2012 Kia Soul
by Jim Prueter

With its unique look, excellent value, top safety rating, and impressive drive quality, Kia Soul has been our choice for the best new car you can buy for under $15,000 for the third year running.

Whether you like the Soul’s funky boxy styling or not, there’s no disagreement that it’s one of the most functional small cars on the market, with lots of room for passengers and cargo.

Now in its third year of production, the Soul has received a number of upgrades, most notably more powerful and fuel-efficient engine choices, a new six-speed transmission, and revised steering.

Outside, the Soul’s design has been updated, but unless you park the current and outgoing model side by side, the changes are nearly undetectable. There are subtle alterations to front and rear fascias to project a wider stance, a redesigned hood, and new headlamps, taillights, side mirrors, and wheels that project a more modern look.

Inside, Soul has been redesigned and upgraded, with slight changes to the instrument panel and the incorporation of more quality materials. Kia also added a telescoping steering wheel, another setting on optional heated seats, and optional navigation. Also upgraded, sound-buffering insulation renders the interior noticeably quieter at all speeds.

The Kia Soul is a four-door hatchback available in three punctuation-inspired trim levels: Soul base, Soul Plus, and Soul Exclaim, with the Soul Sport trim discontinued.

The base trim offers numerous standard features, including electric power steering (EPS), 15-inch wheels, air conditioning, tilt and telescopic steering column, power windows, door locks and mirrors, cloth upholstery, a 60/40-split folding rear seat, trip computer, tilt-and-telescoping steering column, and four-speaker sound system with CD player, an auxiliary audio jack, iPod/USB audio interface, MP3 connectivity, and available SiriusXM™ Satellite Radio with three months complimentary service. When equipped with the optional automatic transmission, the base Soul gains keyless entry, rear privacy glass, cruise control, a height-adjustable driver seat, and Bluetooth phone connectivity.

For 2012, we tested the top-of-the-line Soul Exclaim, the most distinguishable model this year thanks to new front LED accents and taillights, plus new 18-inch alloy wheels. The Exclaim also has automatic headlights, fog lights, LED daytime running lights, and taillights, a sunroof (optional on the Soul Plus), two-tone houndstooth upholstery, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, and the Audio Upgrade package. The Premium package adds keyless ignition/entry, leather upholstery, heated front seats, automatic climatic control, and a navigation system with real-time traffic.

The front-wheel drive Kia Soul is offered with two different engines. The base Soul gets a new 1.6-liter four-cylinder that adds GDI technology and produces 138 horsepower (up 16 horsepower) and 123 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed manual transmission is standard (includes a hill holder) and a six-speed automatic is optional. EPA mileage estimates are significantly better than those of last year’s Soul, with the 1.6-liter engine returning 27 city/35 highway mpg and 30 mpg combined, regardless of transmission choice. These numbers rise to 29/36/32 with the 1.6 Eco package, which features low-rolling-resistance tires and auto-start/stop technology similar to that found in hybrid powertrains.

Called Idle Stop and Go (ISG) technology, it automatically turns off the engine when the vehicle is not in motion. The engine restarts automatically when the driver releases the brake pedal, resulting in lower levels of fuel consumption.

Both the Plus and Exclaim get a gutsier 2.0-liter four-cylinder that puts out 164 hp (up 22 horsepower) and 148 pound-feet of torque. The Soul Plus gets the same transmission choices as the base model, but the Soul Exclaim is automatic only. EPA-estimated fuel economy is 26/34/29 regardless of transmission and rises to 27/35/30 with the 2.0 Eco package. No matter the model, fuel economy estimates are better than other hatchbacks such as the Nissan Cube and Scion xB, but fall just short of more conventional hatchbacks.

Our weeklong testing consisted of a mix of city and highway driving. We found the 2012 model easy to drive, surprisingly fun, and quieter than expected. The seats are comfortable with good support, headroom and legroom are ample (even for this more than 6-foot-tall driver), and forward visibility is good. Large rear pillars hamper visibility, but the large outside rearview mirrors help.

Standard safety gear includes six airbags, front active headrests, LATCH system for child safety seats, antilock brake system with brake assist, traction and electronic stability control systems, and hill-start assist control for manual transmission models.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has not crash tested the 2012 Soul, but the nearly identical 2011 Soul was awarded four out of five stars for overall safety, with four for frontal crash tests and five for side impact crash tests. And the Kia Soul was awarded a Top Safety Pick for 2012 by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Overall the Soul isn’t for everybody. But if you like the boxy look, the funky interior, and fun colors, we recommend putting it on your list of vehicles to test drive. We think you’ll be more than pleased with its nearly perfect package and value for the money.