Kia Soul

The Kia Soul is a mini MPV manufactured by Kia, with its design center located in California.

First Generation (2008-Present)

It was revealed at the Paris Motor Show in 2008. It was developed in South Korea and traded internationally starting with 2010.

Interiors

Coming to the features of Kia Soul, the cabin contains 2-semi bucket seats at the front. At the rear, it had flat-folding seats that could be removed for enhanced space.

The Kia Soul was traded with a 4-speaker stereo system that included

• a CD player,
• a Sirius Satellite Radio, and
• A USB port.

Some additional features included in the car were

• Bluetooth hands-free connectivity,
• steering-wheel-installed audio controls, and
• additional speakers.

Current Kia soul

There were plenty of custom improvements for the Kia Soul. These incorporated with

• racing stripes, “dragon”,
• LED turn indicators,
• “houndstooth” graphics,
• leather covered steering wheel,
• adaptive cruise control, and
• 18-inch alloy wheels.

Coming to the engines and specifications, the version released for North American markets was made available with 2 inline 4-cylinder gasoline engines.

The standard model derives its power from a 1.6 litre engine that can produce 122 bhp (91 kW) and the engine is matched with a 5-speed automatic transmission. Top-lined trims are featured with a 2.0 liter engine to develop 142 bhp (106 kW), paired to a traditional 5-speed automatic transmission with an available 4-speed automatic transmission.

Exclusive for models marketed in European countries, a 1.6 litre diesel engine is embedded in the vehicle to develop

• 260 N-m (190 lb-ft) of torque and
• 128 bhp (95 kW)

The engine is mated to a 5-speed manual gear-box.

Safety Features

Considering safety of the Kia Soul, it gained five star rating in the test of Euro NCAP, taking it to the top position in the field of speed and acceleration in its vehicle design. By the New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) of Australia, the Kia Soul was also awarded five star safety rating.

But, this rating was only for the New Zealand edition. The version for Australia scored four out of five stars in road test. The Kia Soul was chosen as the ‘Top Safety Pick’ by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the US too.

Soul Exterior

Soul Interior

Soul Outlook