Kia Soul test drive since 2008 hatchback

With a song in life

Each automobile company has its own motto like managing a dream or created for pleasure. So Kia has this - The Power To Surprise, adapted to Russian as the ability to surprise. But it was precisely the surprise from Kia cars that we probably never experienced. Cars and cars, not very expensive, completely discreet, quite suitable to get from point A to point B, that's all. It is amazing how boring.
Probably, one of the reasons for this boredom is that the design was never a strong side of Kia, like other South Korean brands - Hyundai, Daewoo (now Chevrolet), Ssangyong. And this is at a time when the Asian design in general and the South Korean in particular on the rise, and whether it is the IF design forum in Hanover or the London exhibition 100 Percent Design, participants from Korea everywhere enjoy increased attention.
But with cars, everything initially turned out not as beautiful as we would like. As is customary in Asia, the models of cars in Kia Motors began to be done by copying (in this case, Mazda was copied), and the copy, as you know, is always inferior to the original. But slowly, the company reached its own developments. For the past few years, the public has not been surprised at the fact that Kia, along with European, American and Japanese companies, began to show its concepts at the auto show, among which there were delightful KUP and KEE compartment, Kue and Soul crossovers.
It was with the advent of Soul that Kia Motors began to talk about the designer breakthrough. For the first time, the concept was shown in Detroit in 2006, and at the Geneva salon in 2008, three more options were demonstrated, the closest to the serial model. It would be tempting to connect the Kia breakthrough in the designer field with the advent of the new chef Peter Schreer, a former leading specialist Audi and WV. Among his many works are the 1997 classic Audi A6 sedan, the new Volkswagen New Beetle and Audi TT Roadster, as well as Lamborghini Murcielago. But Schreyer took office after the debut of Soul. So the breakthrough began before his arrival.
Of course, I would like to look for quotes and borrowing in the appearance of Soul. But the resulting car image is quite harmonious in its integrity. Unless the profile resembles GLK. But this is rather a compliment than reproach, both models were developed almost at the same time, and the first show of the concept took virtually three years ago, so the suspicions of copying will have to be removed for insufficiency of evidence.
It is better to put through the shelves the simple technical aspects of the car. Soul is built on a new platform, which allows you to use various variations of the wheelbase, so it is assumed that it is this platform that will be used for subsequent KIA models. The car is very compact in size: its length is only 4.10 m, and the width is 1.78 m. If we compare with the popular five -door Cee`d, then Soul is 13 cm shorter and only 0.5 cm already. But at the same time, Soul is 13 cm higher than Cee`d. However, compact dimensions and high planting are not enough to dub the Soul with a city crossover, as its authors try to do. Yes, in a close parking lot, it is clearly in the advantage, especially if you take into account the presence of rear parking sensors and a rear view camera, the image of which is displayed on the left side of the salon mirror. But the car is not promised to be a full -wheel drive even in the distant future. In addition, the feeling at the wheel causes it about the same as Ford Fusion, a city car of increased border cross -country ability.
Inside, Soul is quite spacious, especially in the back seat, where 990 mm is stocked for passenger knives - more than in the same Cee`d, 90 mm. In order for the car to be compact outside, but spacious inside, I had to sacrifice the luggage compartment, which has a very modest volume of 222 liters, the same fusion is already one and a half times more - 337 liters. In other words, friends will get into the car, but their bags are already unlikely.
The choice is also modest in the gamut of the engines. A gasoline engine is offered (1.6 liters, which develops a power of 124 liters.) And a diesel unit (1.6 liters, 128 hp, as well as 115 liters in its low -power version). The diesel is much more painful than its gasoline alternative, in addition, you can order a four -speed automatic box with it. For a gasoline version, only five -speed mechanics are provided. But no matter what motor stands under the hood, each road bump in all its details is felt by passengers and a driver - the car suspension is very tough.
But Wolfgang Sailler, the Soul production manager in Europe, does not lose heart. He is sure: the buyer Soul will first think about what color he should choose a car and which fabric to cover his seat, and only then pay attention to everything else. And this is not at all about a weak field, this is he about those who are young in heart. One could even take the liberty of dubbing Soul with a kind of mini from the point of view of an emotional attitude to a car, which you choose based on the mood, not rational arguments.
Soul flowers are provided for 15, 11 of which are metallic. In addition, there is a rarely found option among serial offers, but the choice is modest: a dragon, a Scottish ornament or stripes (not racing, but rather decorative). Moldings on the doors can only be black (and not in the color of the body), but you can choose decorative overlays on the bumper, rear and front, frame of headlights, lanterns, fog and repeaters of rotation, as well as the lining on the radiator grill, everything is In black. It looks very cute. And the decorative overlay on the headlights does not reduce light radiation, but it has an interesting shape. The salon can be made brighter at all: Soul has a hatch, and it's just great!
The seats and the front panel can be made in a traditional black color, or a two-color interior decoration is offered-black-beige or black-red. With the second option, such a cute detail as the red backlight of the speakers, the intensity of which depends on the style of sounding music, looks especially concise. There is a special relationship with music. In the 2006 Soul concept, it was musicality that was made to the fore: it seemed that the entire interior of the car was made to please the audio system. The echoes of this can be found in the serial Soul, it is not difficult to find them: in the center of the torpedo - a large central speaker (there are eight of them here), and in the trunk - subwoofer. The audio system should already be equipped with a RDS radio, a cd player that plays and MP3-files, as well as USB, AUX ports and an iPod connector. And with the songs and a bunch of friends who sings these songs in chorus, Soul risks becoming almost the most fun car in his class. But we did not expect this from Kia at all. Therefore, they were finally surprised.
 

Kia Soul
Diesel engine with turbocharged
Volume 1582 square meters. cm
Power 128 l. With. at 4000 rpm
box 4-speed automatic
acceleration to 100 km/h 11.9 s
maximum speed 176 km/h
fuel consumption in a mixed cycle of 5.9 l/100 km
the price is not determined
promo site http://soul.kia.ru

Text: Anna Kilimnik
Photo: Kia Motors
 

Source: "Autopilot"