Motors North

Kia Soul 2 1.6 CRDi

IT takes some chutzpah to launch a fun new car as the world grinds into recession – but Kia is no ordinary company.

The South Koreans are forging ahead with affordable new cars like the Soul MPV I sampled last week – unashamedly trendy and a breath of gleeful fresh air at a time of economic gloom.

The car took just 30 months to gel from drawing board to production and the spirit of the original concept has remained true to the prototype I briefly caught sight of on a visit to their headquarters 18 months ago.

It’s a fun design that delivers on many levels: it’s good to drive, roomy, economical to buy and run, and comes with an unlimited five-year warranty.

Kia is proving itself as a builder of great cost-effective cars, but I’m not sure how much sense the 1.6 litre turbodiesel test car version makes in this nine-model range.

It’s not that it performs badly, far from it. It pulls strongly, is smooth with a gruff grunt under acceleration and delivers well on its 126bhp. It’s also frugal with an overall 54mpg and fairly clean at 137g/km.

But in modest Soul 2 trim level I had on test it costs £1000 more than the sweet little 124bhp 1.6 petrol version – a perfectly adequate unit that’s quiet, performs marginally better in acceleration and will average 43mpg with emissions at 153g/km.

In other words, there’s little in it. Personally I like diesel, but saving £1000 on the cost of my £12,495 Soul 2 CRDi is a significant amount when you’d have to motor a lot of miles to recoup the oil burner’s extra cost. To make economic sense you would need to cover 20,000 miles a year to make the diesel worth while – or, of course, simply prefer the pulling power of oil.

Don’t dismiss the Soul. It’s affordable and roomy with head-turning looks, an eclectic range of trim levels and a pair of superb 1.6 litre engines.

My Soul 2 test vehicle is one up from base. The Soul 1 is the entry level car and only offered with the 124bhp petrol engine.

Soul 2 is well appointed and great value. It gets six airbags, all-disc ABS braking, electronic stability programme, air conditioning, electric power steering, remote central locking and four electric windows.

It has six speakers, iPod and MP3 compatibility with USB and AUX ports while the top-of-range Samba, Shaker and Burner models get 315-watt amplifiers and boot-mounted sub-woofer.

It won’t be to everyone’s taste – but that’s the whole point. Soul is more than just about driving and people carrying – it’s a personal statement aimed at the more extrovert among us. Whichever way you cut it, the newcomer will at least trigger comment and raise a few smiles.

Compared to the Soul 1, my Soul 2 gains 16-inch alloys, front fogs, a height adjustable driver’s seat, steering wheel mounted audio controls, a lidded central console storage tray, jazzy cloth upholstery and a choice of eye-watering colours, including what Kia calls Cocktail Orange – which has the effect of reminding me of a certain cinema-based orange drink in a squeezy plastic container!

But what about the practicalities?

I went “Soul searching” on a run to Lochinver via Loch Shin and Ledmore Junction to find out.

Once you strip away the razzmatazz and cut Soul down to its functional undies you find a fairly practical five-door hatch with five good seats that’s compact and easy to drive.

It’s tall and narrow, but fairly long at 4.1 metres. That means it is spacious, easy to climb in and out of and offers good visibility from its elevated seating.

The boot is marred by a high lip and narrow tailgate, but it’s big and the rear seat backs fold easily for occasional outsize cargoes. Pity though the seats don’t tumble all the way forward because they leave an awkward "step" in the boot.

What surprised me most was how it drove.

Sure it hopped and skipped over uneven A838 and A837 on its rather firm suspension and noise levels rose and fell dramatically depending on the surface. But it’s not as excessive as I had expected.

That’s no doubt down to the relatively small 16-inch wheels and absorbent 55 section tyres on the Soul 2. Samba, Shaker and Burner models I drove at the car’s launch ride on 18-inch alloys and 45-section tyres were a lot firmer – and less composed.

It’s the old story – keep wheels and tyres at sensible proportions and avoid "stylish" oversize wheels and low-profile tyres if you want to get the best ride quality.

Although Kia has nine models in the line-up from £10,495 to £14,995, the tall-standing 4.1 metre long Soul has just four base models – the base Soul 1 with a 124bhp 1.6i petrol at £10,495, a better-equipped Soul 2 1.6i for £11,495 and a pair of 126bhp 1.6 CRDi turbodiesel Soul 2 models costing £12,495 with the five-speed manual gearbox I had on test and £13,495 with a four-speed automatic.

Soul’s marketing genius is that it is also available with the same engine mix in a customised range called “Originals” that bring style in a variety of special colours and equipment from the smart to the stylishly outrageous.

The cheapest “Original” is the Samba at £12,495 in petrol and £13,495 as a CRDi. Next comes the Shaker with different trim but at the same price, and finally the joker in the pack – the Burner.

The Burner is not for the faint hearted. Shrinking violets need not apply. This is an outrageously styled version costing £14,995 with body graphics, busy interior colours, special paint and even a pair of "disco" door speakers that pulsate with red light when you select from a "mood" or "music" switch on the dash.

Clearly a model for the young or young-at-heart – but not something for a quiet afternoon in Lairg.

Then again, Soul is a youthful car. A breath of fresh air in a dull world overburdened by real or imagined recessionary fears.

It won’t be to everyone’s taste – but that’s the whole point. Soul is more than just about driving and people-carrying – it’s a personal statement aimed at the more extrovert among us.

Kia would have you believe the driving experience is as remarkable as its concept and style – it isn’t.

Although the diesel is a smooth and brilliant engine that pulls superbly, the truth is that Soul drives like many other well-designed front-drive cars. It’s competent with a commanding driving position, firm and comfortable ride, steers well on its electric power steering and is easy to pilot around town or on a Highland single tracker.

But exciting? Not really.

The 1.2 tonne Kia Soul is a practical lightweight five-door hatch that suits the financial mood of the moment – it’s affordable and should be exceptionally reliable, but above all it’s fun!

Rating: 7/10

FINAL THOUGHT: A fun approach to practical motoring that’s generously equipped and affordable. The ride can be lively over rougher surfaces but smoothes out as you load up. Diesel is an expensive option compared to the excellent little petrol but may suit buyers who plan higher mileages and carry heavy loads.

Kia Soul 2 1.6 CRDi

Price: £12,495
Capacity: 1582cc
Power: 126bhp
0-62mph: 11.3 seconds
Maximum speed: 113mph
Economy: Combined 54.3mpg; Urban 44.8mpg
CO2 emissions: 137g/km
ESP: Standard
Insurance: Group 5

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Kia Soul 2 1.6 CRDi