I've just spent most of the week rolling Kia's new hip-to-be-square entry, and I have to say I like it. I like walking up to it, admiring the funky convergence of the upward sweeping wedge belt line, with the top of the greenhouse that angles down from the A-pillar back. This signature design element is clearly visible from the driver's seat as well. The snazzy high-contrast red and black interior that comes standard on all Soul Sport models and high-spec extras like Bluetooth connectivity, a moonroof, a 315-watt satellite radio with USB and Aux inputs, and sensible safety gear like ESP, ABS, and six airbags suggests a far heftier outlay than the $17,645 Kia demands for this little boxlet.
The 2.0-liter 142-horse engine provides sprightly enough acceleration, but this is thanks in very large part to short and closely spaced gearing in the five-speed manual transmission. It's quick off the line and a quick row up through the box, but then I found myself grabbing for another gear until my ears acclimated to the 3500-rpm din at 80 mph (the default speed on Detroit's recession-ravaged and empty freeways). This gearbox is also something of an antique, being a five-speed with a four-gate shift pattern (reverse is up to the left, instead of down right, below fifth, where professional car companies have been positioning it on five-speeds for a couple decades. Four-gate shifters tend to have a ropier feel to them, and this one caused me to miss the two-three upshift several times, as the stick went into a no-man's land.
As Detroit is in the grip of a serious arctic blast, I had plenty of opportunity to check out the ABS and stability control systems as well. Both functioned admirably, but the racket from the firewall as the ABS module solenoids struggled to dole out brake pressure to each individual wheel reminded me of some '80s ABS systems. Likewise, while functioning purely in traction control mode, there were times when the brake actuation actually caused the car to buck a bit. Nevertheless, I never got stuck, smashed into anyone, or put a wheel wrong, as many of my fellow Detroiters were pirouetting off the road. Having all these safety nets in a car that gives you this much change from a $20,000-bill is impressive, even if the refinement trails the current state of the art.
Bottom line: The packaging is good, from the roomy front and rear seats to the decent cargo space with partitioned underfloor storage; it's light, nimble and fun to throw around in traffic, if not necessarily through a twisty canyon road; and it comes outfitted with enough technology to keep it current throughout most of its impressive ten-year powertrain warranty. I just hope that the fact that a 45-year-old mid-lifer can find anything nice to say about it doesn't scuttle its chances with the target 20-30-somethings...
by Frank Markus
TruckTrend.com
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