On the road, the Soul is pretty nimble, although it remains a high-riding compact car. On the highway, the Kia offers a decent ride but is sensible to crosswinds, while around town, badly-cracked pavement fills the cockpit with suspension and road noise. The Soul’s ride is harsh on city streets, at least with the 18-inch wheels.
Red seats, red dash
In a move to distinguish itself, the Soul Burner gets cloth seats that sport red upholstery on their upper portions. It fits well with the red paint job, a little less with the other available colours (white, black, silver). The dashboard top is also moulded in red.
Overall, the environment inside the Soul is pretty cool. The centre console sweeps down and places audio and climate controls where your hand will easily reach them, while the wheel-mounted buttons and switches work well.
The sound system offers a quality output, which isn’t always the case in other Kias. A USB port and MP3 file compatibility provide countless hours of listening variety. A novel feature is the glowing speakers that create an ambiance inside the cockpit. My soul: “Once you’ll have shown them to all your buddies, will you leave them turned on?” I have no idea, but I didn’t turn them off yet.
A strong point for the Soul is the high riding position and square windows, which make for great visibility, despite the fat D-pillars, the rearmost ones. Front and rear space is aplenty for adults, and entry/exit is very easy, in case you’d happen to have a sore back.
However, the Soul doesn’t offer much cargo space when the rear seatbacks are up. If you’re travelling with four adults on board, pack light. I did manage to easily fit a wheelbarrow in the Soul though, after flipping down the seats. My soul: “Whoopee!” Oh, shut up.
 |
| The Soul Burner gets cloth seats that sport red upholstery on their upper portions. |
Red seats, red dash
In a move to distinguish itself, the Soul Burner gets cloth seats that sport red upholstery on their upper portions. It fits well with the red paint job, a little less with the other available colours (white, black, silver). The dashboard top is also moulded in red.
Overall, the environment inside the Soul is pretty cool. The centre console sweeps down and places audio and climate controls where your hand will easily reach them, while the wheel-mounted buttons and switches work well.
The sound system offers a quality output, which isn’t always the case in other Kias. A USB port and MP3 file compatibility provide countless hours of listening variety. A novel feature is the glowing speakers that create an ambiance inside the cockpit. My soul: “Once you’ll have shown them to all your buddies, will you leave them turned on?” I have no idea, but I didn’t turn them off yet.
A strong point for the Soul is the high riding position and square windows, which make for great visibility, despite the fat D-pillars, the rearmost ones. Front and rear space is aplenty for adults, and entry/exit is very easy, in case you’d happen to have a sore back.
However, the Soul doesn’t offer much cargo space when the rear seatbacks are up. If you’re travelling with four adults on board, pack light. I did manage to easily fit a wheelbarrow in the Soul though, after flipping down the seats. My soul: “Whoopee!” Oh, shut up.
 |
| The Soul doesn’t offer much cargo space when the rear seatbacks are up. |