2010 Kia Soul First Impressions

Kia's introduction of the Soul signals a significant change in the way Kia intends to do business. The Soul is an in-house effort with its own platform and an edgy design that really catches your eye. The other thing that is going to catch a lot of eyes in our current economy is the base price of $15,495 with a 1.6-litre four and a five-speed manual gearbox. At the top end, the price goes to $22,195 if you get the Soul "Burner" with a four-speed automatic and the DOHC 2.0-litre four.

Kia's introduction of the Soul signals a significant change in the way Kia intends to do business.

In between the base model and the specialty Burner model are three others, the Soul 2u, Soul 4u and Soul 4u Retro, all of which use the 2.0-litre four and either a manual five-speed or an optional four-speed automatic. On the base Soul with the 1.6-litre, the only transmission available is the five-speed manual gearbox.

Interior Trim
Inside, the Soul has four different interior styles of trim that are model-dependant. The Burner has the most outrageous interior with bright red and black as the dominant colors. The Burner is also the only model to have a rear spoiler as a stock item. In the Retro, a hound's tooth pattern for the upholstery is the order of the day and on the 2u, you can get seat inserts that have "Soul" woven into the fabric, and the Soul will fluoresce in the dark.

Instrumentation
After you get by the interior choices, the Soul uses a large and easily read speedometer as the dominant gauge in the instrument cluster. The tach takes on a slightly smaller and less dominant role, but is still easy to see. Engine temp and fuel level round out the analogue-style gauges. Items such as the stereo and HVAC controls are in the centre stack along with inputs for USB and iPod. Even if your iPod has a USB fitting, you may still need the special adaptor cable to have full functionality when hooking into the stereo.

Seating Comfort
Actually getting into the Soul and staying there for a few hours is made easy by large doors that open quite wide. Once inside, the front buckets or the 60/40-split rear bench seat will hold you subtly and comfortably in place. The wide, seemingly flat expanse of the front buckets is deceptive and once you adjust the seat back rake and seat cushion height (all manual adjustments), both driver and passenger will be comfortable on any journey they wish to undertake.

The Soul uses a large and easily read speedometer as the dominant gauge in the instrument cluster.