Through Ian's Lens: 2010 Kia Soul

In spite of dreary economic times, some car companies are manufacturing cars that look and feel cutting-edge. Spending money to make your wheels flashy may become a thing of the past for some car buyers, but now manufacturers are highlighting inexpensive cars with quality parts that create an aftermarket look and feel without the extra cash. Enter the 2010 Kia Soul, a boxy, four-door SUV-meets-hatchback that’s pitted itself against the Scion xB and the new Nissan Cube. The Soul is designed for young, hip twentysomethings, and it’s priced to sell.

The headlights and taillights are exceptional. The lamps and turn signals were plucked straight off a concept car and plopped right onto this production model. The taillights are tall, narrow triangles, while the headlights are multi-angled and covered in enough chrome to make an aftermarket light kit look like a flashlight.

The design aspect that most gives the Soul its edgy character is the shape of the car itself. The Soul’s outer shell has a rounded nose, matched with harsh window accents and sloped body lines. Its flat roof accentuates the angle of the front grille and windshield, while the flat back makes the rounded wheel wells look as if the car is moving while it’s standing still. It reminds me of a shopping cart being propelled at an insane speed down a hill.

Let me know what you think in the comments section below. As always, feel free to use the full-screen mode on the photo browser.

Comments

You managed to capture its personality and soul.

Ha, Ha!!

The CTA needs to seriously paint the track structure over there by 15th/16th street.

I like it. It has a rough, edgy look. A worthy competitor to the Honda Element/Scion xB, Nissan Cube. Millennials look like the target market here. Price?

OK, but does it feature the lousy driveability, poor crash results, crap reliability, and horrendous depreciation of other Kia's?

emjayay you obviously have a grudge against kia for some reason. Your comments about driveability, crash results, reliability, and depreciation are all way off base. Hyundai/Kia are very reliable, all do very well in crash tests, are all very nice driving cars. Maybe you should check some facts before you post your ignorant comments.

I just bought a Soul and I find it to be an excellent first car. Loaded with features, fun to drive and everybody who sees it has positive comments.

As to previous comments from emjayay: grow up you obviously know nothing. You want horrendous depreciation, buy some of the domestic crap made right here in the good ole USA. You know the manufacturers that are looking for taxpayer handouts to survive. What is funny that although autosales are down, Kia/Hyundai sales are up. Theres a reason for that.

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I have a '10 Kia soul and I have to say it is a pretty impressive car. I come from a long line of VW owners but I am now a Kia owner. Who knew, right? I love the suspension and the tight steering. It's also got a killer turn radius!