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Kia Soul Shaker road test report

Shaker

Quirky, eye-catching and hard to pigeon hole the Kia Soul is a dramatic departure for the Korean carmaker in many ways. Is it a mini-SUV, is it an over-sized city car, or is it the increasingly popular crossover model, straddling two or more segments? We’re not entirely sure even after driving it, however we do know that love or loathe the aesthetics of the car it is a welcome breath of fresh air and further proof of Kia’s increasing confidence when developing cars for the European market.

Road Test Reports Says 4.5 star rating
A front-facing image of the Kia Soul Shaker

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Image number 2 of the Kia Soul Shaker Image number 3 of the Kia Soul Shaker Image number 4 of the Kia Soul Shaker
RICHARD SAYS

Performance Performance - 3 stars

The Soul Shaker road tested came with a 1.6 litre petrol engine; capable of a combined mpg of 43.5 (The special edition ‘Shaker’ is also available with a 1.6l CRDi oil burner) and the best way to describe performance is leisurely. The car while not underpowered is not particularly a quick in the acceleration department, perhaps the engineers knew what a visual statement they would be making and gave people the chance to stop and stare rather than seeing a vanilla motion blur! However, whether cruising on the motorway or negotiating mean city streets the car feels at home. The 5-speed gearbox is forgiving and perfect in the urban environment.

Ride & Handling Ride & Handling - 5 stars

The Soul is smooth with a capital ‘S’, with the handling and ride complementing the performance; the handling is smart and responsive enough for demanding city centre conditions, while sturdy enough to hold the road perfectly at motorway speeds. Kia has built the Soul on a new platform which promises excellent stiffness and future Kia models will be based on this fundamental component. Up close it’s surprising how big the car is, so it’s a welcome relief to report that the car is nimble enough to squeeze in and out of tight parking spaces and the like.

Build Quality & Reliability Build Quality & Reliability - 4 stars

With its eye-catching, chunky and different aesthetics its pleasing to report that the car appears well put together, with reassuring clunks and thuds for doors and boot. Inside the cabin the two-tone plastics are neither gaudy nor dull, with the attention to detail in creating a new passenger environment but without pushing the envelope quite as far as externally. It’s difficult to comment on reliability on such a new model, however Kia are obviously confident by offering a 5 year unlimited mileage warranty, while the engines are very closely related to the engines found in ultra-reliable cee’d models.

Safety & Security Safety & Security - 4 stars

With its high driving position the occupants enjoy a SUV-style experience in the Kia Soul Shaker, which naturally provides an air of safety not found on standard city cars. Anti-lock braking and ESP comes as standard across the whole range, while occupants are protected with the expected levels of airbag protection. Still to go under the scrutiny of the independent experts at Euro NCAP, Kia are hopeful that this is a 5-star car, backed up by their own internal testing and computer modelling.

Space & Practicality Space & Practicality - 5 stars

Perhaps one of the most surprising aspects of the Soul (in what is overall a surprising package!) is the frankly cavernous interior space. Bags of room both front and back allows 4/5 adults enough space to be comfortable on long journeys. Boot space is also taken care of with 340l volume expanding to 800l when rear seating is flattened. The crossover nature of the car gives it great potential for a number of differing segments; it’s a viable alternative to the city car, school run SUV, or those looking for something suitably different from the majority of identikit models around. You can see Kia targeting similar customers to the cool and popular MINI and Fiat 500 crowd.

Ownership & Value Ownership & Value - 5 stars

Kia hope to sell 3,000 Soul’s during the rest of 2009, and with prices starting at a lowly £10,500 you can expect to see the model becoming popular among a variety of different age groups and types. The level of specification across the range is at odds with the budget-friendly prices, offering excellent value for money. The Soul Shaker comes with 18” alloys, privacy glass to the rear, electric sunroof above the standard spec, and not forgetting the 5-year unlimited mileage warranty it makes a compelling case for the £12,495 price tag. Have you got Soul? This car has it by the bucket load.

Submitted: 29/04/2009 15:24:58

ANDY SAYS

Performance Performance - 4 stars

The vehicle we tested was the 1.6 petrol although a 1.6 diesel variant is also available. The petrol version performed admirably, the Soul is actually quite a large vehicle and initially we had concerns over the ability of the petrol engine. The diesel variant with it’s increased torque would be the 1st choice for many.

Ride & Handling Ride & Handling - 4 stars

The ride is actually fairly firm and the chassis quite rigid, all this means that the Soul performs well with regards to cornering and has a sporty feel to it despite it’s mainly family orientated shape.

Build Quality & Reliability Build Quality & Reliability - 4 stars

Build quality appears to be top notch on the Soul, which is in line with many of Kia’s new vehicle range such as the C’eed. The interior consists of quality materials and the shell is well constructed and gives a distinct impression of solidity. Reliability wise you wouldn’t expect anything other than excellent from Kia.

Safety & Security Safety & Security - 4 stars

Airbags all around and a high seating position are all positive aspects of the Soul in terms of the safety and security of it’s occupants. This really is a family orientated vehicle and this theme certainly overlaps into the way the vehicle would perform in the event of an accident.

Space & Practicality Space & Practicality - 4 stars

The soul is designed to provide maximum space in a relatively short frame and it largely succeeds. The high roof line and the way the interior is set out leads to good level of head and leg room for driver and both front and rear passenger. One consequence of squeezing so much space for the occupants out of a reasonably sized vehicle is that the boot isn’t as huge as it could be, although it is still reasonable.

Ownership & Value Ownership & Value - 3 stars

The motor trade may be a little unsure of itself in terms of residual values on the Soul as it is such a new design and concept. We think that the public and motor trade will warm to the vehicle. The stating prices for the Soul are actually very good and this will certainly help produce some attractive contract hire rates and PCP deals.

Submitted: 28/05/2009 10:08:09

AARON SAYS

Performance Performance - 3 stars

After driving a few different Kia models, the performance of the Soul didn’t seem to differ which disappointed me slightly. The tested derivative was the Kia Soul Shaker 1.6 petrol engine and requires more of a push compared to the 1.6 diesel which feels more smooth.

Ride & Handling Ride & Handling - 4 stars

Surprisingly the Soul has a sporty feel to it with reasonably good corner handling although the steering is quite light. I tested this car driving distance and was substantial enough although I did feel it was more suited to a daily city driver and with a sporty urban exterior this car definitely stands out from the crowd.

Build Quality & Reliability Build Quality & Reliability - 3 stars

Altogether the car has a certain amount of quality. It seems the main focus and attention went into the exterior design build offering something different to other vehicles on the road and less on the interior with its minimal and basic feel which can be said for most of the Kia Range.

Safety & Security Safety & Security - 4 stars

For a small family car I feel the Kia Soul offers more safety and security than your average small car with it almost being a small SUV in size. I parked up to a BMW X3 and there wasn’t a lot of difference in size. The car has a solid presence about it and a firm drive which gives you a sense of security behind the wheel also with airbags, ABS and ESP as standard which you would expect from a new car.

Space & Practicality Space & Practicality - 4 stars

A substantial amount of head room is offered in front and back with ample leg room making this very comfortable for the driver and passengers. With the higher seating position and airy feel, vision on the roads is more than sufficient.

Ownership & Value Ownership & Value - 4 stars

You can expect to pick up a Kia Soul from around £10,500 which is great value for money. I do feel Kia are taking a bit of a gamble releasing a new and totally different vehicle in the current climate, but entering into a competitive price bracket I’m sure Kia will do well with this car.

Submitted: 02/06/2009 14:23:16

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