FUNKY AND FUN

Kia’s boxy, quasi-crossover Soul hatchback gains some serious moxie with the addition of a peppy turbocharged engine, sporty upgrades

Ilike boxy, practical cars. I applauded the arrival of the Toyota Scion XB and the Honda Element when they were both introduced in 2003, and the Nissan Cube when it appeared in 2009. But I didn’t always like the way those cars drove. Big and square, and generally underpowered, they were built more for getting stuff done than for getting there in a hurry.

My feeling about that has changed, though, with the Kia Soul Turbo. It’s squat and square like the other box cars, but it’s fast and fun to drive, too.

The turbo version of this car is officially known as the Soul! — with the exclamation point. It’s fitted with a 1.6-liter, fourcylinder engine that makes 201 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque, mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Those aren’t big numbers, but they’re big enough to give the Soul Turbo a great, sporty feel.

The sport sensation increases in Sport mode, activated by a steering -heel button and with the autobox in its manual shift configuration.

MacPherson struts keep the suspension taut. The very tight turning radius makes parking a breeze.

The Soul is zippy corner to corner and around city streets. But it really comes into its own on twisty roads, where it’s almost as much fun to drive as a more powerful, and more expensive, European sports car.

No one will mistake it for that on the freeway; the car feels clunky and noisy at highway speeds.

Kia has gone to some lengths to outfit its appealingly priced and youthfully aimed Soul with adult accouterments. A 10-way power seat with lumbar adjustments is an option. A heated steering wheel and heated seats are too, but ventilated seats are not. A panoramic sunroof can be had for an extra $1,000, and a “technology package” that includes an improved navigation system, power mirrors, blind spot detection and a Harman Kardon audio system, for an additional $3,000.

Standard with keyless ignition, the car senses the key fob’s presence, and the folding rear mirrors swing out as the driver approaches.

This car skews young and is going to appeal to a performance-oriented driver who doesn’t have the wallet to get into a Porsche, Audi or BMW. If I were 27 years old and had $27,000 to spend, I would be all over this car.