When CAR first tested a Kia Soul more than five years ago one of our road testers described it as a “funky trolley for the plugged-in generation” (Ag, yes okay, it was yours truly). Yet, for all its originality and youthful appeal, consumers didn’t seem to know what to make of this compact-sized vehicle that is so overtly tailored to typical light car buyers.
Fortunately for Kia, its altogether improved second generation Soul has arrived just in time to make the most of a shift in automotive consumers buying tastes. The first new model we tested was the 2,0-litre petrol Street, which was a well-rounded package that offered good value for money, but this is the Smart-spec flagship – with a 1,6-litre turbodiesel mated with a six-speed automatic ‘box.
And its specification lacks for very little, even though automatic wiper activation seems a curious omission. Exterior adornments include 18-inch wheels, power folding mirrors, LED daytime running lights, LED taillight clusters and even headlamp washers.
The entire range’s interior specification is impressive, even on the 1,6 Start, but in this model’s there’s front and rear park distance control in conjunction with the reverse-view camera, climate- as well as cruise control and the leather-trimmed driver’s seat is electrically adjustable. The multi-colour interior mood lighting, which also pulses to the beat of what’s being played through the audio system when in Music mode, is a love-it-or-hate it feature.
The test unit tipped the scales at 1 436 kg, but the 260 N.m between 1 900 and 2 750 r/min still made its presence felt when the Kia was required to nip through traffic in urban driving conditions. The engine’s a mite clattery, but owners should be appeased if they could regularly match the consumption figure of 6,9 litres/100 km that this unit achieved on the standard CAR fuel route test.
Ultimately, this is not a performance model per se: abusing the throttle pedal will only entice the transmission to needlessly hang on to the gears far beyond the torque peak. The provision of cruise control and a relatively pliant ride (despite the 234/45 profile rubber) should be a boon on longer trips, however.
Several industry observers suggest that the South African market is steadily developing a preference for automatic-transmission models. There aren’t many small crossovers that are offered with turbodiesel engines and the Soul 1,6D AT Smart seems the only one with the added benefit of an auto.
If you’re looking for a luxuriously-packaged Soul, the 2,0-litre petrol-engined Smart-spec model makes the most sense from a value for money point of view, but if (as we remarked in the road test of the Honda HR-V in the October 2015 issue) you’re looking for two-wheel drive compact SUV but don’t want to settle for middling specification (or a somewhat stodgy image), this slightly smaller “little red number” is worth a look.
