Lively and trendy yet practical

A compact city hatchback with a distinctively angular style and slightly raised ride and cabin height, the Kia Soul’s design-led and SUV-flavoured formula have made it the Korean brand’s most instantly recognisable product. A trend-setting and design-led vehicle urban hatchback for practicality, maneuverability and economy, the Soul’s SUV-like design also afford it increased ground clearance and cabin space. Just launched, the second generation Soul doesn’t deviate from the original formula, but is a freshened-up, more stylized and sporty looking successor model, with tightened design lines and dynamics, as well as space, efficiency, equipment and cabin improvements, ready for a host of new competitors.

Funky trendsetter

A competitor to the likes of the Suzuki SX4 and Ford EcoSport, the Soul was soon joined by similarly design-led urban hatch/SUV crossovers like the Mini Countryman, Nissan Juke, Renault Captur and Peugeot 2008. Taking its design leads from the 2012 Kia Track’ster concept, the 2014 Soul cuts a sportier and more purposeful stance, with its bumpers, wheel arches and big footprint putting a greater emphasis on a sense of road-hugging presence and perception of width. Still upright and angular, the new Soul’s design lines seem tighter, and more harmonised, deliberate and reconciled.  Though slightly larger, the new Soul looks more concise and better packaged than before.

Smarter, sportier and more refined, the new Soul’s fascia is more upright and with a wider gaping trapezoidal honeycomb intake, flanked by better incorporated fog lights and topped by vent slats and thin blacked-out “tiger” grille — now decorative rather than functional. Gone are the cut-off headlight bottoms, replaced by smarter units with LED elements. More futuristic from the rear, the new Soul’s vertical lights are incorporated into the more muscular rear fascia, with blacked out surrounds and “floating” body colour panel in between. Youthful and trendy, extensive personalisation options and trims are offered, including four two-tone colour combinations and sporty Red Zone and SUV-like Urban Active packages. 

Refined ride

Powered by the larger more powerful two-litre version of the two petrol engine options, the Kia Soul develops 152BHP at 6,200rpm and 141lb/ft toque at 4,700rpm, which with the six-speed manual gearbox option — as driven — makes it good for 10.4-second 0-100km/h acceleration and a 188km/h top speed, and 7.6l/100km fuel efficiency and 178g/km carbon dioxide emissions on the combined cycle. In terms of on paper headline stats, the Soul 2.0 isn’t far off the 1.6 version for performance and economy, but the difference is, however, more significant on the road, where the larger engine is more willing, flexible and gutsy at real-world mid-range engine speeds.

Smooth and progressive, the Soul 2.0’s engine delivers a timely and confident performance, while the satisfyingly firm six-speed manual shifter slides between ratios easily, when one wants to work the engine hard to eke out its best performance when driving hard through snaking roads or overtaking on the highway. With excellent noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) isolation, the Soul’s drive train is refined and unintrusive, while its light clutch is especially user-friendly on-the-move. However, with such good NVH blocking out drive-train noise nuances, one needed a while to get familiar with the Soul 2.0 manual gearbox version’s biting point, whereas the 1.6 manual had a an instantly intuitive biting point.

Agile and responsive

Keener and more refined than its predecessor, the new Soul increased use of high strength steel construction, yields a 29 per cent increase in torsional rigidity, and along with revised suspension rates and bushes, translates into ride, handling and refinement improvements — and thinner pillars for better visibility. Smooth and firm on straights and well-controlled through corners, the Soul however feels forgiving over imperfections, dirt roads and bumps, and stable on highways. The fuel-saving electric steering has also been sharpened up, with eager on-centre responsiveness and a meaty directness through corners. Revised suspension rates have also improved the Soul’s handling. FlexSteer provides three steering resistance levels but doesn’t seem to alter “feel” in sport mode.

With quick 2.85-turn rack rate and tight on-centre responsiveness, the Soul’s efficient electric steering feels sharp and precise on turn-in and through fast, sprawling and snaking B-roads, and maneuverable on the busy streets of Santiago, Chile. Hustled along narrow lanes with sudden crests, dips and tight corners, the Soul felt agile and maneuverable, with crisp turn-in and eager cornering, while high grip levels felt reassuring to sudden corrections. Almost as agile and eager as a hot hatch rather than quasi crossover hatch-SUV, the Soul’s tight body control and poise were commendably good. Confident and reassuring, one only slightly took note of the increased ride and body height on badly off-camber corners on brisk B-roads and long imperfectly paved high speed sweepers.

Comfort, kit and cabin

With a noticeably m ore premium look and feel to its cabin, the new Soul’s interior door panels, console, dashboard, steering wheel and instrument cluster has been re-designed to be more organic, fluid and user-friendly. Classier than ever inside, the Soul features deep-set gauges, a chunky contoured leather steering wheel, stylishly glossy piano black panels and more use of soft textures for a more up-market feel. Optional heated leather seats feature more supportive bolstering, eight-way electric adjustability. With lower set seats and step-in height, cabin accessibility is improved, and accentuates the new Soul’s generous front and rear headroom, which along with leg and shoulder has been enhanced.

With its tall, upright and space efficient cabin the Kia Sould was even surprisingly well-accommodating for large and tall occupants in the rear, while its usefully and uniformly configured cargo volume expands from a minimum 354- to a maximum 1,367-litres, and features an under-floor storage compartment. Comfortable and practical, the Kia Soul comes with an extensive range of standard and optional kit that includes a panoramic sunroof, lumbar support, heated side mirrors, smart key, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, six-speaker stereo, climate control and front and rear parking sensors. Safety kit also includes front, side and curtain airbags, stability and traction control, ABS and braking assistance.

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 2-litre, transverse 4-cylinders

Bore x stroke: 81 x 97mm

Valve-train: 16-valve, DOHC, continuously variable valve timing

Gearbox: 6-speed manual, front-wheel-drive

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 152 (154) [113] @ 6,200rpm

Specific power: 76BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 121.7BHP/ton

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 141 (191) @ 4,700rpm

Specific torque: 95.5Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight: 153Nm/tonne

0-100km/h: 10.4-seconds

Top speed: 188km/h

Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6l/100km

CO2 Emissions, combined: 178g/km

Length: 4,140mm

Width: 1,800mm

Height: 1,613mm

Wheelbase: 2,570mm

Track, F/R: 1,576 / 1,588mm

Overhang, F/R: 840 / 730mm

Ground clearance: 163mm

Headroom, F/R: 1,006 / 1,003mm

Legroom, F/R: 1,040 / 994mm

Shoulder-room, F/R: 1,410 / 1,390mm

Luggage volume, min / max: 354 / 1367 litres

Fuel capacity: 54-litres

Kerb weight: 1,249kg

Steering: Electric-assisted rack & pinion

Lock-to-lock: 2.85-turns

Turning Circle: 10.6-metres

Suspension, F: MacPherson struts, coil springs gas-charged dampers, stabiliser bar

Suspension, R: Torsion beam, coil springs, gas-charged dampers

Brakes, F/R: 280 x 23mm ventilated discs / 262 x 10mm discs

Stopping distance, 100-0km/h: 42.8-metres

Tyres: 235/45R18