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CAP Blog > CAP Blog > Martin's Blog
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Feb
25
Written by:
Martin Ward
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
 We first saw a very early pre-production Soul at the Kia R&D centre in Frankfurt about a year ago and the first impression, like most others, was disappointment, disbelief and why had Kia signed off the design? It was just not appealing. However, after seeing the car numerous times over the past twelve months it has really grown on me and I can now see the sense in it. I have to admit that there will be many people who won’t like the styling when they first see it and it will never appeal to them. There will be those much like myself, who don’t like it at first and then do like it and there will be those who will think it is fantastic from day one. It really is a love it or hate it car. It is a brave designer who dreams up the design and an even braver board of directors who sign it off but being brave and bold sometimes works and in the case of the Soul, it is likely to pay off for them.
 The Soul is available at launch with a choice of two engines: a 1.6 litre 124bhp petrol and a 1.6 litre CRDi 126bhp diesel. The diesel has a premium of £1,000 over the petrol which after having driven both engines, the petrol is the one to go for. We believe that other engines will be offered later this year.
There will be five models available: Soul 1, Soul 2, Samba, Shaker and Burner (pictured); a fairly complicated line up but Kia say there is a model in the range with a degree of personalisation to suit most tastes and requirements. All cars do have a good list of standard equipment and the best one is the Soul 2 which has the 1.6 petrol engine – this is a good choice.
 The Soul is 4,105mm long compared to a new Fiesta at 3,950mm, a Corsa at 3,999mm, a Skoda Fabia at 3,992, a Focus at 4,337mm and the new Golf at 4,199mm. Despite its relatively short length, it is surprisingly large on the inside and has plenty of room for five adults. The rear seat is particularly comfortable as it doesn’t have a hump in the centre so the middle passenger does not have to endure the hump stuck in their back for mile after mile. It may not look as good as contoured seats but comfort is sometimes more advantageous. Another brave decision.
 The 1.6 litre petrol engine goes from 0-62mph in 11 seconds, has a top speed of 110mph where permitted, a combined fuel consumption of 43.3mpg and Co2 emissions of 153g/km. This puts it into Band D for VED which costs £145 so not a cheap car to buy a tax disc for, compared to many other cars in this sector.
The handling - well does anyone really buy this type of car for handling, cornering or superb braking? I don’t think so but if it was on the list then the Soul does everything reasonably well. It is not a sports car so it doesn’t drive like one, but it is comfortable and quiet and this is what really matters.
Prices for the Soul start from £10,495 and up to £14,995 for the Burner. My choice, the Soul ‘2’, costs £11,495.
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