Kia has soul … the Soul Sport, packaged as an “Urban passenger vehicle,” created to attract young drivers and buyers.

Kia markets the Soul as “A new way to roll,” ensconced as the first of a line of next-generation Kia vehicles set to launch during the next two years.

The all-new Sport is an economical, yet sporty four-door hatchback, loaded with standard cool interior items and ripe to drive as-is or tricked out for the performance and style crowd with visual, cosmetic, aural and power upgrades to transform it into a hip tuner. But even with its sportiness, Soul joins the segment of “Box” cars that you either like or don’t based solely on its 4-rounded-squares-on-wheels design.

Soul’s low, wide stance is paired with a high roofline, an angled window line, rounded nose and large flared back headlamps, giving it a playful and youthful appearance. On looks alone, Soul is equally at home cruising local boulevards or trekking out on a highway jaunt.

The beltline rises from the front wheel arch to create a gentle wedge shape and continues under and around the rear side window. The rear is dominated by the vertical rear combination lamps set into the body color panel with clear outer lenses. The body and wheel arch crease line extends around the bumper for a tough, not rough, style matching the look of the front. It does have some sporty roundness to it, making it arguably the most attractive “Box” car in the segment.

Offering plenty of standard features, the Soul trim offers a chrome-accented grille, clear lens auto-off headlamps, solar glass, black door handles and side mirrors, body-colored front and rear fascias with black inserts, black bodyside molding, rear wiper/washer, variable intermittent windshield wipers and 15-inch steel wheels fitted with P195/65R15 Hankook tires.

Built on a new platform, Soul measures out with an overall length of 161.6 inches, an overall width of 70.3 inches and overall height of 63.4 inches on a 100.4-inch wheelbase. Constructed with more than 70 percent high-tensile-strength steel to enhance structural strength without adding a lot of weight, the all-new, Kia-engineered body achieves high torsional stiffness, benefiting handling, ride quality and refinement.

Additional measures to help ensure good noise vibration and harshness reduction qualities are fitted throughout the Soul, including a thicker dash panel, an A-pillar noise-absorber pad and an optimized exhaust silencer and a vibration-damper.

Under hood, Soul is equipped to deliver a spirited ride. My 2800-lb. front-drive test vehicle was powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission. The system produces 142 horsepower with 137 pound-feet of torque, and with a broad-flat torque curve, my tests showed Soul moving from zero to 60mph in a respectable-for class 9-seconds-flat, though it flattened out a bit at speed an only managed a quarter-mile best of 17.2 seconds. On the highway, there was enough verve for thoughtful, planned-out passing, but high-speed acceleration is not what Soul Sport does best. During typical drives and test maneuvers, my Soul reacted well with its rack-and-pinion steering, and despite noticeable understeer during slalom runs, Soul tracked well and while the shift and clutch could have been a bit more meshed, the ride was fun and for the most part, responsive.

EPA rated at 24mpg in city driving and 30mpg on the highway, my average fuel economy topped out at 24.4mpg, for a 500-mile test of mixed driving.

The interior is packaged for the audience it is marketed toward – today’s youth, from high schoolers to college-age drivers. It is a perfect canvas for tuner enthusiasts and for those who like some roominess in the cabin. With seating for five, interior measurements are 40.2 inches of front headroom with 39.6 inches in row two; shoulder room measures 55.2 and 55.1 and leg room is a spacious 42.1 and 39.0.

With Beat-Box inspiration the black and red leather interior entertains as the door speakers light up and colors vibrate and appear with the music beat and resonance. Standard interior equipment includes a 6-tweeter speaker AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system with subwoofer and 315-watt external amplifier, Sirius Satellite radio, three-dial instrument cluster, LCD illumination, USB and auxiliary input jacks , air conditioning, cruise control, steering wheel-mounted controls, Bluetooth® hands-free connectivity, dual 12-volt power outlets and remote keyless entry.

Soul Safety is attended to with front and rear crumple zones, side-impact door beams, impact absorbing steering column, advanced driver and passenger front airbags, dual front seat-mounted side airbags, full-length side curtain airbags, front active headrests, front seat belt with pretensioner and force limiter, power-assisted front and rear disc brakes, anti-lock braking system with brake assist system, electronic stability control, electronic brake-force distribution, traction control system and tire pressure monitoring system.

With 99 percent of its parts originating in its native Korea, Soul benefits from lower labor and material costs, and US buyers benefit from aggressive pricing, with a base cost of $16,950. My test Soul added only a $700 power sunroof and inland freight and handling charges of $695, for a drive-off sticker of $18,345. That’s an attractive price for a car that is more than just a sporty box.

Visit www.CarlisleEvents.com for more on the automotive hobby.

Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He's been a "car guy" since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years.

Did you enjoy this article? Please bookmark it onto: