Updated! Review: Kia Soul

Debuting at midyear as an early 2010 entry, the Kia Soul is a boxy urban-hip compact wagon along the lines of the Scion xB and the also-new Nissan Cube. Not completely square, it features a roofline that slopes upward slightly toward the front to maximize cabin space for the driver and front passenger, and to afford a higher SUV-like seating position for a greater visual command of the road. Our tester came in a Clear White exterior color, which made the Kia Soul, particularly from the stylized front end, look the the vehicular equivalent of a Star Wars Stormtrooper.

Inside, the Kia Soul's boxy profile was offset with more-flowing rounded shapes. There was plenty of front head, leg and shoulder room, with sufficient space in the rear for two small adults or three kids. Seats were generally comfortable and supportive, though were affected by a distracting "Soul" logo pattern at the tops of the seatbacks. The rear seat folds flat on a 60:40-split basis to create a particularly large and square cargo area, which could easily accommodate an off-to-college move or a day's worth of antiquing.

Performance-wise the Kia Soul roughly follows the automaker's compact Spectra sedan (soon to be replaced by an all-new model, the Forte), which means it's well-controlled and lively enough not to be a penalty box, but remains far from being overtly sporty. Ride and handling were acceptable, though the rear suspension on our tester had a tendency to land with a thump going over speed bumps and potholes. Ours was a Kia Soul Plus, which came with a peppy 142-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and a workman-like four-speed automatic transmission. The base model comes with a slower 122-hp 1.6-liter version and a five-speed manual standard.

With a starting price at $13,300, the Kia Soul is an undeniably good deal. Ours stickered at just under $16,000, but came with everything including keyless entry and cruise control. It also included the optional $800 sunroof and a $400 upgraded audio system that included (we kid you not) light-up speakers in the front door that would throb to the beat.

UPDATE: We recently drove the top-of-the-line Soul Sport model, which comes with oversized wheels and performance tires, a sports suspension and assorted cosmetic upgrades; ours came with a manual gearbox and stickered at around $18,000 (we've seen them configured for in excess of $19K). Unlike the lesser versions, however, we're not as fond of the Sport, which rides considerably rougher as a trade off for what is only nominally more-tenacious handling. With the temptation to push this model harder, the engine only feels slow and loud. The sloppy stick shift does little to enhance the driving experience. While it boasts sporting pretensions, it's more of a pretender than a competitor.