2015 Kia Soul Review – A Nice Little Box
IS IT SO HARD TO LOVE A BOX? Kia took the styling "experiment" – perhaps "plunge" is a better word – with the Kia Soul, mirroring the box-like Japanese kei cars designed for the limited parking and crowded road conditions of Japan.
Australians, however, haven't taken to box cars like Toyota’s Camry-based Rukus. But the box shape makes a lot of sense. It is space-efficient, has a small footprint, is easy to park, and, from inside, looks darn good. It’s the 'style-thang' that lets it down.
The sales tell the story and it doesn’t look good for the humble box. This year, 130 Souls found homes while the Rukus sold 122 units. Compare that with one of the Soul’s rivals, Mazda’s CX-3, at 7130.
But is style everything?
Vehicle style: Small hatchback
Price: $26,990 (plus on-roads)
Engine/trans: 113kW/191Nm 2.0-litre petrol 4cyl | 6sp automatic
Fuel Economy claimed: 8.4 l/100km | tested: 8.9 l/100km
OVERVIEW
Bricks aren’t aerodynamic. They don’t look sporty and don’t have fan clubs. Their most basic claim is that "they are very useful". Much like the Kia Soul.
Function follows form, usually, but the Soul turns this upside down, using function as the guiding imperative and letting form trail behind.
So it's brick-shaped. But, somehow, it also emerges with 'character', and it is quite a bit better than its bleak 130 sales for 2015 would suggest.