The Kia Soul

The Kia Soul has 4x4 looks and plenty of 4x4 elements but it isn’t one. The Kia Soul is powered by one of two engines, petrol or a diesel. Both have a 1.6-litre capacity and both produce around 125bhp which throws the petrol versus diesel debate into sharper focus than usual. The petrol option achieves 62mph with a 10.4s time compared to the diesel’s 10.7s but the diesel will feel stronger in real world driving conditions thanks to its superior torque. It also has the greater top speed, topping out at 112 while the petrol only reaches 110.

The interior of the Kia Soul is light and bright thanks to some extrovert colour schemes Kia is even venturing down the personalisation route for the first time. The Kia Soul is offered with a collection of bodywork graphics, interior styling features and even eyelashes that can be stuck on the headlamps to add some personality.

The Kia Soul will keep running costs manageable; the petrol option manages 43.5mpg and emissions of 153g/km. The Kia Soul includes an MP3 compatible stereo with six speakers and 112 watt output and powerbass as standard. There are six airbags and ABS And ESP stability control also as standard. Prices for the Kia Soul start at £10,495 topping up to £14,995 on the road.

By Geraldine Ashton Green, motoring.co.uk