Test Drive: 2012 Kia Soul 4U

2012 Kia Soul 4U. Click image to enlarge

Fuel consumption is rated at 7.9/5.9 L/100 km (city/highway) with the automatic transmission (down from 8.5 and 6.6 in 2010), but I suspect the Soul is the victim of Natural Resources Canada’s unrealistic testing guidelines; in cool mid-November weather, I saw 10 L/100 km in city driving and 8.3 on the highway, at speeds between 100 and 120 km/h. (The 2010 I drove in the summer of 2009 averaged 9.5 in the city, and 7.9 on the highway.)

Despite its updated styling, this new Soul rides on the same last-generation Kia Rio underpinnings, so its over-the-road manners aren’t as suave as those of Kia and Hyundai’s latest subcompacts. The suspension transmits lots of noise into the cabin on rough roads, and the ride gets twitchy on broken pavement. Some credit where it’s due: in spite of its “sport-tuned” designation, my tester’s suspension delivered terrific ride comfort over the worst roads I travel on a regular basis. In fact, this is one of the rare vehicles that, in my opinion, could stand a firmer ride; the soft springs made hitting the rear suspension bump stops an easy thing to do when I loaded the car up with four adults and a baby for a day trip.

Interior space continues to be a strong point. The high roof creates loads of headroom all around, and rear-seat legroom is generous for a car with a tidy 2,550 mm (100 in.) wheelbase. A driver’s seat armrest comes standard in all models with the automatic transmission, but a matching one for the front passenger would be a nice touch.

Cargo space measures out to 546 litres (19.3 cu. ft.) behind the rear seats, or 1,511 (53.4 cu. ft.) with the seats folded. Those figures nearly rival the larger Scion xB’s cargo capabilities, and while the Nissan Cube offers more volume, its rear seats don’t even try to fold flat, which cuts into functionality. The only things that detract from the Soul’s utility are the not-quite-flat fold of the rear seats, and the narrow cargo opening. The lightweight tailgate is a cinch to pull closed.

The 2012 model’s trim levels carry over from 2011, starting with the basic 1.6 model, moving up through the 2U, and topping out with the 4U.

In 4U form, like the one Kia sent us to try out, the Soul comes with sharp-looking 18-inch wheels, leather-trimmed steering wheel and shifter, sunroof, body-coloured bumpers and a sport-tuned suspension. Choose the automatic transmission as Kia did on our behalf, and the pot is further sweetened with a driver’s seat armrest, cruise control, UVO voice-activated media integration, backup camera, upgraded sound system and kinky “SoulSpeaker” mood lamps. This is in addition to the usual boatload of standard kit you’re used to seeing in Kia vehicles; the basic Soul comes with four-wheel disc brakes, power locks, windows and mirrors, trip computer, fog lights, Bluetooth, heated front seats and side mirrors and a telescoping steering column. The Soul’s base MSRP is $16,595; one like our tester is worth $22,695, before freight.

Notable is the pending arrival (partway through the 2012 model year) of a 1.6 ECO version that, equipped with the automatic transmission, will get an idle-stop-and-go (ISG) setup that will turn the engine off at stoplights. That should make Kia a North American trendsetter for the use of this technology in a non-hybrid car. I’d suggest waiting for it; the 1.6-litre will be plenty of engine for this little box-on-wheels, and its reduced fuel consumption would go some way to fixing what I think is the Soul’s biggest flaw.