2012 Kia Soul Review

2012 Kia Soul Review

Bruce Sheridan

Overview

The 2012 Kia Soul is a unique take on a small car, and it is a vehicle that knows who and what it is targeted towards. Small cars are by their nature intended to be practical, fuel efficient and drivable options for everyday transportation, and in these regards, the Soul is definitely a solid choice.

It isn't class leading in most regards, but it provides a good balance of everything that you really need. It's by no means a sports car, but you'd be hard pressed to find white knuckle rides from any of the economic small cars. The improved engines matched to new six speed automatic and manual transmissions introduced this year significantly improve this small car's capabilities and fuel economy.

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The Soul has from its inception been a vehicle targeted at young but realistic drivers, and comes with more technology and connectivity options than its competitors. The Soul is not for everybody, but it everybody can certainly find something that they like about it. The best part is, its a car under 20000 dollars.

2012 Kia Soul

Starting MSRP	Max City / Hwy MPG
$13,900	29 / 36

Pros	Cons
Great value	Plastic filled interior
Great gas mileage	Rough ride on bad roads
Standard features

Trims

The 2012 Kia Soul comes in three different trim models; the Base, the + and the ! trims. Of course a car this unique has very unique trim names. The base and + Soul can now be fitted to a new six speed manual or automatic transmission, and the ! trim only comes in automatic. All automatic transmission models can receive the Eco package, which considerably increases the Soul's fuel economy with things like an automatic start-stop system and low resistance tires.

2012 Kia Soul Trims
Name	MSRP	Engine	Best MPG City / Hwy
Base	$13,900	1.6L 4-cyl	29 / 36
+	$14,980	2.0L 4-cyl	26 / 34
!	$15,990	2.0L 4-cyl	26 / 34

Performance

The Base model's 1.6L 4-cyl engine gives back 138 horsepower and 123 lb/ft of torque. The Eco version gives it a couple extra mpg, raising it to 29 city / 36 hwy mpg. The + and ! trims come with the larger 2.0L 4-cyl engine, and pack 164 horsepower and 148 lb/ft of torque. The Eco 2.0L engines also return a slight advantage in fuel economy, raising it to 27 city / 35 hwy mpg.

The Soul wasn't really designed for thrills, but the new engines this year definitely give it more life behind the wheel. The Soul has more than enough power and handling to easily navigate city and highway driving, and it can get you to where you need to go.

Interior / Exterior

The first thing many people notice about the 2012 Kia Soul is of course its unique styling. Boxy designs do not usually fare well, but the Soul is a bit more stylish and stands out in this group of standouts. Take one look at a local Kia dealership and you can tell Kia makes an effort to stand out with all their cars.

The Soul's interior in its Base model is a plastic paradise, which is pretty much par for the course with these affordable economy cars. All the Souls arrange their features well on their dash, which boats a larger amount of technology and options than the competitors. Stepping up the options can also get you leather upholstery.

Features

The Soul seems to be marketed towards a younger demographic, and is equipped accordingly. The Soul has more technology and entertainment features than the competition, including Kia's voice controlled Uvo infotainment system. Souls also come standard with satellite radio and USB connectivity. There are plenty of features available as options or standard on the higher trims, like navigation systems, a rearview camera, an Infinity audio system and HD radio.

Safety

In government testing, the Kia Soul got an overall score four out of five possible stars, from a four out of five rating in frontal impact and five out of five in side impact. The IIHS gave it a maximum overall rating, with perfect scores in frontal, side and roof strength tests. The IIHS also named the 2012 Kia Soul an IIHS Top Safety Pick for this year.

The Kia Soul comes with front and side curtain airbags, active head restraints, electronic stability and traction control, hill start assist, four wheel antilock disc brakes and an optional rear view camera.