We went over to the import centre near Grimsby to have a look at the first Kia Soul model to arrive into the UK. The cars we saw were not cleaned and still had plastic on the seats, carpets and protection on the roof and bonnet. It was an early chance to have a good inspection of the new car; to look, touch and get a general overview of its quality. The fit and finish all appeared to be very good; another example of how the Koreans have improved in quality in the past couple of years and are really taking it seriously.

The Soul is one of those cars that is not liked, even laughed at when seen initially and this is not just people from outside Kia; this also includes most Kia staff who just don’t understand it to begin with. The Soul on first viewing does not have the style that appeals to the majority of people’s taste and it has been described as ugly and out of proportion. However, now having seen it in the flesh a number of times, I, like everyone else, now see some point to it. It now seems quite cute and appealing and I would even go as far as to say desirable.

The Soul’s natural competitors are the Suzuki SX4, Daihatsu Materia and Fiat Sedici but in reality it should be put up against the VW Polo, Ford Fiesta, Peugeot 207, Skoda Fabia and Nissan Note as it has very similar exterior dimensions as these vehicles. However, with it having generous interior space it could be compared to some of the bigger brothers of these cars such as the VW Golf, Ford Focus and Nissan Qashqai. Future competition will also include the Toyota Urban Cruiser and Skoda Yeti.

The new Soul goes on sale in March with prices expected to start at around £10,500. Kia expect to sell around 3,200 units per year in the UK.