The supercool Kia Soul landed in our urban jungle in June 2010, but that was a preview edition meant to whet the automotive appetites of urbanites.
The Kia Soul you see here is the actual animal that will slog it out in the Singapore traffic safari.
It is the 2011 spec, to be exact.
Almost all the improvements are in the cabin, with the sole exterior enhancement being grip-type door handles in place of the earlier – and arguably cheaper – lift-up affairs.
Underneath, the improved Kia Soul has also received a new set of suspension dampers, which smoothen the ride so much compared to the previous version, I thought the test car had 17-inch wheels, when in fact it still wears the same 18-inch “Burner” rims as the original Kia Soul.
Those alloy wheels, with a zany design that looks hot on the Kia Soul and odd on any other Kia, are the main bits carried over.
The rest of the package has been renovated, so to speak.
For instance, the tacky key has been scrapped and replaced by a larger, classier fob that can pop the hatch, sound the horn as an alarm, and possibly order some kimchi.
Furthermore, the ignition keyhole has been superseded by a push-button to start the engine, cut the engine, and possibly cancel that kimchi order.
Equally useful are the digital climate control, multi-parameter trip computer and dual-direction steering column adjustment, all newly added.
Kia Soul still makes do with a 4-speed automatic, but the new manual mode is a welcome addition.
Making the cockpit more like a car and less like a Soul train is the new gaiter for the gear lever, which also gains a new side gate for semi-auto shifting.
Shiny trim now adorns the instrument binnacle, whose speedometer alphanumerics have been made more attractive at the expense of readability.
Kia has also specified illuminated switches for the power windows and a choice of on-the-fly colours (RGB: Red, Green and Blue) for the speaker mood lamps.
The interior plastics are still basic, but the lids for the glovebox and console compartment seem sturdier now.
The upgrades to the Kia Soul are welcome, but Kia did nothing to reduce the engine’s drone or induce greater handling feedback.
Maybe Kia is saving these corrections for the 2012 update… and Soul-searching in the meantime.
Kia Soul 1.6 (A)
ENGINE 1591cc, 16-valves, inline-4
MAX POWER 124bhp at 6300rpm
MAX TORQUE 156Nm at 4200rpm
GEARBOX 4-speed automatic with manual select
0-100KM/H 12 seconds
TOP SPEED 162km/h
CONSUMPTION 13.9km/L (combined)
PRICE INCL. COE $73,999 (as of November 2010)
The funkiest Korean crossover available today is the Hyundai Kona
