Some cars sell on their comfort, other sell on their performance and the Kia Soul sells on its overwhelming spirit of funk. This Kia Soul isn't just another small "box car;" it's the small car for the George Clinton-approved, Parliament-Funkadelic lifestyle.
The Kia Soul's basic design isn't much more than two boxes and four wheels. But clever detailing like the character gash along its side, oversize fender blisters and two-tier headlights give it an astonishing amount of presence. Throw in paint that comes in psychedelic hues like "Alien," "Molten" and "Dune" and the Kia Soul becomes almost irresistible.
The Kia Soul's interior almost matches the exterior for eccentric and exciting detailing. But none of this comes at the expense of the Kia Soul's utility and accommodations.
Under the Kia Soul's funk beats an ordinary heart. The Soul is actually built on the modified structure of the Rio small car. That means there's a simple unibody structure aboard, and the suspension consists of the expected struts up front and a torsion beam in the back. Upon the Kia Soul's launch, it was available with either 1.6- or 2.0-liter four-cylinder engines driving the front wheels through five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transaxles. And while the Kia Soul isn't large, even the "big" engine's 142 horsepower is just enough for merely adequate acceleration.
So the Kia Soul won't win any races. Big deal. USB and auxiliary audio jacks are standard across the range, and the whole car feels as if it were designed around the iPod. This isn't necessarily the sort of machine that makes you want to drive. It makes you want to park, grab all your party equipment out of the back, turn up the tunes and get stupidly, hilariously funky. There aren't many cars out there that do that, and the Kia Soul is among the best of the breed.
That in mind, the Kia Soul's ride is well controlled and there's nothing about the handling that could be considered untoward or goofy. And it gets pretty good fuel mileage, too. The Kia Soul is funk without compromise.
