Test Drive: 2010 Kia Soul

The Kia Soul Lives Up To Its Name

Many people view commercials as nuisances while watching their favorite television show or a drama-filled, exciting sporting event like the Super Bowl, The Masters or Daytona 500.  You can count me among those viewers but professionally, I accept commercials as a necessary evil because the revenue they generate is the life's blood for most broadcast media companies.

That said, there are many commercials that I find more entertaining than the programs they support.  Several Geico Insurance spots come to mind.  Don't you just love that gecko?  And how about the Kia hamsters?

The first time I saw that commercial I said to myself, "if the car is truly as cool as that spot, Kia has a winner."  Guess what?  The Soul is a winner!

The Soul is the first of the hip, boxy, pseudo crossovers that I have driven.  Based on my week with the vehicle, the bar is now set pretty high for the competition, which includes the Scion xB and Nissan Cube.  The words comfortable, cute and cool fit the Soul like a glove making the vehicle attractive to both youthful consumers and those with a bit more seasoning who still like fun cars.  I consider myself to be a member of both categories.  (Shhh!  Pay no attention to the birthdate listed on my driver's license.)

The boxy appearance of the Soul instantly makes you think crossover or SUV and because the vehicle is small for those classifications, you might think it offers little in terms of functionality.  Think again.  The Soul is far roomier on the inside than you might expect.  Seating is quite comfortable leaving driver and passengers feeling anything but cramped.  

Open the rear hatch, and you will find ample cargo space for a vehicle of this size.  You can easily fit a couple of small suitcases back there, without having to put the rear seats down.  With the seats down, the cargo space expands nicely for your trip to the farmers' market or the home improvement store.  Don't get me wrong.  You won't be able to get six-foot wood panels in the Soul, but you will certainly be able to haul the big box containing the new lawn mower or outdoor grill you just bought.

Features

On the features tip, I think it would be hard to find a better deal than the Kia Soul.  The car is rich with features that you would not expect in this class.  Among the standard features, you find anti-lock brakes, power windows, door locks and outside mirrors, keyless entry and leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob.

I was quite surprised to find, included among the standard items, Bluetooth connectivity for my cell phone, not to mention an iPod connection allowing the Soul's stereo system to easily access my personal music library.  Sirius satellite radio is also included, as a standard item.  I rather enjoyed driving at night while tuned to one of the bass-thumping Hip-Hop channels which made the speaker lights "dance" to the beat.  So cool.

Amazingly, the only option on my test model was a power sunroof.  Wow!

Powerplant

Under the hood, the Soul is equipped with a spunky engine that I first thought might be a small V-6.  Of course, it was a four-cylinder powerplant which, in my test model, was mated to a five-speed, manual transmission.  The combination provided impressive power that only added to the driving enjoyment.  Acceleration is brisk and once at cruising speeds, you have adequate power to keep yourself rolling past slower moving traffic on the interstate.

Fuel efficiency was not bad for a boxy, non-aerodynamic vehicle.  The Soul has an EPA rating of 24 MPG/City and 30 MPG/Highway.  During my week in the Soul, I achieved only 21.8 miles per gallon, driving 192 city miles and consuming less than nine gallons of regular gasoline.

Summary

I loved this vehicle!  It has personality, practicality and-- well-- soul, all at an affordable price.  Why be the ordinary hamster always running in place when you can roll out and explore the world in something comfortable, cute and cool like the Kia Soul?  Pricing starts at $16,950.  As tested, the Kia Soul Sport was $18,345, including destination charge.