Kia puts a charge in Soul
Turbo crossover has Millennials in mind,
Nowadays, there is no shortage of choices for anyone seeking a small crossover. From a trickle, the market is flooded with worthy candidates.
So while the Kia Soul stood out in the early days on the front end of this evolution, it has become harder to hold its place. Now, even though its basic looks stay the same, Kia is hoping to inject some new excitement with a turbocharged version, the Soul Turbo.
By adding a turbocharger to Soul, Kia squeezes another 40 horsepower out of the 1.6-liter engine. Other than that, it’s the same aggressively styled (originally designed to look like a warthog), roomy and fun crossover it has been all along.
Kia couldn’t afford to take any chances with the Soul. It has worked its way up to being Kia’s best-selling SUV. Kia sold 33,102 Souls in the first four months of the year, up slightly from last year, Autodata reports. Sales slid more than 20%, however, in April.
Against that backdrop, the timing couldn’t be better for a more powerful version of the Soul to spice things up this year.
The turbocharged engine, producing 201 horsepower, comes with a 7-speed automatic transmission. The engine has plenty of pep, but you won’t exactly be forced back in your seat. While the turbo power is evident for quick acceleration from a stop, the Soul Turbo is no performance model. It doesn’t have an overabundance of passing power either.
Even with the extra horsepower, gas mileage is a bit better than in the non-turbocharged version. Soul turbo is rated at 26 miles per gallon in the city, 31 mpg on the highway and 28 mpg overall.
As long as engine power is deemed adequate, we suspect most buyers won’t care. The Soul never was meant to be about the engine, but rather the capability and the fun. For instance, at least looking forward, it has plenty of glass for great visibility. (The windows narrow rearward, so the view isn’t as good.)
The open-air feeling is enhanced by a huge sunroof, a $1,000 option. It’s fun and easy to drive, with one of the tightest turning radiuses we’ve seen in a crossover.
Designed with Millennials in mind, the Soul puts its sound system on full display with a pair of citadel-like speakers perched over the vents on either side and a pair of large speakers down below with rims that glow — discostyle — in different pastel colors as you thump along.
It’s a roomy vehicle, yet at less than 14 feet, short enough to be easy to park. The headroom is especially impressive.
One nit: There’s a storage tray in the otherwise empty area where a spare tire would be stowed. But the tray is made of a cheap Styrofoam-like material, such as a throwaway cooler sold at a convenience store. We suspect it won’t stay looking nice and hold together for the life of the vehicle if it gets any use.
Overall, the Soul remains a value. The turbo version has a sticker price of $22,650. The fully decked out version we tested cost $27,620, including $850 in delivery charges.
What remains to be seen is whether Soul sales fall further as consumers opt for Kia’s impressive new Niro hybrid SUV, which looks like a strong contender out of the gate.