The original funky Soul in petrol form was an alright car. It didn’t really fit into any particular category but did a good job of being an urban runabout vehicle. The diesel on the other hand has made the Soul a more attractive option if you’re looking for something with a tall seating position, funky looks, a lot of space and a moderate price tag.
The extra twist that the diesel develops over the petrol turns the Soul into something that’s quite nippy around town. For a turbodiesel it is impressive as a point-and-squirt car. Even when trekking up the West Coast for an hour to load all of my belongings on board, the Soul devoured the seemingly endless straight road like a well settled sedan. Cruising at around 120kph for the entire journey I could have sworn that the Soul had at least a 1.9- or 2.0-litre diesel motor – anything but the piddly 1.6 that shifts the Soul around like a light backpack.
The only quarrel I have with the engine is the sound that intrudes into the cabin. It can get a little tiresome listening to the diesel grind its way around beneath you, and by today’s standards you would normally have a much quieter cabin than in the Soul.
With the diesel comes the choice of high or low spec. Our test mule was the high spec but I would question certain strange options. It comes equipped with rear parking sensors, which work most of the time, but you don’t get a full trip computer – just a button that says ‘trip’ but doesn’t do anything exciting. There’s no RDS radio, which is a bit of a no-brainer nowadays, and the doors don’t auto lock when you’re on the move.
All of these things came to my attention because I’ve become accustomed to high specification cars and was expecting the Karate Kia to follow suit. Then I looked at the price: R239 995. That’s a decent price considering the amount of space and air you get inside the cabin. It’s bigger in just about every way than an equally specced hatchback. Kia even chose to fit it with a miniature basketball hoop on top of the dash to help while away the hours you spend waiting for the kids to get out of school.
The rest of the cabin is standard issue, including typical Korean seating that is comfortable but hardly supportive. More times than not I found myself using the steering wheel as a pull-up bar to keep myself upright. Pity that nothing inside really takes forward the funky theme that the car spells out so boldly on the outside.
Despite all this, I think the Soul diesel is definitely worth a look. The small diesel engine is highly capable and so economical you should easily crack 600km on its 48-litre tank, and that’s driving in traffic at a rather excited pace. At the price, you’ll be hard pressed to find a hatchback that can match the Soul for spec or size, saving money shouldn’t be the only criterion.
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Comments
Awesome
Hey! I find your last few words a bit insulting Ashley. KIA has proven itself over the last years, and is just as reliable if not more reliable than most cars, including German cars. Good vehicle but do agree on the NVH levels... I've driven one for two months, and that is the only thing that bothers me.
car car car
this is nice i like to roll this ride with my family yeah great! but my only problem with this cars are the switch part of the car
What are they thinking.
I would rather can a citroen c3 picasso or ds3 for that money or less and get more specs and coones.
Diesel
Got my soul diesel 7 January and are very impressed with the vehicle. Consumption City 6.3, Highway 5.1. Good power delivery.
NVH
Do you have issues with the NVH levels in the car?
Nice!
This is one of the best hatch designs I have seen yet. It really looks the part! I'm surprised sales have been a bit slow.....I would still go for the petrol version for refinement and saving a few cents. Nice one, Kia!
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