Kia Soul Road Test

Kia Soul

Rivals

• Citroen C3 Picasso
• Nissan Note
• Nissan Qashqai
• Skoda Roomster
• Suzuki SX4
• Skoda Yeti
• Toyota Urban Cruiser

What We Liked

• Exterior and interior styling
• Overall concept
• Well executed design

What We Disliked

• Not too sure about the petrol engine
• The boot is smaller than the outside would suggest

What we'd like To See

It pretty much has it all

Build Quality

Pretty much up to the standard of European cars, the dashboard would not look out of place in a Volkswagen. The materials are of a high standard which is commendable considering the price.

Value for Money

It is a shame that Kia have not equipped the Kia Soul with its 7-year warranty (like the Kia cee'd range). Instead you have to make do with a 5-year warranty which is not too bad, considering most manufacturers only standby their cars for 3 years.

Routine servicing is needed only once a year or every 10,000 miles or 12,500 miles, depending on the engine. Over a typical three-year ownership period a Kia Soul will cost between £426 and £485 to service. The costs below are an average taken from Kia's factory-owned franchise in Bolton and will vary slightly according to labour rates in different parts of the country.

Summary

We rather liked the versatile Kia Soul, you might get some strange looks or comments and it will certainly raise a lot of smiles per mile. Overall most people thought it was a compact four wheel drive.

It is a bold family car appealing to all age groups and social backgrounds. It is ideally suited to those with young families, teenage kids, mobility problems and the retired.

In our opinion the Kia Soul is Kia's first car that should have the competition worried as it is credible alternative to the 'mainstream' competition and comes highly recommended.

Kia Soul