Kia Soul hands-on
An idiosyncratic and good-value crossover
The 126bhp diesel engine is very good, and while its sound signature was sometimes reminiscent of a tractor, the engine has a real punch to it. The engine is a very drivable unit as long as you stay in the fairly narrow power band. We certainly had no qualms about pulling away from from junctions and roundabouts. Find yourself in the wrong gear, however, and very little will happen when the throttle is depressed, so vigilant gear changes are a must. Sadly, there’s no intelligent stop to cut the engine when you’re stationary. This fuel-saving feature is present in some other Kia models and is very much missed here. Although the Soul is placed in the crossover category, this is no off-road machine.
The cheaper, 130bhp GDi petrol engine was a less impressive affair. While acceptable for city driving, it failed to impress in situations where rapid acceleration was required. It may be £1,600 more expensive, but we’d choose the diesel every time. This is helped by the diesel’s decent fuel consumption figures. Kia claims 56.5mpg for the 1.6-litre diesel with manual transmission, and just 41.5mpg for the 1.6-litre petrol. All of the diesel Souls with manual transmission occupy tax band E, while the automatic diesel and manual petrol engines are in bands H or G.
Kia Soul engines and emissions – CLICK TO ENLARGE
In terms of handling, the Kia Soul is fairly responsive and fun to drive on winding roads. It’s far from a sporty machine, but we were able to let our hair down by changing the steering mode from “comfort” to “sport”, which gives you a lot more high-speed control. For city driving, “normal” was our mode of choice with the steering remaining responsive but also allowing for the easy negotiation of tight bends and parking spots. This is also helped by the wide-angle, rear-facing camera which automatically activates when reverse gear is selected. There are no parking sensors on the Connect Plus, as these are reserved for more expensive trim levels.
The Soul was fairly quiet and comfortable at speed on bumpy country roads, with the seats providing good support.