New Kia Soul proves a pleasant surprise

We don"t often hear a lot about Kia here in Ireland yet worldwide they are huge. Kia Motors Corporation was founded way back in 1944 and is Korea"s oldest motor vehicle producer. Believe it or not they build more than 1.4 million vehicles a year in 14 different manufacturing and assembly operations in eight countries worldwide. Their dealer network covers 165 countries while the company employs over 40, 000 staff and has revenues in excess of a whopping $17 billion!! Their slogan is 'The Power To Surprise' and to be honest their latest offering the new Kia Soul did just that during my weeks road test. Kia Ireland offer a fine range of cars these days with the line up including the New Picanto, Kia Rio, Kia Cee"d, Kia Pro Cee"d, Kia Carens and Kia Carnival, as well as the Sorrento. The new Kia Soul is described by Kia as an 'urban crossover' vehicle. Anyway whatever about the marketing speak it is a funky looking 5 door car that is powered by a 1.6 litre turbo charged eco friendly diesel engine. First Impressions Well I have to hand it to Kia with this one. The Soul is a really great looking vehicle and will appeal to both the young and the older young at heart set. The bold lines, wrap around A-pillars, and chunky profile gives it a real presence on the street yet it measures just 4.1 meters in length. Behind The Wheel Inside one is immediately surprised by the vast amount of space and the Germanic quality to the fit and finish. You can choose some whacky interior colours but my test car was trimmed in black cloth and it all looked very well indeed. The higher than normal (for a hatchback type car) driving position will appeal to many and everything is well laid out with every switch and lever just where you would expect. I was impressed also by the comfort of the seats and the fact that the generous specification includes multiple airbags, ABS, ESP, four electric windows, air conditioning, a multi-functional steering wheel, and a very good stereo which is MP3 compatible and comes with a handy AUX port and connector for your iPod. Front foglights and very nice alloy wheels complete the look on the outside. There is plenty of oddments space and a rather funky touch is that when you open the glove box or centre storage compartment on the dash you are surprised to discover that they are coloured orange... well they do say Kia has 'The Power To Surprise'. Performance The eco friendly low emission 1.6 litre turbo charged diesel engine puts this Soul in the low €150.00 road tax bracket which is great. The engine itself is a lively free revving and very refined unit which provides loads of punch right throughout the rev range. Mated to a five speed manual gearbox it proves a truly perfect arrangement. I really was surprised by how lively it proved to be yet you really cannot tell your driving a diesel it is so quiet. On the economy front it burned just 6.7 litres per 100km. Excellent! Road Behaviour On the road the new Kia Soul once again proves its worth. It rides and handles very well proving sure footed whether on wet or dry surfaces. Power goes to the front wheels though the Soul does look a little like an urban off-roader. The ESP is there to kick-in should things get out of line and the ABS equipped brakes provide reassuring stopping power. The levels of refinement are high with wind road and tyre noise all well suppressed. Verdict The Kia Soul range kicks off at €19,995 with the LX while the model tested the EX costs €21,295, and the top of the range GSE costs just €22,395. There are some really great ways of personalising your new Kia Soul with items such as mood lighting for the door speakers which means they change colour to suit the type of music playing. Club music and they light up bright and dynamic, you get the idea, further options include a rear reversing camera, some whacky colour trim choices and should you choose an auto gearbox. The Kia Soul boasts a great funky style, high spec, good and versatile accommodation and all at a great price. It"s a winner all round really!