2010 Kia Soul – Preview

by Joe LaMuraglia

Miami, FL – I am at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Miami attending the launch of the 2010 Kia Soul. Designed in the U.S. for the “young and young at heart”, the 2010 Kia Soul is the Korean brand’s answer to Scion’s xB and based on our initial impression, a better looking offering.
Starting at $13,300 for the base vehicle with a 1.6L engine and manual transmission and nicely equipped for under $17,000 with a 2.0L wrapped in a sexy design, the newest Kia may put the Soul back into owning an economy car (I couldn’t help myself).
If you’ve been reading our posts lately, you know the drill: I’ll be updating via Twitter during the drive today. If you want to get the Tweets on the fly, folllow us on Twitter HERE. Remember, Tweets are posted in reverse chronological order.

Friday, March 13, 2009 – We finished up the day with the 2010 Kia Soul as winners of the Kia Soul Florida kitsch photo contest. They challenged us to take a picture of the Soul in a typical Florida setting that brought out the character of the car. What you see above is our entry and the winner of the Grand Prize: a set of Infinity speakers. We call it “Soul Punch”.
Driving a car for 6 hours isn’t really enough time to pass judgment but the initial impression was a good one. The Soul is fun, spunky, functional and efficient. It won’t win any drag races, especially with the 4-speed automatic, but it is an interesting alternative to a standard economy car. Stating with a base price of under $14K that includes power windows, satellite radio and bluetooth, the newest Kia Soul has a lot going for it.
Check out the commercial for the Kia Soul below.

Photos courtesy of Kia Motors America