Kia Soul (09 on) - Review

The interior of the Soul is spacious and airy so four adults can sit comfortably with good headroom and leg room. Air conditioning is standard on all models, along with electric windows. However engine noise is a little intrusive on the petrol model when on the motorway and the 18-inch wheels fitted to top models create a little more road noise than lower grade models.

The Soul offers as much boot space as the Kia Ceed with the rear seats in place, plus luggage space can be increased with split/folding rear seats fitted to all models. An additional luggage tray can be specified for the boot to keep items separate and the front door bins are large enough to accommodate a drinks bottle. The glove compartment is large and there is a small storage compartment in the centre of the dashboard, although it has a fiddly opening mechanism.

The Soul has a high seating position giving the driver an excellent view of the road ahead. The dashboard has a neat and clear design and the controls are easy to use. In fact, elements like the ventilation controls feel very satisfying - in keeping with Kia's new mainstream position and putting the days of budget cars firmly in the past. The dashboard top and doors have a hard plastic finish, but they have a nice texture and come in various colour schemes. And unlike Kias of the past, the indicator stalk is on the left, where most UK drivers expect to find it.