This Kia’s got Soul

KIA’S new Soul certainly has a lot of soul and if you can live with the somewhat square look of the car, I don’t think it will let you down.

The first day I picked up the Soul I was approached by two elderly ladies in the supermarket car park, wanting to know how much the car cost. They were really impressed with the look of the car and said they had never seen anything like it before.

I drove the second edition of Kia’s Soul straight after the Qashqai. Both are second edition compact SUVs, similar in size and price, but not really similar in looks and aesthetics.

While the Qashqai has a chunky look to it, the Soul has a

‘boxy’ look, but I suppose looks-wise the Soul has probably more in common with the Skoda Yeti. The new version of the Soul looks very much like the first one, but Kia say that none of the exterior body panels have been retained and the interior is a new design. The new version is built on the same platform as the popular Kia cee’d.

Looking at it from a distance, the Soul gives an impression of somebody standing upright and proud. The back of the car reminded me of an old Renault 4L, as it also was tall and straight at the back. I drove a grey coloured model and coupled with a black trim around the base of the car, it made for a very attractive look overall.

From the front the headlamps really stand out and they are complimented with a neat grille. Inside, black is the dominant colour, but there is a touch of gold stitching on all of the seats, front and back, which gives the interior decor a lift.

The Soul has an old-fashioned type handbrake which everybody will appreciate and while boot space could, I feel, have been better managed, you do get a mini spare wheel. As I said it’s a big chunky vehicle and I liked the way the side mirrors folded in when I applied the central locking.

The week I had the car coincided with the best weather of the year so far and my family were all impressed with the excellent air conditioning in the car. The Soul handled very well and we all loved the high driving positions. I don’t normally pay much attention to the tyres unless I get a puncture, but Nexen caught my eye and, yes, the tyres are, like the car, Korean.

Only two models will be available initially in Ireland, the entry level EX version which will cost you

?¬24,495, which is more expensive that the first version. The higher speced Platinum version will cost you

?¬28,495. Both are powered by a 1.6 diesel engine.

One of Kia’s strong selling points is their seven-year guarantee. Kia is also a World Cup sponsor this year and if you buy one now you could rely on the car to get you through two more finals, the 2018 finals in Russia and the 2022 tournament, which is due to be held in Qatar.