Sporty soft roader from Kia
RETURNING FROM a trip to Cornwall to see old friends on The Lizard, there was plenty of time for a drive – a rarity in my family.
It was a lovely summer’s day so I chose a route across country as far as Bridgewater, taking us through Bude and Holsworthy and then up over Exmoor.
It was a marvellous drive, with stops for tea and coffee whenever we chose, or just to enjoy the wide open views.
I was driving Kia’s Soul urban soft roader and it handled the whole trip with great ease – and no small amount of enjoyment for me.
Even on the main road out of North Cornwall – the A39 – traffic was light and, as we headed inland and up to Exmoor, the roads became quieter and quieter – apart from an odd tractor and trailer of course.
It just shows that if you’re prepared to take the time, you can find roads that are almost clear, even during holiday times when the motorways are packed and dangerous.
I kept up a decent average speed – obviously slower than it would have been had we gone on the motorway – and it was a delightful drive.
On that return journey, the 1.6 petrol Soul returned 38.4mpg, while on the way down, it had only managed a real 35.
The road holding is strong with plenty of grip and not much roll, but fairly stiff suspension means the ride does suffer.
I drove the Connect Plus model in the mid-range, which comes with a very good level of kit.
This includes climate, DAB stereo, alloys, Bluetooth to connect the phone, parking sensors and a reversing camera, voice recognition, sat nav and a quality sound system.
The Soul is good to drive and well-equipped, good looking and very safe. It also has the best warranty you can get – seven years or 100,000 miles.