Is Kia cool?
Maybe not, but it's got Soul, a funky new funmobile designed to establish some street cred among the young.
The Soul train starts next year when the South Korean carmaker sends the wagon out to compete with the boxy Nissan Cube, a co-star at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show. Already circling the block are Toyota Scion's Xb, Honda's Element, a couple of counter-intuitive crates that seem to have captured the fancy of fashion-resistant trend setters.
"The Soul is for those who love individuality but don't like to be categorized by finding the next best thing," said Michael Sprague, vice president of marketing for Kia Motors America. "Indicative of the new design direction of KMA, Soul is an attractive and customizable vehicle for those looking for something with a little more personality than other vehicles on the market today."
Cars like the Soul are sometimes called "multi-purpose vehicles" because they're not quite sport utilities and typically taller than the compact or subcompact wagons. They've also been called "urban crossovers." Members of the segment fit somewhere between the Chrysler PT Cruiser and the Honda CRV.
Unveiled as a concept vehicle at Detroit's North American International Auto Show in 2006, Soul features an angled window line, rounded nose, large flared back headlamps and chrome grille. The large windshield and the tapered roofline seem to emphasize the forward view. The beltline from the front wheel arch creates a subtle wedge shape and continues under and around the rear side window.
The production version of the car, designed in Southern California and manufactured in South Korea, is expected to arrive in U.S. showrooms in April.
Available in four trims, Soul, Soul+, Soul! and Soul sport, the five-door model will be priced "in the teens," according to Kia, so expect prices to be somewhere in the mid-teens so that teens will be able to afford it.
Two engines will be offered, both 4-cylinder versions. The base 1.6-liter engine produces a meager 122 horsepower, while the 2-liter version measures up to 142-horsepower. That can't be too overwhelming, but matches the Nissan Cube's power output at the base level.
The base transmission in the Soul is a five-speed stick, but you can upgrade to a four-speed automatic.
While the Soul won't blow anyone's doors off, fuel economy - not yet announced - should be much more encouraging. The comparable Nissan Cube is expected to get more than 30 miles per gallon with the stick shift.
The base model has black door handles and side mirrors, body-colored bumpers, rear wiper/washer and 15-inch steel wheels fitted with P195/65R15 tires.
The Soul+ adds keyless remote entry, solar glass, privacy glass on the rear side and rear windows body-color handles and power side mirrors along with 16-inch alloy wheels with P205/55R16 tires.
The Soul! adds power moonroof, fog lights, 18-inch alloy wheels furnished with P225/45R18 tires. Soul sport features side sills, rear spoiler, 18-inch alloy wheels, unique front and rear fascias, wholly personifying the sporty, urban look Soul embodies.
Soul's functional features include 14 storage zones, tall doors for easy access and a high seating position. Buyers can select interiors with different colors, fabrics and audio system packages.
Interior decoration is minimized by an uncluttered dashboard with a three-dial instrument cluster, LCD illumination and a floating center stack design.
The top audio system comes with Sirius Satellite Radio and three months complimentary service . Standard auxiliary and USB input jacks also can be found in the center console with full iPod controllability via the audio head unit and steering wheel controls.
Additional standard interior features include a tilt steering column, power door locks, power windows with driver's side auto-down, map lamps and a rear wiper and washer. A 60/40 split-folding rear seat offers multiple seating and cargo arrangements depending on driver and passenger needs.
Soul+ offers additional standard features including air conditioning, cruise control with steering wheel-mounted controls, Bluetooth hands-free connectivity, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, privacy glass and tweeter speakers. Available upgrades for the Soul+ trim include an audio upgrade package power moonroof and floor mats, which become standard on the Soul!. Advancing to the Soul! adds beige-black interior trim and cloth seats and metal-finish trim.
Safety features include front seat active headrests, dual front advanced airbags, front seat-mounted and full-length side curtain airbags and a tire pressure monitoring system. An antilock brake system with electronic brakeforce distribution, electronic stability control, and rear disc brakes are standard on Soul+, Soul! and Soul sport models.
Soul's warranty covers the power train for 10-years or 100,000 miles, while providing five-years or 60,000-mile coverage for the other parts.
Richard Williamson
Scripps Howard News Service
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