2010 Kia Soul Overview
Achieving notoriety for building affordable new cars, the South Korean auto brand Kia has also been chronicled negatively for producing uninspired vehicle designs. Intent to defining its corporate image as an exciting car company, Kia's new vehicles are placed under the direction of a former Audi designer Peter Schreyer. One of the first cars to exhibit their fresh, provocative design is the 2010 Kia Soul.
Defined by Kia as an urban crossover vehicle, the Soul is a four-door positioned against the Scion xB, Honda Fit and the soon to be introduced Nissan Cube as a subcompact focused on luring younger but financially-challenged new car buyers. Arriving early 2009 at a stunningly low price of $13,300 for the base 2010 Kia Soul, trim level options include the Soul (Soul plus), Soul! (Soul exclaim), and is capped by the Soul sport which can be loaded with options for less than $18,000.
Kia Soul Exterior
Measuring just 161.6 inches in overall length, the 2010 Kia Soul has a limited framework to make a first impression. By mimicking the proportions of sport utility vehicle (SUV) through square roofline and some flaring of the fenders, two-box shape for the Kia Soul obtains a capable appearance. One of 8 exterior colors defined with names like Alien and Java can be splashed the sheetmetal. Just 1.3 inches shorter than a Scion xB, the Soul's 63.4 inch height does allow Kia's urban crossover towering over much of the competition as well as the majority of larger cars. Making use of oversized rear roof pillars, the Soul's taillight housings stretch higher than normal for better communications with following vehicles.
Between trim level choices, one of the more profound differences between the Soul's exterior can be found within P-rated tires. If unsatisfied with simple 15 inch steel wheels of the base Kia Soul, an upgrade to the Soul adds a dressier set of 16 inch five-spoke alloy wheels. On the Soul! and Soul sport editions, the alloy wheels grow to an astonishing 18 inches for a wheelbase exceeding just 100 inches. In addition to the Soul sport, a liftgate spoiler and some unique bodywork provides the sport compact look directly from the factory.
Kia Soul Interior
Recently awarded a place on Ward's Autoworld list of 'Interior of the Year', the Kia Soul's cabin is a perhaps one of the most thoughtful layouts within the subcompact category. With a simple gauge cluster placed behind a distinctive Kia steering wheel with tilt positioning, comfort controls are well-centered and angled for more ergonomically-friendly reach. Amounting to 102.3 cubic feet in volume, driver and passengers rides within surprisingly spacious accommodations. The look inside of the Kia Soul ranges from a basic black interior on the starter's model before entering into multi-tone trim collections. On the Soul , black bucket seating are highlighted with patterned Soul logo inserts which glow in darkness.
Living up to Kia's reputation for value, standard equipment inside the Soul includes air conditioning, power windows, and AM/FM stereo with CD player are included in all models. Added indolences such as cruise control, remote keyless entry, and Bluetooth hands-free connectivity are shockingly welcomed to the standard feature list on the Soul and up.
Kia Soul Powertrain and Handling
Aspiring to redefine the auto company's style, Kia is also proving with the 2010 Soul that their commitment to improvement is uniformed to the drivetrain. The Kia Soul's 1.6 liter and 2 liter four-cylinder all-aluminum engines both employ advanced double overhead cam, four-valves per cylinder layout backed up with Continuously Variable Valve Timing. On base model Soul, the only available drivetrain involves the 1.6 liter engine feeding 122 horsepower to a five-speed manual transaxle spinning with two overdrive gears. The Kia Soul , Soul!, and Soul sport are lent the 2 liter powerplant featuring 20 additional horsepower. For the larger Soul engine, a four-speed automatic gearbox is a no change option. As reflected with peak engine power kicks in during high revving, the Kia Soul drivetrain is configured for optimal fuel economy production. Average gas mileage for the Kia Soul debuts near the top of the subcompact class with between 27 to 28.5 miles per gallon.
Behind the varying types of wheels, the Soul provides some extremely serious stopping force through stop and go city driving. Four-wheel disc brakes combine with standard electronic stability control and an anti-lock braking system.