2010 Kia Soul

A few months back we wrote a preview about this new small, hip vehicle that seemed sure to make a lot of buyers rethink the Kia brand by offering a strong player in a segment that includes notables like the Scion xB and Honda Fit. We looked forward to our official test drive.



We weren’t prepared for “the Hamster” question. Repeatedly.

Styling

Call it good advertising, but between writing the preview of the vehicle and the time we got our swanky black test vehicle, Kia had been running an entertaining TV spot showing the roads filled with hamsters on exercise wheels, until a bright red Soul rolls up. Down rolls the window and we see three very cool hamsters listening to a thumping hip-hop tune on an iPod plugged into the audio system, and looking about as hip as hamsters can look. This message is clear: If you want to be cool, this is the way to roll.


So for the entire week, we heard a lot of, “Is that the hamster car?” or “Look Mom, it’s the hamster car!” But once you got past that, people were genuinely interested in the Soul.


We were also surprised that many of these same folks felt the Soul reminded them more of a MINI than the Scion or Fit. This is a very good thing for Kia, as the MINI seems to appeal to a wide swath of buyers, more than just the traditional small, youth market.


So does the Soul have what it takes to let you hang with the Hammies?

Shadow

The first impression certainly seems to. Our tester was the Soul ! (pronounced Exclaim) model in Shadow (black to us) sitting on handsome 18-inch five-spoke alloy wheels. Kia offers a wide range of fun colors including Molten (red), Alien (metallic green), Java (a rich brown), Dune (beige), as well as Titanium, Silver and White. At the press launch of the vehicle in Los Angeles, they had all the colors on hand and, truth is, the sharp-edged little hatchback looks great in any hue.


The looks and color palette offer fun, and the driving experience doesn’t let it down. The tall upright seating position gives a great view of the road. Powered by a 2.0L, 142 hp 4-cylinder engine, the Soul moves smartly around town, even with the automatic transmission. It’s also a fairly comfortable cruiser on the freeway—a little jouncy—but like the other vehicles in its class, its happier on shorter jaunts than longer trips. In mixed driving, our Soul averaged a thrifty 24 mpg.

Driving Fun

Another surprise was the handling. With those big wheels and tires and a well-controlled suspension, the Soul is great fun in the twistier bits of road. For those wanting even more, the Sport model features a more aggressively tuned sport suspension. The Exclaim model still put a smile on our faces.


Which will match the smiles of your passengers, because the Soul is such a fun place to be.