Kia Soul: more details and photos

By Tim Pollard

First Official Pictures

02 September 2008 09:37

Kia has issued some more details and photographs of its new tallboy supermini alternative, the Soul. Kia calls the Soul 'a segment-busting urban crossover' model, but we'd pigeonhole it as an intriguing new rival to the likes of the Honda Jazz and Vauxhall Meriva, with a small dose of Mini charm thrown in for good measure.

So what exactly is segment-busting about the Kia Soul?

Is Kia right to label the Soul its value answer to the Mini? We've seen the Soul concept cars in the metal and they are a refreshing take on the city car, blending the higher driving position of the mini-MPV with a chunky stance of a quasi SUV (Kia claims the ground clearance is 45mm higher than a conventional supermini). We even called the Soul a shrunken Qashqai on first acquaintance.

But at the end of the day, don't get too excited by all this marketing hype. The Soul is a five-door hatchback with a high roofline (at 1610mm), a long wheelbase and oodles of personalisation options (for that Mini/Fiat 500 vibe), but there's little to distinguish the Korean-built Soul mechanically.

The first models land in Europe in spring 2009, following an official debut at the 2008 Paris motor show; UK sales start in March 2009. Kia today confirmed that it will be available with 1.6 twin-cam petrol or diesel engines from the Ceed hatchback range, feeding drive through a choice of manual or auto transmissions.

Click 'Next' to read all about the Kia Soul's mechanical package

By Tim Pollard