From Seoul to Soul

Dec 15 2008 Chris Russon

KIA is putting its Soul into the city with a funky little number which almost defies classification.

The Kia Soul is a car which can be almost anything you want.

It's slightly longer than a Ford Fiesta but taller than a C-Max MPV and - true to Kia's slogan - has enough power to surprise.

Where the difference starts to kick in is with its boxy stance which thanks to some clever styling has the appearance of a sporty SUV.

The Soul was styled in America but tweaked by Kia's new design director Peter Schreyer who was headhunted from Audi where he was responsible for cars such as the sensational TT.

The result is a car which is unmistakably different and signals a new direction for the Korean car maker which is one of a handful of manufacturers to sell more in recession-hit Britain in 2008 than it did the year before.

Kia describes the Soul as cool and cosmopolitan and an urban car for the trendsetter.

That's a huge step forward - even in marketing speak - for a brand which in the past decade has come from building cheap and cheerful Far Eastern imports to taking on the might of Ford and VW with cars built in Europe and backed with an industry leading seven year warranty.

With the Soul, Kia is signalling its intention to become a major player.

The secret weapon with the newcomer is the ability to personalise the car in a myriad of ways - so many that it is possible for no two Souls to be the same.

As well as a selection of vibrant paint jobs, including bright green, orange and red, the interior can be trimmed out in similar fashion.

Decals can be added to exterior for a more startling appearance, 18-inch alloys are an option and so is a luminescent Soul logo in the seat fabric. Even the inside of the glove box can be finished in a different colour - that's how individual the Soul can become.

MINI has proved how popular such treatment can be and that's been followed by Fiat with the new 500 while Ford is taking a similar route with the latest Ka.

Kia is hoping to cash in on the trend and there is no reason why it cannot succeed.

The Soul will be on sale in February and although prices have still to be confirmed it is likely to start at less than £11,000 and top out in the region of £15,000.

The technical choice is more straightforward than the trim - two engines, both 1.6-litre, one diesel, one petrol and both mated to five speed manual transmissions.

All Souls be fitted with a full set of front and side airbags, electronic stability controls, anti-whiplash head restraints while tyre pressure sensors will be an option.

So will a rear view camera to assist while parking but unlike other systems at the moment, the display is contained in part of the rear view mirror to enable the driver to see the real and TV image at the same time.

The diesel is the better performer in all ways. Top speed is 113mph, 0 to 60 takes 11.3 seconds and it can average 55.4mpg with CO2 emissions of 137g/km.

The petrol engine, which unusually sounds less refined, will average close on 43mpg, has emissions of 153g/km, tops out at 110mph with an acceleration time of 11 seconds.

Both engines have been tried and tested in Kia's European-built cee'd models and although the Soul is made in Korea its suspension has been tuned to our tastes.

It is nicely responsive, feels firm and drives like a real car should.

The ride is impressive. As a driver there is fun to be had while it's above average when it comes to passenger comfort.

The high roofline makes for plenty of headroom and the overall dimensions mean four adults can fit without feeling cramped.

Boot space is 222 litres or 700 litres if the back seats are dropped and although there is additional underfloor storage, this is the weak point about the Soul.

The Fiesta has at least more than two medium-sized backpacks worth of extra luggage room - and that can make all the difference when it comes to flexibility.

Nevertheless, Kia is making a huge statement with this car.

It's all aimed at those who want to bare their soul and for those who do this could be sweet music.