SEATTLE, WASHINGTON—General Motors’ head of design in the eighties, Irwin W. Rybicki, once said “designing a good-looking car doesn’t cost any more to build than an ugly car,” a maxim that’s become one of the tenets of Kia’s recent success.
In the eleven years Kia has been selling cars in Canada, it’s blossomed from offering a handful of poorly-made, forgettable cars to today’s lineup of robust, stylish, technically up-to-date (and dare I say) desirable vehicles, becoming in the process the fastest-growing automaker in Canada.s
Much of Kia’s design renaissance dates to the day former Audi designer Peter Schreyer signed on in 2006 to lead the Korean automaker’s global design team.
Schreyer’s first vehicle to be sold was the 2010 Soul, arguably also the first that Kia buyers could consider for its looks alone, instead of considering its used-car pricing or extra-long warranty.
Still competitively priced, the front-wheel-drive, five-passenger Soul’s square-back profile and thick wheel arches gave it quasi-crossover, not-quite-sure-what-it-is looks.
And despite the Korean brand’s previous lacklustre offerings, the Soul quickly found an audience. Through the end of November this year, the Kia has outsold the combined sales of small, funky-looking tall-wagons like the Chevrolet HHR, Honda Element (both discontinued for 2012) , Nissan Cube and Scion xB.
Not getting complacent, for 2012 Kia is giving its Soul a subtle exterior and interior makeover, and a not-so-subtle redo if its powertrain lineup, including the availability of the market’s least expensive vehicle with a stop/start fuel-saving system.
As before, you can get a 2012 Soul (on sale now) with either a 1.6 L (starting at $16,595) or 2.0 L four-cylinder engine (beginning at $18,995).
For 2012 the displacements remain the same, but both fours have been thoroughly massaged and can be hooked up to either a new six-speed manual transmission (one more gear than last year’s stick) or a new automatic with the same number of cogs (two more than the 2011’s autobox).
Significant for its segment, the Soul 1.6’s mill receives direct-injection this year, a feature the Nissan Cube and Scion xB don’t offer.
It now delivers 138 hp and 123 lb-ft of torque, up from 122 and 115. But it sips less fuel.
Rated at 7.4 L/100 km in the city and 5.6 L on the highway with the new stick, (the auto sips a near identical 7.5 L and 5.6 L, respectively) the Soul 1.6 is more frugal overall than the most parsimonious Cube and xB models.
It’s the same “more power, less consumption” story for the Soul’s new 2.0 L four.
It now makes 164 hp (up 22) and 148 lb-ft (an increase of 11). Yet fuel economy is now 7.9 L/100 km in the city (with either manual or auto) and 5.8 L on the highway for the stick and 5.9L for the auto.
To visit gas stations less often, all 2012 Souls with automatic transmissions come standard with what Kia calls “Active Eco” — a driver-selectable feature that softens the throttle response for less fuel use.
Want to potentially use even less fuel?
Later this year Kia will introduce its new Idle Stop and Go (ISG) technology, available only on the $19,995 Soul 1.6 Eco model and the all-new 2012 Rio subcompact.
Commonly found in gasoline-electric hybrids, Kia says ISG temporarily turns off the gas-only engine when the vehicle is not moving, like at a stop light or in traffic.
The engine restarts automatically when the driver releases the brake pedal.
Combined with the mandatory six-speed automatic and enabling the Active Eco mode, the Soul 1.6 Eco scores a meagre 7.0 L/100 km in the city and 5.4 L on the highway.
During our three-day media drive in and around the Seattle, Washington area, I got the chance to drive all three new Soul powertrains.
Performance-wise, the new engines and transmissions move the reinvigorated Kia down the road with more authority.
The new six-speed automatic is a huge improvement over last year’s woeful four-speed slushbox, enabling the Soul 1.6 to deliver 0-100 km/h acceleration more in line with last year’s 2.0 Soul, around the 8.5 second range.
The new Soul 2.0 is roughly one second quicker.
What hasn’t improved is the Soul’s less-than-class-leading ride and handling characteristics.
While the 2012 Rio benefits from an all-new platform, the Soul still uses the last Rio’s underpinnings, first seen for 2006.
So like the 2010 original, the 2012 Soul drives like a taller and heavier 2011 Rio, never feeling truly confident when taking corners aggressively, while at the same time delivering a floaty ride.
The Soul ride never seems to settle down on the highway. Its new electric steering is light in parking manoeuvres, but delivers little feel when attacking corners. And there’s still a lot of road noise.
But for many urban small-car buyers these days — more focused on features (new for 2012 is Kia’s Uvo hands-free infotainment system) than “attacking corners” — the updated Soul is more appealing than ever before.
And so far, none of Kia’s rivals have stepped up to the plate to offer any real competition.
By getting more power yet better fuel economy, with the same funky good looks, and generous interior space (almost twice the cargo room of the Cube or xB), for 2012, the Soul should continue its segment sales dominance.
Courtesy of: strategyone.net
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