A closer look at Kia’s hip subcompact urban crossover
We have seen how automakers in the past years have conceptualized and produced new designs for their cars.
Lately, we’ve seen vehicle contours that are really out of this world.
Sometimes, however, these out-of-the-box designs don’t really work for automakers. But there are also those that do.
Take for example the Kia Soul.
The first time I saw this vehicle, I thought it was, well, different.
The Soul’s rear features “floating” body color panel. (CDN PHOTO/BRIAN J. OCHOA)
When I was given the chance to test drive it for a couple of days through the Gateway Group, the official distributor of Kia vehicles in Cebu, I came to realize that it is indeed different—beautifully different that is.
The current Soul is the second generation of the nameplate. It has gotten interior and exterior upgrades but has kept its sexy yet boxy body, which makes it suited for the hip urban youth.
Its current design is actually taken from the Kia Track’ster, which is the ultimate performance edition of the Soul.
The present reincarnation is sleeker compared to the previous model. It gets wraparound greenhouse, high-mounted taillights, large trapezoidal lower air intake and a unique “floating” body color panel inset into the lift gate.
Inside, Kia made use of a circular theme. The interior is spacious with generous leg and headroom. Even the baggage compartment is huge, allowing 354 liters of space when the rear seat is up and 1,367 liters when the rear seat is folded down.
This 1.6 CRDi diesel engine delivers 136 PS and a whopping 30.6 kg-m of torque.
(CDN PHOTO/BRIAN J. OCHOA)
DIESEL POWERED
One of the other aspects I liked about this edition of the Soul is its engine.
The previous Soul was powered by a 1.6 DOHC, dual CVVT petrol engine that produced 130 PS and 16 kg-m of torque.
The current variant is now equipped with a stronger 1.6 in-line 4 DOHC CRDi diesel engine backed up by an electronic variable geometry turbo (E-VGT) that delivers 136 PS at 4000 rpm and a whopping 30.6 kg-m of torque.
Those numbers are really exciting, especially when paired with a six-speed manual transmission gearbox, like the one lent to us by the Gateway Group. (There is also a six-speed automatic transmission variant.)
The Soul didn’t disappoint performance-wise as its light steering and agile handling made driving really fun, something that would really please the millennials.
After getting first-hand experience of all of its qualities, I think it’s safe to say that this urban crossover is one of the most fun vehicles we reviewed so far. Because it not only looks interestingly good but also drives really well.
The dashboard of the Soul is simple yet very functional.
CDN PHOTO/BRIAN J. OCHOA)