In 2009, Kia’s slogan “The Power to Surprise” could not be truer.  Official images and spy photos are popping up everywhere for stylish new models from the Korean automaker, and the company is even investigating a new, trendier naming system for its vehicles.

Little surprise then that Kia is pushing the 2009 SOUL with so much enthusiasm.

In the US market, the SOUL will have its work cut out, rubbing up against the likes of similar generation-now ‘box-car’ competitors like the Scion xB, the Nissan Cube, and Honda’s Element.  In Australia, this is less of a problem. The SOUL, for the moment, has the market to itself.

It seems then that Kia may have itself a winner in a niche that its bigger peers apparently have no interest in tapping.

According to Kia, the SOUL “redefines the box”. Now while redefining a box might seem like an odd thing to attempt (how many ways can you do it?), Kia should be rapt with the results.  The Korean giant-killer-in-the-making has taken the box and sprawled “funky” on every face.

A chat with Kia’s national sales manager Alan Crouch revealed that the company is looking for about 400 sales for the remainder of 2009. A small number, considering the game’s only one quarter down, but Alan stressed that the SOUL is about individuality and uniqueness – push to get too many of them on the road, and part of that feeling is watered down.

It’s so much about the experience, in fact, that Kia is training its already experienced dealers specifically on the craft of selling the SOUL. Kia doesn’t want the SOUL viewed like any other ‘regular’ car; it has flair and charisma and the dealers will need to embrace and push that feeling in the showroom.

The Kia SOUL debuted in 2006 at the Detroit auto show, and now only thirty months later and with limited visual changes, the SOUL is upon us.

The big uniquely-shaped headlights, flared guards, sharp character line, sports-inspired bonnet bulge, strong D-pillar and ‘wrap-around’ windows – which Kia product manager Nick Reid likened to a pair of cool sporty sunglasses – will ensure the little Kia stands out in any crowd.

Kia would have likely had the visual options packages of the Scion xB – and even the MINI – in its sights when it set about developing the options list compact quasi-CUV SOUL. There is a youthful energy and carefree spirit evident everywhere in its lines.

An emphasis on style

Where the MINI is known for its range of colourful and whacky roof-graphic options, the SOUL takes everything a step thirty steps further. To better emphasise its youthful slant, Kia will offer the SOUL with a range of out-there paint and vinyl graphics accessories for the body, along with a range of interior trims and colours.

With a style you simply can’t ignore, and the price advantage of a Korean parent, you can’t help but feel that the SOUL is destined to become a hot seller – and probably across more than a few demographics.  Hell, with the ease of entry and exit the SOUL offers, you’ll probably even see a few funkified senior citizens getting around in it.

And don’t think that saying “price advantage” is a polite way of saying it’s a crap car in a good looking body, because after spending a day in the SOUL, I can tell you that just isn’t so.

Inside the SOUL, its strengths are immediately obvious.  The plastics and fabric feel as good as any of its higher-priced class competitors. The interior colour combos and the quirky style of the layout works.  Even the LED-lit door speakers (part of an overall 8-speaker setup) with their ‘Mood’ lighting, give a genuine feeling that the SOUL is set to impress.

Space inside is also excellent, with plenty of room in the back for a couple of six-footers thanks to the high-mounted front and rear seats. Thanks to the SOUL’s long wheelbase, there’s enough legroom there to keep Andre the Giant happy, probably even with stilts on.

Options, options, options.  Did I mention options?  Living up to the car’s tag – No Two SOULs Are The Same - the SOUL will be offered in three variants: the base model SOUL starts at $20,990, the SOUL2 (Squared) at $23,190, and the range-topping SOUL3 (Cubed) at $27,390.

It would take me a week to list the differences here (all of which add up to around 10,000 variations), so jump over to NoTwoSOULs.com.au to mess around with the options.  With 11 exterior paint colours, a range of vinyl graphics and interior trims styled to match, and optional chrome fittings, the combination possibilities aren’t far off endless.

Probably the niftiest option – and likely a nod to the not-so-hot rearward visibility – is the reversing camera; the display for which is in the rear-vision mirror.