the Soul is a little on the tall side, there was a bit of body roll but only when really thrown into a bend.
The best part about driving the Soul is that I honestly felt like I was driving something much larger. The high driving position, the roomy cabin and the peppy engine proved to be quite deceptive particularly when I was trying to manoeuvre it in the driveway or nab myself a parallel parking space in the city.
The generally positive driving experience is backed by a five-year unlimited kilometre warranty, coupled with capped-priced servicing for the first five visits to the service department. Add to this 12 months of included roadside assistance and you can be confident that the value proposition of the Soul is more than adequate.
If you’re after something that is different from what your friends are driving, that combines bold design with every day practicality, this little Kia might just be your perfect Soul mate.
2014 Kia Soul Si pricing and specifications:
Price: $25,990 automatic (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 113kW/191Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
What we liked: | Not so much: |
>> Zippy four-cylinder engine | >> A little top heavy in bends |
>> Funky styling inside and out | >> Small boot with seats in place |
>> Visibility and high driving position | >> Lack of options (like satnav) |