Soul mate from Kia

Kia can"t hide the new Soul - it"s modern, smart and tall. With those kind of features, it"s sure to get noticed and I felt glared at several times as I drove the new Soul in a subtle black with smoked tinted rear windows. This new Kia model is based on a recent concept car styling and the manufacturer has managed to deliver a compact package with diesel power and a modern urban look. It does have a new competitor in the shape of the Toyota Urban Cruiser, which I have yet to drive. Kia claims this new model is making significant inroads across Europe. Sales of the Soul are 13 per cent higher than expected and have topped the 5,000 mark in Europe since its early spring launch. The Irish market has been more sluggish, which is a pity for cars like the Soul, which has a lot to offer and should be leading the sales recovery. The Soul gives the impression of being a 4x4 when it"s not. The car has a higher seating position, which is somewhat upright but it"s comfortable. The design gives the impression that it is a high 4x4-type car. Park it in a supermarket car park and you"ll spot the height difference. But while it"s not a 4x4, it does give the benefits of a high seating position and impressive interior headroom height. This gives a very spacious and airy interior feel that I liked. Kia is offering just one engine option for the Irish market. The Soul is offered with a 1.6 litre turbo-diesel engine which delivers 126bhp. That"s marginally more powerful than the 1.6 litre equivalent. The diesel version also delivers more pace due to its 260Nm of torque. This allows it to achieve a bigger car acceleration performance at 11.3 seconds in a 0 to 100km/h race. More importantly, it"s also much more fuel efficient at 5.2 litres/100km (55.4mpg) on the combined driving cycle. That impressive economy figure converts into a low CO2 rating of just 137g/km. This puts the Soul into Band B for road tax purposes, with an annual road tax cost of just €156. That"s well affordable for the likes of the Soul. The overall shape of the car is compact, even it stretches to four metres in length. It is relatively light, and weighing in at just over 1,245kgs allows for a modest towing power of 1,300kg with a braked trailer. That is a reasonable towing performance from a front-wheel-drive car. It"s similar to what you would expect from a Ford Focus or a 4x2 Nissan Qashqai so, in that sense, the Soul equips itself well. I found the Soul comfortable, even in poorer roads. The car seems well able to handle the corners, never under-steering enough to doubt its control on the corners. The high driving position gave very good road vision, enhanced by the large windscreen. This is a car that felt secure on the road despite the relative height. The Soul comes with a six airbag system, ABS brakes with an electronic stability programme as standard, which is a very useful feature of higher centre of gravity cars for safe driving on road conditions such as we have in this country. A unique feature for Kia is the five-year unlimited mileage warranty. On the inside, air conditioning is included for all models as well as central locking and electric windows. The radio is easy to use and set up and comes with an auxiliary iPod facility to play and control music choices using the car"s steering wheel radio control system. The only missing item was a Bluetooth connection. The boot area is not as big as some of the hatchback cars on the market. It lacks depth though it does come with a neat storage shelf system. Rear passenger space is good, better than cars that are considered bigger than the Soul. With an entry price of €19,995 for the entry LX model, this car is competitive. It offers a real option to the five-door Ford Focus and is much keener in price than the Nissan Qashqai and the new Toyota 1.4 litre diesel-powered Urban Cruiser. What you get in addition to modern looks and good economy is impressive safety. Kia is open for trade-ins and prices are competitive for this thrifty and modern new car.