Sometimes small cars surprise me by being capable of carrying unruly cargo, and other times I just find myself muttering, “Man, this thing is tiny!” When I saw the Kia Soul at the Chicago auto show, I thought it would fall into the “pleasant surprise” category.
It didn’t, and there are better cars its size out there for the weekend athlete crowd.
The idea of a blocky subcompact was made popular by the Scion xB and Chrysler PT Cruiser. Now, the econobox category is growing larger with the addition of the new Kia Soul and Nissan Cube.
At the Chicago auto show, Suburban Dad Patrick Olsen got a chance to see the vehicles up close. Watch as he sizes up each vehicle’s strengths and weaknesses and makes a final verdict on which entry is best.
Today, Kia officially announced pricing for its all new Soul hatchback which goes on sale this spring. A starting price of $13,300 before destination charges ($695) is considerably low, especially considering air conditioning is standard. Move up to a higher trim level and stability control is also standard. Mileage for all models is expected to be more than 30 mpg.
There are four trim levels with odd naming structures: Soul, Soul+, Soul! and Soul Sport. Each model adds more standard equipment and available options, which we break down below.
Compared to other cars on the market, the Soul is pretty inexpensive. It’s cheaper than the Scion xB ($15,750), Scion xD ($14,650), Chevy HHR ($18,720), Dodge Caliber ($16,210), Honda Fit ($14,750), Jeep Patriot ($17,290), Pontiac Vibe ($17,050 w/air), Suzuki SX4 hatchback ($15,939) and Toyota Matrix ($16,290). The closest competition is the Nissan Versa hatchback with A/C, which starts at $13,110. Most of these vehicles either don’t come with stability control or offer it as an added option.
If you kept up with our coverage of the L.A. auto show or were there yourself, you no doubt noticed a couple new boxy cars — the 2009 Nissan Cube and 2010 Kia Soul — vying for the sort of Gen-Y attention Scion achieves. Both employ left-field styling, near-infinite customization options, splashy marketing hype and frugal drivetrains — a combination some analysts have said bodes well for the uncertain financial times ahead.
Over at Scion’s booth was a 2009 xB. We’ve spent considerable time in that car, but not alongside its latest competitors, so we climbed around all three back-to-back for an impromptu comparison. These being show cars, we presume most cosmetic issues — like how well the buttons fit — will be smoothed out by production time. That still leaves plenty of room to rate other areas, from styling and seating comfort to cargo room and overall value. We came up with eight off-the-cuff categories to name an initial winner.
Read on for our thoughts, and add your own in the comments section.
Styling
Not long after Nissan introduced the Cube, a twentysomething woman crooned from the driver’s seat: “Everything is round! So adorable. I like it.” We aren’t quite as smitten, but the Cube definitely takes the most risks — from the wraparound rear window to the circular climate controls and uber-plush seats — and, save the awful swing-out tailgate, we think it pulls most of them off.
The Soul is the most conventional-looking of the three, with a slicked-back windshield and modest roofline. The nose is a bizarre amalgamation of bug-eyed lights and plastic inserts, but the tail brings everything together nicely. Inside, the dash is attractive, if conventional. In the weird wars, it looks like Kia played it safe.
Novelty counts for something, and the xB’s is starting to wear off. It’s still kooky as ever, but compared to the ever-adventurous Cube and cleverly packaged Soul, the xB manages to look awkward and … well, ordinary.
At last week’s auto show, everyone from the executives to the cab drivers circling the Staples Center knew that behind the confetti was an industry on the verge of meltdown. Car shoppers are trading in pricier models for less expensive ones, or putting off purchases entirely as new-car loans dry up faster than the Colorado River. Yet two introductions, the Nissan Cube and Kia Soul, seem poised for this sort of reality: Like the Scion xB, both have offbeat styling and roomy cabins — and if their presumed mid-teens prices hold true, either one could represent a whole lot of car for the money.
At the show, I queried a few experts to hear their thoughts. The prevailing sentiment: a cautious thumbs-up.
“People are changing decisions; they’re buying less of a vehicle right now,” J.D. Power and Associates forecasting director Jeff Schuster said. “It’s not necessarily because of gas prices. In the past it was, and there’s a pretty good chance that it will be in the future. If you look at the vehicle type, it does offer a very flexible configuration. So you get good passenger space, good height for taller buyers that normally may not fit into a smaller vehicle.
“Even when you’re in a down market, people still want to identify with a vehicle they want to buy, and these types of vehicles offer that.”
IHS Global Insight analyst Tracy Handler agreed.
Kelsey Mays checks out Kia’s all-new funky hatchback, the Soul. He’s always been a big fan of the sliding sun shade and we’re not sure why, but his riff on the standard USB and iPod connectors is worth watching the entire video.
Of the two, I think I like the Kia better for my kids. (Full disclosure, I own a Kia Sedona). That doesn't mean I think it's necessarily the better of the two, but I think that, given the likely costs of each car, what they offer, and a comparison of features and interiors, the nod goes to the Kia.
It seems Kia’s new Soul, unveiled at the L.A. auto show today, roughly splits the difference between a Scion xB or Nissan Cube and a compact crossover, like the Suzuki SX4. The dash has fairly traditional shapes: The center controls face skyward, the shifter goes on the floor and the gauges sit behind the steering wheel. At first blush, overall quality is a step above the aging Kia Spectra's, if not quite to Hyundai Elantra levels. The backlit instruments look upscale, and dials for the A/C and stereo feel reasonably high-quality.
The seats’ tightly woven textures lose out to the Cube’s for overall comfort, though Kia’s rear seats fold flat. The Cube’s seats, when folded, leave quite a ledge. And Kia might just be the new GM when it comes to no-nonsense functionality: There’s a dedicated spot to stow your sunglasses, the pivoting sun visors extend all the way to the B-pillars, and the rear center seat belt mounts in the seatback — not the ceiling — to keep rear-window visibility clear. Gold star, Kia.
Kia’s all-new Soul is a major step forward for the company. Not only is the vehicle directly aimed at a youth market that's currently dominated by Scion, it’s also the first Kia that strays into untested waters in terms of out-there styling.
Even though its looks are wild for a Kia, they’re not as wild as either the Scion xB nor the just-announced Nissan Cube. That could make the Soul more attractive to more people, despite recent theories that polarizing designs are what people want.
Sized directly between the smaller Cube and the larger xB, the Soul also sports a number of trim levels, from a stripped base model, sans air conditioning, to a top-of-the-line Soul Sport. What will confuse buyers most are likely the oddly named middle trims, the Soul+ and Soul!
Pigeonholed as a value carmaker, Kia is trying to break into people's car consciousness in a new way with the upcoming Soul, a boxy SUV that will compete with the Nissan Cube and Scion xB.
Kia has released more images of the Soul as well as some specifications in preparation for its coming-out party at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. Kia said the Soul will be available in a front-engine, front-drive layout. At 161 inches long and 70 inches wide, it's shorter but wider than the xB, and standing 63 inches off the ground it's a bit taller as well. Its 100-inch wheelbase is also shorter than the xB's. No word on pricing yet. Unfortunately, car geeks will have to wait until April before it hits U.S. showrooms.
More pictures after the jump.
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