2010 Kia Soul Preview

PREVIEW—You can point toward the high cost of gas, raising concerns about the environment, or just what goes around, comes around, but small is big. Small doesn’t have to mean an austere, plain, prole-mobile, though. With vehicles like the MINI, Scion Xb and Honda Fit, small is hip and fun.


And while Hyundai has been getting a lion’s share of attention with its new vehicles lately, especially the jaw-dropping Lexus-baiting Genesis V8 sedan, the Korean automaker’s cousin Kia has been making its own inroads with well-designed, high-value vehicles of its own, like the all-new 2009 Kia Borrego, available with Kia’s first V8. To take the brand even further up the automotive ladder, Kia is adding a real “personality” vehicle to define its youthful, carefree—dare we say it—Soul.

Soul Story

Enter the 2010 Kia Soul. Based on the subcompact Rio sedan’s running gear, and about the same overall length, this cheeky, squared-off, little 5-passenger, 4-door crossover slots in below the Kia Sportage SUV. And although it’s aimed at the Gen Y buyer (like the MINI Cooper and Scion Xb), its design, utility and value are sure to attract buyers across the board.


The Soul first bowed at the Detroit auto show in 2006. Like many concept cars, it was loaded with a variety of goods never meant for production, including a panoramic sunroof, rear-hinged rear doors, (a la Honda Element) and huge, 20-inch wheels. Inside, a laptop-based multimedia center in the glovebox, dual rear video monitors that flipped out of the center console airplane style, a premium audio system with USB ports and an innovative backpack compartment in the rear tailgate combined for youthful fun.


Which isn’t to say that those looking at the production model will be disappointed. We’ll know soon enough, as the Soul is planned to debut at the Los Angeles International Auto Show in late November 2008. Right now, though, our guess is it will be one of the most desired vehicles of the coming year.

The Kia Soul offers two engines: a fuel-thrifty 122-hp, 1.6-liter inline four-cyliner mated to a five-speed manual transmission with overdrive, and a punchier 142-hp 2.0-liter inline four, with your choice of the five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic. Like the MINI and Scion, the Soul will be exclusively front-wheel drive, making it more of an urban fun-mobile than a regular off-roader.

Although it won’t have the pillarless swing-out doors like the Honda Element, it’s sure to have plenty of interior space with easy-to-fold rear seats for carrying just about anything. Equipment-wise, the 2010 Soul probably won’t stray too far from the Kia fold, so we expect two trim levels—LX and EX—with all models featuring comprehensive safety equipment, including six standard airbags, ABS and traction control, with upscale models getting the goods like power windows, locks, premium audio, and a nice fat set of alloy wheels.

Another way the Soul keeps with family ties is in the pricing. A Kia Soul Base model is priced at $13,300 with a $695 destination charge. A Soul+ is $15,645 including destination, while the topline Kia Soul Sport is $17,645 with destination charge included, making the little Kia Soul one of the most affordable of the small crossover vehicles in the market. And with Kia’s 10-year/ 100,000-mile powertrain warranty, it’s probably going to be one of the smartest buys as well. And that kind of value never goes out of fashion. (www.kia.com)