The funky looking Kia Soul has received more power in the form of a 2.0-litre engine. Previously only available with a 1.6-litre unit, the new Kia Soul 2.0 also boasts a number of subtle styling tweaks to distinguish it as the range-topper.

Already a familiar figure on our roads and quickly recognised by its wedge shaped profile and roofline, the new Kia Soul 2.0 exterior features chunkier styled bumpers, together with new headlamps, LED day-time and taillights, as well as restyled side mirrors and new 18-inch wheels.

In addition to the exterior styling updates, the Soul 2.0 also offers luxury and convenience features like leather seats, rear park assist with a rear-view camera display, a Stop/Start button with smart key, an improved sound system with external amplifier and subwoofer, cruise control (auto only), automatic light control as well as an optional sunroof. safety equipment includes, Vehicle Stability Management (VSM), Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and Hill-start Assist Control (HAC).

Previously only available with a 1.6-litre petrol engine that offered 95 kW and 157 Nm of torque, the new 2.0-litre engine gives the Soul far more athletic appeal. With 122 kW and 200 Nm of torque, the KIA Soul 2.0 is one of the most powerful models in the range – out gunning the sporty looking Kia Cerato Koup and just pipping the Sportage on torque by 3 Nm. Mated to either a 6-speed auto or manual transmission, the Soul 2.0 will accelerate from 0 – 100 km/h in 9.2 seconds (9.6 seconds for the manual) and reach a top speed of 185 km/h (186 km/h for the auto). Fuel consumption is 7.0 L/100km for the auto and 7.1 L/100km when paired with the manual transmission.

Prices include a 5-year/100 000km warranty, 3-year roadside assistance and 4-year/90 000km service plan.

When the KIA Soul made its local debut a few months ago, managing director of KIA Motors South Africa, Ray Levin, said “This is a brand new urban crossover packed full of liberating ideas”. Brand new it certainly is, but we’re not sure about the ‘liberating ideas’ part. One thing is for sure though, it’s like no other car on the road today.

Exterior
Riding 165 mm above the ground with short overhangs both front and rear, the Soul is positioned in the MPV / SUV arena (the KIA Sedona MPV rides just 2 mm higher, while the new Sorento SUV sits 19 mm higher) but looks like neither. KIA call the Soul an ‘urban crossover’, or ‘crossover utility vehicle’ (CUV), which we suppose is a term that fits the Soul better than it ever could VW’s CrossPolo or the now extinct MG Rover Streetwise.

At the front, the Soul’s high bonnet and rounded forms imply power and strength, while the bulging wheel arches and wide track give the car a broad stance that heightens its sense of stability. Large head lamps and a chrome grille give Soul a ‘friendly face’ and the prominent centre bumper shouts ‘tough-not-rough’. The A-pillars are masked with a high-gloss black moulding for a wrap-around look that is crucial to the Soul’s appearance.

It’s a quirky design that elicits a second glance wherever it goes and whether you love it or hate it, getting noticed on our crowded city streets says something.

Interior
The Soul makes extensive use of plastics to form a cockpit that is adequate rather than attractive. The centre console breaks the mold by standing out from and extending the width of the dashboard, with a grey highlight incorporating the radio and climate controls. The switch-gear is simple to use and well laid out, with all instrumentation being lit up with red back-lighting. The illuminated instrument panel is a pleasure to read during the day, but without being able to adjust the brightness it’s overpowering at night and takes away some of the contrast provided between a darker cabin and brighter headlights. Pleasantly surprising features were the satellite controls on the steering wheel for adjusting the radio, as well as USB connection for plugging-in your iPod or MP3 player. Electrically powered windows, both front and rear, provide a touch of convenience in a well put together interior, free of any squeaks or rattles.

As can be expected from its boxy design there is plenty of space inside the KIA Soul, especially when it comes to headroom. The glove box is one of the largest we’ve witnessed, but the bright red interior colour it shares with the sunglasses case atop the dash, clashed with the rest of our test car and looked out of place – unless of course you opt for a red Soul. The Soul welcomes four adult passengers with plenty of legroom, in addition to the stratospheric levels of headroom available. However, the driver’s seat lacks support for one’s back, particularly for the arch area, which is far from ideal. Luggage space is an adequate 671 litres, handling the weekly shopping and school runs with ease – and the rear seats can be folded down in a 60/40 split for extra carrying capacity.

On the safety front, the KIA Soul is equipped with three-point safety belts for all passengers, with pretensioners and load-limiters in the front. Active headrests move forward and upward within milliseconds of an impact to cushion the head and prevent whiplash. Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) are standard on all models, as are the dual front airbags. Side and full-length curtain airbags are available on the ‘high-spec’ models.

The Drive
The Soul finds a good balance between the power of its engine and handling of its chassis. Considering its ride height, the Soul handles well and does not suffer from excessive bodyroll as one might expect by looking at the car’s proportions. The steering is light and responsive, with a sharp turning circle that makes driving around town a doddle. When pushed, the Soul will understeer, but its handling is completely predictable and easily remedied by easing off the throttle. In fact, its predictable handling helps to make the Soul a fun car to drive and even though it’s not sporty by design, the Soul does humour you if you decide to ‘hotfoot’ it through a set of turns. The combination ABS and EBD linked to disc brakes up front and drums at the rear, work well to bring the Soul to a stop.

The Soul is at home on city streets, however once out of town and travelling at our national speed limit the upright nature of the Soul lends itself to wind noise. Coupled with the high-revving engine and steering that isn’t speed sensitive, or tightened as speed increases, open road driving can become tiring over long distances.

Performance
The KIA Soul is powered by a 1,6-litre DOHC 16-valve engine that produces 91 kW at 6 300 rpm and 156 N.m of torque at 4 600 rpm. It’s a lively engine that thrives on revs but sounds quicker than it is. The zero to 100 km/h sprint is dealt with in 10.4 seconds and top speed is 177 km/h. The Soul won’t win any robot-to-robot races, but the willing and vocal engine makes it fun to try anyway. KIA claims a combined fuel consumption of 6.6 L/100km, but with the Cape Doctor at full puff during our test period, we averaged quite a bit higher.

Overall the Soul is a likable city car. It’s quirky design is something few manufacturers can offer. Along with an adequate array of safety and convenient features, for the performance and price KIA offers a ‘Soul-lution’ that won’t break the bank.

What we like…

• Unique styling – the Soul is the first Korean car to receive recognition from the world renowned ‘red dot’ design awards.
• Fun to drive in and around town.
• KIA’s 5-year warranty and 4-year service plan.

What we would like…

• Improved sound insulation from engine and wind noise.
• Ability to adjust the brightness of the instrument back-lighting.

Kia’s stylish and fun urban cross-over car, the Soul, has become the first Korean car ever to receive recognition from the world renowned ‘red dot’ awards at the 2009 product design competition held in Germany.

With more than 3,230 entries from 49 countries in 17 different categories, the newly-launched Kia Soul was selected from the ‘Automobile Transport and Caravan’ section to receive an honourable mention.

“Our design teams in Korea, California and Europe can be very proud Kia Soul has achieved this prestigious recognition. Kia’s design strategy is focusing on distinctive product solutions and the development of a unique Kia family look. This recognition is a clear reward for Kia’s determination to establish design as one of the key components of its corporate DNA,” says Kia’s Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer.

Possibly even more importantly the new ‘little ‘un’ gained a 5-star Euro NCAP rating just days before its local release.

“The passion behind this vehicle arose from the idea to create a rebellious new car for a new generation of drivers. The new Kia Soul is anything but standard. Kia’s suggestion to its customers is to ‘think inside the box and drive beyond it’,” says Ray Levin, Managing Director of Kia Motors South Africa. “This is a brand new urban crossover packed full of liberating ideas – a car that challenges consumers to ‘free your mind’.

Soul is an urban crossover – small enough to be ideally suited to the world’s urban jungles, but very different to conventional, workaday small cars. By combining the charm and desirability of MINI and Fiat 500, with a hint of SUV ruggedness, Kia is opening up an entirely new market sub-segment with a car that will win the hearts – and souls – of the young and the young-at-heart.

Like conventional superminis, Soul has five doors, five seats and front-wheel drive; is just over four metres long and is a hatchback.

It remains faithful to the concept car revealed at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit at the start of 2006. That concept was the inspiration of Kia’s North American design studios in California, led by Tom Kearns. Eight months later, when Peter Schreyer became Chief Design Officer at Kia, he was immediately full of enthusiasm for Soul and has personally overseen the project through to the final production stage. He was intimately involved with the Soul concept ‘trio’ of Burner, Searcher and Diva, which appeared at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2008. Design teams in America, Europe and Korea have collaborated to bring it to fruition.

“Detroit 2006 marked a special point in time for Kia Motors,’ Schreyer said when he unveiled the production car at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. “Very few people, even those inside Kia, realised what a big moment it was when the Soul concept first appeared. It looked like a flight of fancy…until now.

“For our customers, it’s a lifestyle statement. It creates a strong emotional link between them and us. It will be our first car where customers will check the colours and accessories before they check the price. It is our accelerator for an image shift towards design.’

Soul’s style is ‘tough not rough’. It has a high bonnet with rounded forms, bulging wheel arches and a wide track. A body side crease joins the wheel arches, while the roofline appears to slope gently down to the tailgate. The beltline, which rises from the front wheel arch to create a gentle wedge shape, continues under and around the third side window. A decorative air vent in each front wing incorporates sleek side repeaters and abuts the beltline to intensify an image of quality.

Vertical combination lamps set into a body colour panel and featuring clear outer lenses dominate the rear. One of the early ‘concept’ sketches that helped to define what Soul was all about featured a wild boar. With its strong, wide shoulders, a determined look in its eyes and distinctive sloping back, this animal has one extra, and unusual, attribute – a practical backpack.

The rectangular tailgate reflects that backpack ‘profile’, a design element which has remained since those early inspirational designs that included the ‘wild boar’ – it underlines practicality and reflects the urban nature of Soul.

The Soul is 4,1 metres long with a wheelbase of 2 550 mm. But the key dimensions behind the Soul’s striking appearance are vertical measurements. Overall height is 1 610 mm, the base of the windscreen is 135 mm higher than a typical compact car, the ‘hip point’ is 120 mm higher and the ground clearance is raised by 45 mm to 165 mm. Luggage capacity is 340 litres with the rear seats upright, similar to the KIA Rio hatchback.

“The Kia Soul is all about creating a car that demonstrates Kia’s passion for automotive design. The Soul will get Kia talked about and generate customer appeal that will translate into strong sales,” projects Zian van Heerden, sales director for Kia Motors South Africa.

And Kia is getting attention – car rental companies do not buy product that is not going to withstand the rigours of the business. Kia SA has sold 1 000 Picantos to Avis this calendar year and 1 000 to Imperial Car Rental. Hertz has taken a mix of 200 Picantos, 250 Sportage, 250 Sedona and 150 Rio.

“First impressions will make a big impact and there will be several unique aspects to the experience of sitting in the Soul,” says Gregory Guillaume, chief designer, Kia Motors Europe. “The tall doors and high-mounted seats make for easy access, while the ‘laid back’ dashboard, triple dial instrument cluster and thick-rimmed steering wheel create an unusual combination of spaciousness for passengers and cosy-ness for the driver to generate a very special ambience inside this new Kia.”

Every Kia Soul in South Africa will be equipped with a factory-fit RDS Radio/CD player with MP3 compatibility, plus USB, AUX and iPod connections in the centre console, speed rated volume control, six audio speakers – one in each door and two tweeters – a 112 watts output, innovative PowerBass technology and a rooftop antenna. The Soul is fitted with steering wheel mounted audio controls.

Standard features on the Soul in South Africa will include: 16-inch alloy wheels, 205/55 R16 tyres, body colour side mouldings and door mirror housings, electrically operated front and rear windows, front driver and passenger air bags, head restraints and three-point seat belts for all five occupants, remote release filler flap and rear screen wiper.

Additionally it has electric power steering, air-conditioning, tinted glass with shaded windscreen band, central locking, ‘battery saver’ to prevent draining of the battery, heated door mirrors, special ‘Soul Glow’ seating fabric, a rear spoiler and front and rear fog lights.

Powered by a 1,6-litre petrol engine – a 1,5-litre diesel will follow later this year – featuring electronic multi-point fuel injection and continuously variable valve timing (CVVT), the all aluminium 16-valve unit generates a maximum power output of 91,2 kW at 6 300 r/min and 156 Nm of torque at 4,200 r/min.

Kia claims acceleration from rest to 100 km/h in 10.4 seconds going on to reach 177 km/h.

The Soul is fitted with a fully independent front and twist-beam rear suspension system designed to deliver responsive handling and a supple ride. At the front, mounted on the same sub-frame that supports the engine and transmission, the MacPherson Struts have co-axial coil springs, offset for smooth operation, together with offset kingpin geometry and a 4-degree castor angle.

At the rear, the Soul’s suspension is also sub-frame mounted and employs a transverse torsion beam axle with trailing arms. The coil springs and dampers are mounted separately to ensure smooth operation and minimal intrusion into the cabin/trunk space.

Nitrogen gas-filled shock absorbers, tuned to best suit specific market requirements, are standard fit for both the front and rear suspension systems for optimal damping performance and body control.

A four-channel, four-sensor, anti-lock braking system is fitted as standard. The system incorporates an electronic brake force distributor (EBD), helping to distribute braking force evenly between front and rear wheels.

“The new KIA Soul will kick-start the second major change in perceptions of our brand in recent times and will have an enormous effect on our sales in South Africa, says Levin. “With the introduction of the cee’d, our first car designed and manufactured in Europe, we brought about a qualitative revolution for our brand and started the process of changing the way KIA is viewed by customers.”

The KIA Soul will retail at R189 995 and includes a 4 Year / 90,000 km Service plan.

Colin Windell is the editor of Fleet magazine and contributor to SA Car Fan.