KIA Soul 1.6 Petrol Estate 2009 - Present

I always remember back in the late seventies and early eighties seeing the cover of the ZZ Top albums that were on my shelf and wondering what on earth that car was.

I still to this day don't know what it was, but it still sticks in my mind. I can picture certain features of it even to this day and something about it must have made it memorable then.

The Kia Soul was not what I expected when it arrived. I suppose I was expecting something different, yes, but in a more utilitarian way. What arrived was a complete surprise, but what a great surprise.

The Soul is, in my mind, unique. It's deceptively large, despite its apparently 'small' footprint. I was expecting something smaller. It drives like a dream and for its size it makes really light work of everything. Its boxy frame and sit-up-high driving position makes it a very easy car to drive, whether you're on the open road or around town. The steering is light, as are all the controls for that matter and the cabin ambience is quiet, peaceful and most of all, fun!

It is a car that turns heads and draws glances – some inquisitive, some admiring. It is very eye-catching because of the fact that it really is different. Most people haven't seen anything like it before. The bright orange paintwork on the vehicle I drove made it even more stand-out-from-the-crowd. My lip reading isn't that great but even I could make out “What the..... is that?” and the “Oooooh, look at that! What is it?” from passing motorists. Rubbernecking took on a whole new dimension!

I put it through its paces on a quiet Saturday morning when the roads were quiet and I had the opportunity to see how it behaved when pushed around a bit. It remained very light and responsive, and even though it developed a bit of a roar when pushed hard it remained composed and most importantly great fun. Try to imagine driving a very small Ford Ka or Fiat Panda, retain the extremely light and responsive controls but magnify the actual vehicle to the size of the Soul and you should get an idea how it all feels. The pedals are light as a feather, in fact almost propelling me through my own windscreen the first time I applied the brakes firmly. It revved freely and the very quiet and responsive 1.6 litre engine was lively and always seemed to have an extra little something there to play with.

The kids thought it was brilliant! A bit 'Postman Pat' in their eyes obviously, but still more ZZTop in mine! It swallowed up almost everything I could throw at the boot. We as a family are very unpredictable shoppers, and having lived on corner-shop top-ups for a few months it was time for us to go on a subsistence pilgrimage to one of those recession-proof, immensely profitable multinational supermarket places to re-stock our seriously depleted larder. Now a shopping trip with us is an experience not to be missed. Hannibal took less on the back of his elephants than we managed to fit in the Soul's load bay on that afternoon! The square profile and easy access made loading and unloading effortless.

It's a perfect car for a small family! Stylish, thrifty, fun, spacious and yet also inexpensive. It makes people look and smile in the same way that it makes you as a driver smile. It's a great way to get around for very little outlay and it'll be the talk of the street!

Nigel Crawford
April 2009

http://www.thebabywebsite.com/article.1883.The_Kia_Soul.htm

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