Kia Soul 1.6 Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Kia Soul 1.6
Prices: £11,500-£13,625 - on the road
Insurance Group: 5
Emissions: 153g/km
Performance: 0-60mph 11s / Max Speed 110mph
Fuel Consumption: (urban) 35.8mpg, (extra urban) 49.6mpg, (combined) 43.5mpg
Safety: ABS, ESP, front, side and curtain airbags. WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE ?: Length/Width/Height 4105/1785/1610mm

KIA PLAYS IT COOL

Our Rating: 6.7 / 10

Does Kia’s extrovert Soul make sense with a 1.6-litre petrol engine? Steve Walker takes a look.

Trying to second guess the ‘youth of today’ is a dangerous occupation of which many perfectly competent automotive manufacturers have fallen foul down the years. Produce a vehicle that’s viewed as trendy and the potential rewards are massive but chasing the approval of the youth market and failing to win their approval can lead to disaster. The car risks being shunned by the very people it was designed for. Kia decided to walk this tightrope for the first time with its Soul, so can the 1.6-litre entry-level model avoid toppling off?

Previous cars from Kia had played it safe, sticking firmly to the middle of the road. By comparison, the Soul appears to be chasing the urban trendies across the grass verg,e sporting the latest hairstyle, blaring iPod and impossibly tight trousers. But is it really? The thing with new cars aimed at ‘young people’ is that most who really are in that group don’t have the cash to buy new cars. If they do, they’ve got better things to spend it on like MP3 downloads, binge drinking and retro trainers. So when a car manufacturer says it’s targeting young people with a model, it usually means that it’s targeting middle-aged people who want to drive a vehicle that they think young people will think is cool. It’s complicated but Kia is sure it’s got its head around the problem with its extrovert Soul.

The 1.6-litre engine is fitted to the most affordable Soul models. It has 124bhp which is a decent amount of power to have in a vehicle that’s barely any larger than a supermini. The performance is respectable, the Soul 1.6 reaching 60mph from a standing start in 11s and able to attain a 110mph top speeds where conditions allow. All in all, it’s a competent unit that’s strong enough at low speeds and through the gears but a little raucous during motorway cruising where the relatively short gearing forces it to rev high.

The competent engine is let down to an extent by the Soul’s road manners. Kia has attempted to create a sporty flavour that would add to the car’s appeal amongst the younger fashion conscious buyers it says it’s targeting. In reality, the ride is going to be on the firm side for some tastes and it’s made worse if the larger alloy wheel options are specified. All would be forgiven if the Soul handled with some relish but its high-sided body leans more than we’d like when cornered with vigour and the steering doesn’t have the weight and feel that would inspire confidence. On the plus side, the light helm is ideal for city driving, as is the light gearchange and the wide field of forward vision. The thick C-Pillars make seeing out of the back more problematic.

Kia has had some success with the Soul’s styling. It looks interesting and has a certain aggression about it thanks to the 4x4-esque flared wheelarches and imposing front end treatment. The rear is also distinctive, with the square boot opening indented from the plane of the lights and the bumper. It looks almost as though it should disappear into the roof like a roller shutter with a pull on the handle. The ‘floating roof’, courtesy of the blacked-out A and B pillars, is another signature design cue but one that was already widely used by Skoda and Suzuki, so no points for originality there. The interior reveals nothing that might damage Kia’s newfound reputation for solid materials and quality construction. In the basic forms, it’s not particularly flashy but attempts have been made to liven up the look of the fascia and higher spec models bring a more upmarket feel.

The Soul is only a fraction longer than a Ford Fiesta supermini but its boxy dimensions help it trump any supermini you’d care to mention for interior space. The boot has a huge opening, a usefully low loading lip and compartments beneath the floor, while space in the back seats is also plentiful. What the car lacks is the adaptable seating set-