Kia Soul Tested February 2009

Rating Quick Summary Recommended. The Soul has switched from motor show stand to showroom, but despite its concept car credentials this is an impressively practical car, offering loads of space, stylish convenience and low running costs.

Full Road Test

In a bid to escape a dull - but worthy - image for making unadventurous, value for money cars, Kia is reinventing itself with some freshly styled models with increasingly distinctive looks. And the Soul is its most unusual offering yet. This is a supermini, or Fiesta class car, but looks considerably bigger because it's taller and because its wheels are pushed towards the corners of the car, increasingly a Kia trademark. It has the proportions - and the popular raised seating position - of a 4x4, as well as the boxy looks, but it only comes with front wheel-drive and a choice of either a 1.6 litre petrol or 1.6 litre diesel engines.

It is completely conventional in mechanical terms - although its suspension is unusual for having been fine-tuned by British sports car company Lotus to better suit our roads - the radical element in its make-up being the styling and options it offers. The range kicks off with the Soul 1 and Soul 2 trim levels, but there are also décor packs called Tempest, Shaker and Burner, these appealingly fashionable paint, trim and option packages to be refreshed every year or so. The Burner is most extrovert, coming only in black with red trim, a red dashboard and dragon tattoos blazoned over its bodywork. It also has illuminating stereo speakers that provide mood lighting, that flicker with the music - but, thankfully, they can be extinguished. Other trick features include an optional reverse camera whose projection appears in half the rear view mirror, a glovebox and cubby lined in red, a high-power 315 watt stereo on some models, roof bars and decal sets.

The Soul is pretty conventional on the road. It's light and easy to drive, handles fairly tidily, rides adequately and is relatively quiet. If you're not looking for the last word in supermini handling - in which case you should head for a Fiesta - and need a lot of space in a compact package, the Soul makes huge sense. And few cars other than the Mini and Fiat 500 - which Kia admits were inspirations - offer such colourful options.