The little car for the economic soul
First look at this car and you might think its a concept vehicle. Well not entirely, during these tough automaker industry times, we're seeing a massive shift from designs as many had witnessed the death of the American Muscle Car after the 1974 Energy Crisis. We are now shifting back towards smaller cars, but smaller doesn't necessarily mean less formidable. Kia is a company that has made small cars in America and Korea for years and have been relatively good considering their gas mileage, but nothing is desirable from a Kia beyond this; however Korea is changing its image as we've seen in the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, and now the aforementioned Kia Soul.
Power
The base Soul comes with a 1.6-liter inline-4 that makes 122 horsepower and 115 pound-feet of torque. A five-speed manual is the only transmission available on this entry-level model, which almost certainly means the upper trim levels will make up the bulk of Soul sales. They get a 2.0-liter four-banger good for 142 hp and 137 lb-ft of torque. A five-speed manual is standard, while a four-speed automatic is optional. Kia admits a four-speed automatic is a little behind the times (even if the xB features the same), but it's working toward a six-speed automatic to be employed in all its cars in the near future.
Yet even with the four-cog slushbox, the 2.0-liter Soul is estimated to achieve 31 mpg in the EPA highway cycle (the marketer's favorite), while the Scion xB gets only 28 mpg. Kia's Myungsic was quick to point out that "the Soul may be less powerful than the Scion, but which one is better for younger drivers in this economic climate?"
COMPETITION
Is the soul the first sporty car from Kia? Yes. Is it comparable to a Volkswagen Golf, or Honda Fit? Not really. Will it be enough for its trendy target audience? Most Likely. Especially at a price expected to be in the teens, much like the Honda Fit however its more chiseled design should gain favoritism amongst male buyers while females would admire the curved styling of the newly redesigned Honda Fit. As of now, we'll have to wait for the car to make a strong American debut to see it around our gray streets, however its already been out for four months in Korea and has been faring rather well.
Hell, even I'm admiring it much more than Scion's offerings
Link: EDMUNDS
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