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By EWAN
KENNEDY
6 April 2009
And
now for something completely different. Kia's Soul isn't aimed so
much at those looking for transport, but at people wanting to set
trends and to be seen as making their own distinctive way in life.
Launched to lifestyle and motoring journalists alike at a
spectacular event in Sydney, the new Soul apparently caused the
skies to open. On any other car launch the rain would have
dampened proceedings, yet somehow it created a mystical backdrop
when the late evening precipitation appeared at the presentation.
Kia's Soul brings customising to the masses. The new MINI has
offered buyers a staggering choice of options since it arrived in
Australia in 2002. Sadly it is out of reach of those with less
than around $40,000 to spend on a moderately specced model. MINI
is also beyond the reach of most people who would like to ride in
the back seat – because it's very tight back there.
Cleverly, Kia's Soul provides answers to both problems. It has a
starting price of just $20,990, and it is surprisingly large on
the inside. Buyers of large family cars will find there’s room
for teenagers in the back seat. So the trendy families who want a
compact people mover with oodles of visual oomph will love it.
If your kids turn up at the old schoolyard in the back of a Soul
with bright paint, way-out racing stripes and special alloy wheels
they will instantly create jealousy in their soul mates’ hearts.
The options list for the Kia Soul is staggering. Naturally there's
a choice of colours (11 of them, mostly very bright), and alloy
wheels in several sizes, but you can also add a body kit and/or
various decals.
How about the ability to dress up the interior with a two-tone
dashboard and seats, gear knobs in various hues, speakers that
pulse with the music? Music that comes from several choices of CD
audio systems, or via your iPod, or through an auxiliary
connection.
If that sounds impressive on paper why not book a date with a Kia
sales guy at your nearest dealership? This multitude of items has
to be seen and felt in the real world to get an idea about of how
they can enhance your lifestyle.
But let's get down to the nitty gritty, because beneath the
spectacular way-out body you might be surprised to find there's a
rather sensible motor car. It's powered by either a 1.6-litre
petrol powerplant with 91 kW of power, and 156 Nm of torque at
4200 rpm, or a turbo-diesel, also displacing 1.6 litres and
producing 94 kW, and 260 Nm between 1900 and 2750 revs.
These engines may sound rather small for a car of this size, but
Kia is European oriented and the Europeans are also downsizing
their engines for lower fuel consumption and reduced emissions.
Both engines can be selected with a five-speed manual or
four-speed automatic transmission. Not all engine/transmission
combinations are offered in all variants.
We tried both powerplants on a drive program organised by Kia in
the Blue Mountains region to the west of Sydney. They performed
well, though they demanded good use of the gearboxes to keep them
flowing along properly – again in the European manner.
In the car with the 18-inch alloy wheels, we found the ride to be
rather too firm for our tastes, Kia Australia having opted for the
European rather than American suspension setup. The 16-inch
wheeled version was much more comfortable. We weren’t keen on
the feel through the new electrically-assisted power steering at
first, but were, possibly, becoming used to its characteristics
after a couple of hours at the wheel. We will do a full road test
in our home area in a few weeks’ time and will get back to you
on that matter then, and of course on many other facets of the
car.
Kia has introduced something very special to the Australian car
market with the new Soul. Not only is it visually stunning, it's
also a practical car at a modest price. What more could you ask?
The complete Kia Soul model range, with prices (excluding on-road
costs) is:
Soul 1.6-litre petrol: $20,990 (manual), $22,990 (automatic)
Soul2 1.6-litre petrol: $23,190 (manual), $25,190 (automatic)
Soul2 1.6-litre turbo-diesel: $26,690 (manual), $28,690
(automatic)
Soul3 1.6-litre petrol: $27,390 (automatic)
Soul3 1.6-litre turbo-diesel: $30,890 (automatic)
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Marque Publishing Company
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