Kia Soul
WITH CHARACTER
Engine — 1.6, diesel
Peak power —
128 hp/4000 rpm
Max torque — 260 Nm/1900–2750 rpm
Top speed (km/h) — 176
Acceleration 0–100 km/h — 11.9
Fuel consumption:
combined cycle — 5.9
4-speed automatic,
front-wheel drive
Curb weight — 1285 kg
Length — 4105 mm
Width — 1785 mm
Height — 1610 mm
Ground clearance — 180 mm
Max roof load — 75 kg
Tires 205/55R16
Price — $23,592 (188,730 UAH), base — $20,217 (161,730 UAH)
Equipment:
Height-adjustable steering column, leather steering wheel with controls, power steering, ABS, central locking, ESP, CD receiver with MP3, iPod cable, power-folding mirrors, parking sensors, fog lights, air conditioning, diesel particulate filter, heated seats, driver, passenger and side airbags
Service interval:
15,000 km
Service 1 — $221 (1,764 UAH)
Service 2 — $319 (2,551 UAH)
Service 3 — $221 (1,764 UAH)
Service 4 — $319 (2,551 UAH)
Service 5 — $221 (1,764 UAH)
Service 6 — $479 (3,830 UAH)
Service 7 — $221 (1,764 UAH)
Service 8 — $319 (2,551 UAH)
Warranty — 5 years or 150,000 km
Competitors:
Dodge Caliber
Nissan Qashqai (front-wheel drive)
Alfred Mardanov, "Avtoclub-Kazan"
Kia has recently been pleasing with design — first the Cerato, now the Soul. The car evokes mixed feelings from the first seconds. On one hand, it seems to remind you of many cars at once, but at the same time it doesn't resemble any specific one. It turned out to be a sort of lean and tall. The high-fronted front part in the spirit of Ford Fusion looks modern, the glazing line with a flat roof evokes thoughts of an SUV, and the rear strongly resembles the Nissan Note. In the documents, the body is generally listed as a crossover. Perhaps, thanks to small overhangs and a clearance of 180 mm, it might fool someone, but not us. There is no all-wheel drive in the range and none is planned. The petrol engine also doesn't combine with the "automatic" — the automatic gearbox is only available for the diesel, which is more powerful by only 4 horses with the same 1.6-liter volume. The Koreans have been dragging this four-speed automatic across the entire lineup for about ten years without changes, with stubbornness worthy of better use. Except that they slightly recalibrated it for the diesel, whose torque is inherently lower. When I parked at the dealership for a photo shoot, I got out of the car without turning off the engine and was very surprised. Our test car is diesel, but inside it's completely unnoticeable — I only realized it by the sound. Where is the usual vibration and characteristic rattling? It's not there! I got back behind the wheel, revved the engine — the engine is only audible at medium and high revs, and even then it's hard to say it's a diesel. That very bassy rumble is only distinguishable from outside. Conclusion? Excellent sound insulation!
And what a spacious and tall interior! You enter like a horse into a triumphal arch — nothing gets in the way. Wide opening, high. The seats are embroidered with the signature Soul, Soul, Soul, Soul… By the way, there are non-standard body finish options in the options list: sport stripes or airbrushed tattoo-style patterns, plus different interior color schemes. There you go! You can dress the car up glamorously. While I was shooting the interior, I inevitably had to sit in the back — wow, there's almost business-class space here. The secret is in the trunk — it's practically nonexistent! It's so stubby, like a boxer's tail (I mean the dog breed). That is, the rear seats are pushed back at the expense of the trunk — a common solution for hatchbacks (I'll call it that; I can't bring myself to say "crossover" or "minivan"). And yet the car is unusual, it's almost good — until I set off in it. It's just that I don't know whether to mention the somewhat "galosh-like" paint of the inside of the glove box and the small compartment on the dashboard. Marat noted this word — "galosh," and it accurately describes the red paint of these compartments.
Otherwise, the interior is assembled from quality materials with a pleasant texture. For example, the dashboard resembles carbon fiber in texture, but the door trim is a bit hard. The steering wheel seems leather, but feels like plastic. It's even a bit disappointing. This time, together with the dealership manager, we drive along the traditional route to the hippodrome. What a well-weighted steering wheel — the hand rests comfortably, and I really like the pleasant effort. The steering wheel adjusts for height but not for reach. The vertical, almost truck-like, driving position will appeal to those who value good visibility. The placement of buttons and instruments raises no questions. Moreover, the instruments are always illuminated, regardless of whether the parking lights are on or not. While driving to the hippodrome, it was impossible not to notice the interest in the car from other drivers. Yes, such a square little car is still a rarity on our roads. The Soul passed the traditional "slalom" very decently for such a tall car with a high center of gravity. The suspension doesn't allow body roll in corners, and the steering wheel sets the trajectory very precisely.
The automatic let us down. With the standard technique of taking the slalom with throttle lift, it sluggishly pulled the car out of the turn. The lane change, simulating avoidance of a sudden obstacle, I completed at 85 km/h and knocked down one cone, and at 83 km/h I did it cleanly. The mistake can be corrected — probably, the maximum speed for this exercise under these conditions could be brought up to 90 km/h, but there wasn't enough "runway" for acceleration. The site had already sketched the outline of the future picture, and to add color, we set off on a short journey through the city and highway. Well, we knew it — a stiff car! It was developed by Kia's California division, and how did it happen that it's tuned for Europe? Americans love smooth, soft cars, not such fighters as the Soul turned out to be. The four-speed automatic doesn't allow the engine with decent characteristics to fully open up — 128 horses for such a small car is no joke. The revs absolutely won't exceed 3,500 rpm.
Overdrive raises the revs to 4,500 rpm, and the tachometer needle slowly, slowly creeps closer to 5,000, but not higher. And we couldn't measure fuel consumption — there's no onboard computer, only an odometer; with that setup, diesel consumption should be very modest. At the dealership manager's request, we turned onto a dirt road and immediately perked up. Well, everything is just excellent, we didn't even scrape anywhere. Oh, if only this car had all-wheel drive — everything is already there, even a diesel engine in the arsenal. On the way home, we observed the case for which we perform the "lane change" on the site. Across the road lies part of an old sofa, which from afar resembles a coffin lid. Nooo, I'd rather have a car that can go around it without flying into a ditch, and our test subject Soul can do that. Verified by "Avtoclub-Kazan".
Marat Makhmutov, "Kazan School of Higher Driving Skills"
The success of the Kia Ceed on the European market inspired the creators to develop a fundamentally new design model — the Kia Soul. Strictly speaking, it seems new specifically to Europeans, since in Japan cars with a similar two-box layout have been produced for a long time. As an example, we can take the Nissan Cube, Honda Element, and Toyota bB, and the prototype of our current test subject was first shown back in 2006. The word Soul means "soul" in English, and it's this meaning that came to my mind at the very moment the candidate for the next test drive was named. There's also a direction in jazz with the same name. What essence is embedded in the car's name? Did the Koreans put part of their soul into it, or is the car itself so charismatic? That's what we had to find out. I'll start with the exterior.
Against the gray stream of cars, the Kia Soul definitely won't get lost: a square, almost vertical body with a short hood, a high beltline, and solid ground clearance looks very unusual. And if all this is also painted bright orange, then the attention of others is guaranteed. Interestingly, due to the special shape of the window openings, the body seems sloped, although in fact the roof stands strictly parallel to the ground — this is an optical trick to give the car a more dynamic silhouette. Given the short overhangs and increased ground clearance, the question arises: is it a hatchback or a crossover? Rather, still the first, especially since all-wheel drive is not expected even in the future. So, the main competitor is the Ford Fusion, which has long been occupying this niche.
The interior, with a body length of 4105 mm, surprises with space and light; the car is assembled neatly. The top of the panel is made of soft plastic, the bottom is hard, and the instruments are perfectly readable. The base already includes air conditioning and a stereo with steering wheel controls. Useful options include ESP, alloy wheels, and rear parking sensors. To add freshness to the interior, the seat upholstery is decorated with the model name logo. There are also funny details: the inside of the glove box and the niche under the stereo are painted red. The trunk, frankly, is small — just over 200 liters up to the shelf, but under it there is a hidden organizer, convenient for storing valuables. During the test, I put my briefcase there, and it stayed put even during sharp maneuvers. In total, the car has 14 different niches and compartments for small items! Sitting in the front is comfortable for people of any height, but tall passengers in the back will be cramped — knees will press against the hard plastic of the front seat backs. However, a person of average height will sit behind themselves without problems.
The exterior and interior left a pleasant impression, so let's move on to the main thing — how the car drives. Under the hood of the test car is a 1.6 diesel with 128 hp, paired with a 4-speed automatic. For the city, such a set, in my opinion, is ideal. At first, it's a bit disappointing that there are only four gears, but then you realize: the diesel's torque is more than enough for the gearbox, and acceleration is confident and lively. Inside, the engine noise is almost inaudible; the diesel nature reveals itself only by a characteristic clatter outside, and only when the car is stationary. But such an automatic transmission is time-tested reliability and a plus for affordability. On the high-speed slalom, the Soul pleased with a precise steering wheel with electric power assist, but the Nexx tires 205/55 R16 from some, apparently, Korean manufacturer started squealing early, reminding that this is not a sports car but a practical city dweller. Still, all testers passed the slalom at 80–85 km/h, which is very good. ESP also helped, which is activated by a separate button at the bottom left of the panel — it braked the spinning wheel in time. But on regular roads, an unpleasant feature emerged: the suspension turned out to be stiff and shook us all considerably on bumps.
However, this is an inevitable price for good handling: otherwise, with a high center of gravity, stability cannot be ensured. Maybe it's also because the car was brand new — before the test, the odometer showed only 270 km, and the suspension had not yet had time to "soften." Outside the city, at speeds above 80 km/h, the main sound became wind noise around the mirrors and front pillars, and it grew louder with increasing speed. Here, the age of the automatic transmission design also showed: overtaking a truck on the fly is not possible. The "O/D off" button on the selector saved the day, which disengaged fourth gear and allowed revving the engine up to 4.5 thousand rpm. True, fuel consumption noticeably increased. We also couldn't resist testing on a broken dirt road — the increased ground clearance tempted us, and the road was dry. Photos from the test won't convey all the impressions, but I'll say honestly: for a city car, the off-road capability is simply excellent. The Soul even got out of diagonal wheel hanging on its own, though not on the first try, and previously we had only subjected serious all-wheel-drive SUVs to such a test. The dry broken rut was easy for it, without hard impacts.
By the end of the trip, the suspension suddenly stopped bothering us. Either the car "understood" that passengers need to be taken care of, or we just got used to the shaking, but on the way back, the impacts no longer annoyed us.
Summing up, I recall a hit from my youth — "You my heart, you my soul" by Modern Talking. In those days, such a car would have been just right for me. The Kia Soul is a distinctive and charismatic car, but at the same time practical and solid. It was created for young people, for whom it could be their first car in life. And to the one who chooses it, the Soul is ready to give everything that was put into it. And in the name, in my opinion, the main role is played by the direct translation — "soul," not the musical style: jazz is still a hobby for older people.
