1.6 CRDi 134bhp Mixx 5dr

Undeservedly Underrated

Considering the Soul’s quirky styling it is somewhat surprising that it has managed to stay so far beneath the radar of a lot of buyers. So far below in fact that Kia have pulled the plug on the ICE version and plan to relaunch the Soul as an all EV range soon. This is a massive shame because it will surely mean that even fewer owners will get to experience the Soul, a car that ticks all the boxes for a compact SUV and plenty more besides.

Let’s get the downsides out of the way first. First and foremost, the engine. The 1.6l diesel is neither the most efficient or the quietest out there; we averaged 40mpg in suburban driving (although it could return nearly 50 on rare long motorway drives). Refinement was lacking too. Especially on start up and under heavy load.

Other niggles were more minor: the odd exposed screw head if you looked hard enough and the slightly tacky fake chrome of the door handles.

In every other regard this was a perfect car. Bullet proof reliability, a flat cabin floor to maximise passenger space and comfort and a surprisingly spacious double level boot – big enough for a hefty Labrador at any rate.

But it’s the extra touches that truly made this car stand out. The interior, dominated by a large HD touch screen, is littered with special little touches to make the driver feel that little bit special too. Things that don’t necessarily sound that impressive in print – gloss, piano black centre console, yellow stitching on the seats and steering wheel – but made the world of difference to the feel of the car.

With the Soul off the market we did look at other options in the Kia range but felt they were inferior in every regard.

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