2014 Kia Soul: Still Swinging For The Fence

Stepping outside the box to build a better box, as in the case of the 2014 Kia Soul, can present much more of a challenge than one might expect.  Although the idea of a rectangular wagon with crossover leanings might seem simple at first, it's actually quite difficult to evolve such a basic shape and keep a vehicle like the Soul looking current without abandoning the uniqueness of its original template.

For its 2014 redesign, Kia elected to make the Soul a bit bigger, and a little more brash, all while staying within the parameters that carefully outlined the original model's success.  The result is that the new Soul provides more of a good thing in most important areas, with only a few details under the hood preventing across-the-board improvement for the car.

Thicker Soul

You can be forgiven for not being able to tell the 2014 Kia Soul apart from its predecessor at a distance, as it's not until you're up close and personal with the vehicle that the redesign's details being to jump out at you.  Up front it's the single-piece headlights and more extroverted (and wider) honeycomb grille tucked into the lower bumper that give the revised Soul away, along with a buffer, but less chunky fascia.  At the back the show-stealers are the much larger tail lights that sit in black plastic frames blended into the rear window glass to create a more homogenized appearance.  There are also round rather than rectangular reflectors set into the back bumper, and they sit under the plate surround rather than above it as they did the year before.

Ever-Upward Interior

Kia hasn’t been shy about its aspirations to draw in buyers with premium interior trappings, and the 2014 Kia Soul expands on this theme.  From a styling perspective Kia has moved the HVAC vents from the side of the vehicle's center stack to the top, and it's given its front stereo speakers their own carved pedestals perched upon the now-vertical side vents at each A-pillar.  Apart from that it's the availability of a large infotainment screen along with a more concave steering wheel that serve to differentiate the new Soul from the old, along with a largely successful focus on soft-feeling plastics and trim throughout the cabin.  The Uvo interface is for the most part intuitive, although I was a little bit confused by the navigation system's seemingly random display of upcoming turns, as the gauge cluster's directions often didn't match what the larger center stack screen was instructing me to do.

Practicality Remains Key

One thing that hasn't changed about the 2014 Soul is the resolute utility of its squared-off shape.  Those sitting in the second row of accommodations have plenty of room to stretch out on a long trip, as was demonstrated during a three-hour, traffic-heavy jaunt to a local autumn fair, and there's 1700 litres of total cargo space available inside the wagon with the back seat folded flat.  You can thank a wheelbase that's slightly longer for the current model year for such practicality and comfort.

Status Quo Under The Hood

An area where the 2014 Kia Soul treads water is in its drivetrain selection, which is essentially identical to what buyers were offered when the compact car was refreshed back in 2012.  This means that base models are equipped with a 1.6-litre four-cylinder motor that's good for 130 horsepower and 118 lb-ft of torque, while top-shelf editions like the SX Luxury trim level I drove benefit from a 2.0-litre four-cylinder good for 164 horses and 148 lb-ft of twist.  Although the larger of the two engines is now slightly more robust than it once was, the 1.6-litre has been hamstrung in terms of total output due to the decision to retune both units for more low-end torque.  A six-speed automatic transmission is standard with the 2.0-litre motor and optional with the 1.6, which also features a standard six-speed manual.

If there were a single gift I could bestow upon the Soul SX it would be additional grunt for its four-cylinder engine.  When hurried the 2.0-litre mill does its best vacuum cleaner impersonation as it gathers up the gumption required to hit your requested cruising speed, an unpleasant sound that would be more excusable if acceleration were a touch more responsive.  This is most noticeable on the highway when pulling out to pass, although around town you can occasionally provoke similar whooshing from under the hood when heading uphill.  It's really the only unrefined aspect of what is an otherwise pleasant driving experience from the 2014 Kia Soul, with even the car's revised suspension system offering better than expected performance.

A Well-Rounded Package

The 2014 Kia Soul makes perfect sense as a useful and stylish alternative to anyone who needs crossover-like passenger and hauling capability, but who doesn't crave all-wheel drive or the compromised handling of a jacked-up SUV.  It also helps that the Kia Soul is priced to sell, with an entry-level sticker of just $18,660 and a maximum cost of $27,195 when fully-loaded.  Budget-conscious, but still swinging for the fence, the Soul is a winning pick as an affordable compact family vehicle.