Kia Soul

What is it?

Kia describes its new Soul as an 'urban crossover'. Although not as large, it shares a similar philosophy to Nissan's Qashqai, a vehicle that Kia is rather keen to make comparisons with. It features tough, almost off-road-like styling, although in actual fact it is front-wheel-drive only and designed primarily for live in urban environs. Although slightly larger than a Nissan Note, it is close to that vehicle in feel, and you could also draw comparisons with MINI's Traveller and Skoda's Roomster.

The Soul name not only refers to spirit, but also the capital city of the Korean company's home country. It is designed to be a vehicle that will break the mould for Kia and take it into new markets. In fact Peter Schreyer, Kia's Chief Design Officer, says that the Soul "will be the first Kia where people will check the colours, trims and accessories before they check the price."

When they do check the price, they will find that it starts at around £11,000 with top spec models costing close to £15,000. One sale from March 2009, a 1.6-litre petrol and a 1.6-litre turbodiesel will be offered initially, with a smaller 1.4 petrol engine arriving later. Three trim levels will be available. There'll be a cheaply priced entry version, which will still have air-con and then a more comprehensively equipped volume seller. Above that will sit what will be known as the Soul Collection. These will be special edition models on sale for a limited period of time only, around six months or so. Externally, they will feature special paint and art graphics reflecting individual themes. For example, some may be aimed exclusively at the female market, while others may reflect an outdoor or even off-road feel. Inside, the cabins will also feature special trim and finish.

Does it do the job?

A big part of the Soul's job is to grab people's attention and that is something it does very well indeed. While it is not one of those small cars that has been designed to 'smile' at you - tough but not rough is how Kia describes the looks - it's certainly capable of putting a smile on your face. The prominent bumper and headlamps and the narrow little grille create a combination more akin to a frown than a smile, but there is real character there and the same is true of the distinctive rear end treatment. The sweptback roofline creates a real street racer look and the bulbous wheel arches look especially good when they are stuffed with optional 18" alloy wheels.

Beware those pretty wheels though if you want to cruise around in serene comfort, the ride is very firm indeed, crashy even and will not be to everyone's tastes. Happily opting for smaller 16-inch or better still, 15-inch wheels smoothes things out considerably, although not completely. While the handling won't rival that of MINI's Clubman, tidy turn-in to corners and reasonable resistance to body roll ensures the Soul feels nimble in town and fun on country roads. Its high-sided body means it can take a bit of a buffeting on the motorway in strong side winds and also there is a considerable roar of wind noise at speed from around the top of the windows.

The 124bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine accelerates the Soul to 62mph in 11.0 seconds and feels adequate, as opposed to fast. There's a slightly odd feel to the throttle response at low speed, smooth take-offs can be difficult and it's quite easy to stall the car. Neither fuel economy, at 42.8mpg, or CO2, at 153g/km set new standards in the class. The 126bhp 1.6litre turbodiesel offers better economy at 55.4 mpg, and neither the five-speed manual gearbox nor the brakes give any cause for complaint.

While the cabin feels very solidly put together, the plastics used are not of the most expensive quality, but at least the interior feels like it will stand up to a fair bit of abuse. There's a generous amount of cabin space and four adults are able to fit in without any problem. Stowage space is a bit disappointing though. The Soul brings no new sticks to the party in terms of clever storage solutions. The glovebox is a reasonable size and whilst the door pockets can hold half litre bottles of water, they are not very wide. The boot is far from huge, although more stowage is available beneath the removable floor.

Should I Give It Garage Space?

The whole point of the Kia Soul is that you will want to park it in front of your garage where all can see it, rather than keep it hidden away. It's a smart looking and portrays real character without looking 'cute', bringing a breath of fresh air to this market. But those chunky-looking 18-inch alloy wheels do spell trouble on the comfort front. Even on smaller wheels the Soul is never going to provide the refined ride of say a Peugeot 207 SW. So if ride comfort is your number one priority, then the Soul probably isn't for you.

If maximum stowage space is your number one priority, cars like Skoda's Roomster and even Nissan's Note offer larger boots, more flexibility and greater practicality. But what they don't offer is the sheer character of the Kia, or the value for money factor. And that's just for the standard car, although the price will obviously rise, Kia's Soul Collection and range of individual options will allow you to customise your Soul to your own individual taste. Indulging your ultimate fantasy may not do much for the car's resale values, but it will put some much needed individuality on to our roads and bring back some of the fun to motoring. Kia plans to sell 3,000 Souls in 2009, with its keen pricing and cheer-the-world-up looks, it's certainly a good car for dealers to have in their showrooms in a tough economic climate.

It's not the complete package and the firm ride will put some customers off. But the keenly priced Kia Soul has the charm to make you overlook its weak points.

Rating

Specification

Model: Kia Soul 1.6 petrol
Price: £11,000 to £15,000 (estimate for range)
Engine: 1,591cc four-cyl petrol
Power: 122bhp at 6,300rpm
Torque: 115lb ft of torque at 4,200rpm
Performance: 0-62mph - 11.0 seconds, Top speed 110mph
Fuel economy: 42.8mpg
CO2 emissions: 153g/km
On sale: March 2009