Introduced on Wednesday, March 27, 2013: 2014 Kia Soul
What is it? An all-new version of a car that helped spark a niche of boxy-yet-charming urban runabouts and introduced Kia’s enduring hip-hop Hamsters, which delighted even jaded auto journalists by performing with human break dancers on Kia’s stage.
Is it real? It’s hard to believe that a car whose looks were inspired by a backpack-wearing wild boar could reach showrooms – let alone be a hit. But this redesigned Soul looks to continue the car’s youth-favoring, bass-thumping run.
What they said: Orth Hedrick, product planning director for Kia Motors America, acknowledged that the Soul’s impressively upgraded cabin drew from leading European compacts, including the Mini Cooper. “We really wanted that high-design feel,” Mr. Hedrick said. “We looked upmarket and pulled from the best of the segment.”
What they didn’t say: A new crop of urban utilities, including the Nissan Juke and Mini Countryman, are vying for the Soul’s target audience, but the Soul sharply undercuts most of them on price.
What makes it tick? A pair of direct-injection 4-cylinder engines include a 130-horsepower 1.6-liter and a 2-liter with 164 horsepower. The Soul is slightly longer, wider and roomier. A 29-percent stiffer chassis, new front subframe, reworked suspension and sound insulation aim to improve the previous version’s somewhat noisy ride and handling. And the Kia is almost ridiculously well equipped, with available features including heated and ventilated seats for four passengers, heated steering wheel, leather seats, touch-screen navigation, an Infinity sound system and Kia’s UVO e-services system.
How much? How soon? The Soul goes on sale this fall; figure on a sub-$16,000 base price.
How’s it look? Unlike Toyota, which essentially ruined its boxy Scion xB by making it grow up and leach out the Gen-Y appeal, the Soul looks more sophisticated without losing its edge. Bursting with appealing details, the Soul shows the talented hand of the design chief Peter Schreyer, the former Audi designer. The body’s funky sculptures include a swelling, blacked-out tailgate and vertical LED tail lamps. The soft-touch interior gets a fine sport steering wheel, the Soul’s signature light-pulsing speaker enclosures and a new shifter.
Source: New York Times
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