Personalisation options are all the rage at the moment from
stickers, roof decals, fancy wheel designs to customizable interior trim
combinations. The purpose is to enable buyers to tailor their cars appearance
to individual tastes. It’s an idea that’s really taken off since the launch of
the highly successful MINI.
There is one car that has pretty much gone unnoticed in the
cut-throat compact urban hatch sector being completely overshadowed by the
MINI, Fiat 500 and Citroen DS3. That car is Kia’s intriguingly named Soul which
has recently received a fairly extensive midlife spruce-up. We find out if it’s
a good as its name would suggest and whether it can tempt drivers out of their
Fiestas, MINIs and Nissan Jukes.
What is it?
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Rivals: Nissan Juke, Ford Fiesta, Toyota Urban Cruiser, Citroen DS3
- 18” alloy wheels
- Reversing camera (Rear View Mirror)
- 8 Speaker Stereo with Amplifier and Sub-Woofer
- Bluetooth/USB/Ipod connectivity
- ABS, EBD with BAS, ESC, VSM, HAC
- Automatic Projector Headlights
- LED Front and Rear Lights
- Air Conditioning
- 4x Electric Windows
- Powerfold mirrors (LED Indicator lights)
- Electric Tilt-Slide Sunroof
Looks are everything if you are in the
market for something a little different from the norm and this is where the
Soul really scores. Its upright, utilitarian looking shape with floating roof
contrasts nicely with the wide curvaceous wheel arches and headlights. New for
2012 is a heavily revised front facia with much larger fog lights and new LED
daytime running lights now nestled under the projector headlights. There is
also a new more butch-looking rear bumper, jazzy redesigned rear light clusters
and fresh chubby 18 inch alloy wheels. The raft of changes build on the Souls
already bold looks and make the whole recipe seem to gel better than ever
before; it’s a real head-turner in the metal.
The cabin is well designed with a
curved uncluttered centre console, revised switchgear and Kia’s now signature
individually hooded dials. If you find black trim bland then the Hunter is the
trim level to consider as it comes with ice white highlights all over the place
including the steering wheel and best of all the tops of the seats and door
panels are trimmed in black and white tartan! Everything is sensibly located
and clearly labelled with improved build quality. The majority of the dash-top
is nicely squidgy with the door pulls and centre console finished in harder
plastic with a thin rubberised coating. You certainly won’t have to worry about
trim rattles in years to come.
A considerable advantage of that
squared-off body is a cabin with an abundance of space especially considering
the cars footprint that isn’t much bigger than a Fiestas. Space in both the
front and rear is cavernous with masses of leg and headroom and the Soul’s
generous width means that three abreast in the back isn’t too much of a
compromise. The driving position won’t suit all, we found that even with the
seat in its lowest position it still felt too lofty but the height and reach
adjustable steering column helps. The biggest gripe the driver will have is
all-round visibility which is restricted by the thick windscreen pillars and
even thicker rear pillars. Luckily our car came as standard with a reversing
camera neatly housed in the rear-view mirror making parking easy.
The spacious cabin seems to have come
at the expense of boot space which isn’t as generous as we would have hoped but
is no worse than in a Polo or Fiesta at 340 litres extending to 818 litres with
the seats folded. We liked the additional under floor storage which had a
number of smaller sections to stop items rolling around.
Powering our Soul is an all-new 1.6
litre 138bhp petrol engine now with direct injection. We were left underwhelmed
by the figures; 0-60 mph takes 10 seconds but at 1,245kg the Soul is noticeable
heavier than the likes of the Fiesta. In practice the engine is clearly geared
for economy which is all too evident by the gearshift indicator which
encourages changes around 2,500 rpm which makes the Soul feel far too sluggish.
With the maximum torque of 122lb/ft available from a fairly high 4,850rpm
holding onto to each gear for longer allows the driver to make the most of the
power on offer. The engine’s hunger for revs found us opting for the latter
fairly frequently although we wish the soundtrack was a little more characterful.
On the move engine refinement is
impressive as is our cars super-slick 6-speed gearbox which is the best we have
experienced from Kia so far. The fade-free disc-brakes all-round do a sterling
job of bringing the Soul to a halt backed up by standard fit ABS and EBD. We
didn’t however; get on with the pedal arrangement as the clutch pedal is very
light and overly sensitive making it easy to stall or kangaroo when pulling
away.
What will surprise most is the Soul’s
ability when dealing with challenging corners. To counteract the higher than
normal centre of gravity Kia have opted for a taught suspension setup that
results in superb body control with next-to-no bodyroll. Those good looking 18”
alloy wheels shod with 225/45 tyres provide masses of grip and coupled with its
sharp turn-in make Soul good to drive. We just wish there was more feedback
through the steering which is numb at best. When we learned that Kia enlisted
the help of Lotus to tune the Soul’s suspension the thrills on offer made much
more sense.
Words and Photos by Rob McSorley
Technical
Data
Price as tested: £15,545
Engine: 1.6 16v 138bhp - 0-62mph: 10 secs -
Maximum Speed: 112mph -
Economy: 36.7mpg (urban) –50.4mpg (extra-urban),
44.1mpg (combined) - Emissions: 149g/km (Band F) - VED (12
months): £135
Dimensions: Length: 4120mm - Width: 1785mm - Height:
1610mm - Wheelbase: 2550mm
*data from Kia UK
The Kia Soul has a lot to offer buyers
looking for a refreshingly different hatchback. Its utilitarian inspired
styling holds a lot of appeal when compared to more conventional offerings and
the recent refresh has refined the finer details with impressive results. With
one of the most spacious cabins in its sector and a well sorted chassis and the
Soul’s case becomes even stronger. In Hunter trim as we tested here equipment
levels are generous and the additional exterior details including those massive
wheels make the asking price of a smidge over £15,000 seem like a good deal. As
with every car there are weaknesses which include a crashy ride, numb steering
and over-sensitive clutch pedal. Also whilst with us we were underwhelmed by
the economy of the petrol engine, when driven carefully guided by the gearshift
indicator over a mixture of roads we averaged 34 mpg. This is some way off the figure
given by Kia of 44.4 mpg combined. The Soul deserves to be incredibly
successful as it has so much to offer buyers willing to take the risk and buy
something vastly different. Sadly for most the Kia badge lacks the cache of the
MINI brand but for those who can see past this the Soul is a very complete
package.
You will like
+Individual looks
+Value for money
+Talented chassis
+Practical interior
You won’t like
-Hard ride
-Poor economy
-Over-sensitive clutch
-Numb steering
Special Thanks to; Kia Motors (UK) Limited, 2 The Heights , Brooklands, Weybridge, Surrey, KT13 0NY
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