2010 Kia Soul review

This technology is similar to Ford Sync's telephone functions, which we first saw in the Ford Focus, but Kia doesn't replicate the Sync's capability to use voice commands to select music from an MP3 player. Voice command in the Soul works only for the phone system.

Slow and steady
Typical for this class of car, the 2010 Kia Soul is powered by a 2-liter four-cylinder engine, made more efficient by Kia's variable-valve timing technology. A five-speed manual transmission is standard, but ours had the optional four-speed automatic. Yes, only four speeds. This transmission makes the car cheaper to produce, but doesn't do much for the driving experience.

Attempting a 0-to-60 mph run, the Soul's front tires give a slight chirp while the engine makes a low growl up to about 30 mph. Things feel fast for a moment or two, but then a glance at the speedometer shows that 60 mph is still a long way off, and the car is done with any serious acceleration.

The engine produces 142 horsepower at 6,000rpm and 137 pound-feet of torque at 4,600rpm. Kia would have done better tuning the engine for more torque and less horsepower, as small city cars feel more sprightly with higher torque. But the real culprit in the Soul's slow acceleration is the automatic transmission, which upshifts to fourth by about 30 mph, putting the car in top gear at a relatively slow speed. This transmission does have a couple of tricks to improve that performance. A button on the side of the shifter turns off overdrive, meaning the transmission tops out in third gear. Get ready for unpleasant noises from the engine as the tachometer climbs. There are also a couple of low ranges, which will really keep the gears down.

Of course, engaging in this type of behavior sacrifices fuel economy, the reason for the transmission's early upshifting. The EPA puts the fuel economy for the 2010 Kia Soul Exclaim at 24 mpg city and 30 mpg highway. In our testing, which involved a variety of city, freeway, and mountain road driving, we averaged 24.1 mpg, coming in at the bottom of the EPA range.

At freeway speeds, the tachometer holds steady at 3,000rpm. An extra cog in the transmission could have let the engine run a bit slower, improving overall fuel economy. Stomping on the gas for a passing maneuver yields small results, a delayed reaction while the transmission decides that it's OK to downshift.

With its 18-inch wheels, the ride quality on the freeway feels smooth, but the economy car suspension becomes much more apparent at slower speeds. There isn't any softness in the Soul's underpinnings, so potholes and other road imperfections are felt strongly in the cabin. However, the rigidity of the Soul's suspension lends to surprisingly good performance in corners. Kia enhances the multilink front suspension with a stabilizer bar, helping keep the car flat when inertial forces want to pull it over.

We tested that handling out on our favorite winding routes, diving into corners to see how much stress the Soul could handle. It took the turns without feeling tippy, although the power train isn't responsive enough to make this type of driving really exciting. Again, the Soul isn't a sports car, but the handling is more than adequate for emergency maneuvers.

In sum
In its power train and suspension, the 2010 Kia Soul Exclaim doesn't stand out in any particular manner. The handling is good, but the power is a bit weak. Fuel economy is decent, but not great. The stuff that makes the Soul go is all fairly average. It ranks a bit higher for cabin tech, the phone system being a particular high point. The iPod integration and the audio system also raise its score, but then it takes a hit from the lack of a GPS option. Finally, it earns an excellent design score for the cool look of the car and its overall practicality. The design score only takes a hit from the iPod and satellite radio interface, which could be more intuitive.