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 counterintuitive crates that seem to have captured the fancy of fashion-resistant trendsetters.
"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 "multipurpose 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," Kia says.
Two engines will be offered, both four-cylinder versions. 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.
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.
2010 Kia Soul
Price: TBA.
Where built: Gwangju, South Korea.
Key rivals: Toyota Scion xB, Nissan Cube, Honda Element.
Power: 2-liter 142-horsepower, inline four-cylinder engine; four-speed auto transmission.
Fuel economy: TBA.
Chassis: Independent front and twist-beam rear suspension with front MacPherson struts and coil springs, rear suspension is subframe-mounted with antiroll stabilizer bar; power rack-and-pinion steering; antilock brakes; 18-inch alloy wheels.
Length x width x height: 161.6 x 70.3 x 63.4 inches.
Standard: Tilt steering column, power locks/mirrors/windows, map lamps, rear wiper and washer, 60/40 split-folding rear seat, air conditioning, cruise control, Bluetooth hands-free connectivity, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, privacy glass, AM/FM/CD/MP3 stereo with 315-watt amplifier and subwoofer, power moonroof, floor mats.
By Scripps Howard News Service
TampaBay.com
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