The subcompact Kia Soul has a youthful, yet practical flair. Instead of hiding its SUV roots under sleek contours, it embraces them with a boldly boxy profile, which not only looks cool, but capitalizes on passenger and cargo space.
But can boxy be sporty, too?
The Kia Soul !, with its turbocharged 1.6-liter 201-horsepower engine, tries. It looks the part, with a black-leather-clad interior highlighted with red stitching. The steering wheel is D-shaped, like a sports car, and red cues on the exterior also point to this being a performance model.
Compared with a performance hatchback, ultimately, the Kia Soul ! is limited by its higher center of gravity—but even given the crossover's higher riding height, it sticks its corners with minimal fuss.
The most impressive feature to find at this economy price-point is a dual-clutch seven-speed automatic transmission. This serious performance transmission allows for high-speed shifting and an impressive amount of fun.
Test drive one at Barnes Crossing Kia.
