A FRIEND who wanted a car with top reliability did his research and bought a Kia Soul.
In two years, it has not missed a beat and the only thing he’s had to replace is a lightbulb.
The Soul is a good looking soft roader available with two or four wheel drive that comes in at lower prices than most competitors.
And the remainder of the superb five year unlimited mileage warranty is transferable to new owners.
It’s basically a chunky medium five door family estate with either 1.6 124bhp petrol engine or a 126bhp 1.6 turbo diesel.
The smooth petrol has to be revved to get the best from it, but when you do it flies and there is plenty of verve for overtaking. The diesel is even quicker and obviously, is the one to go for because of its better economy.
Handling and road-holding are very good, with little roll, and it even rides comfortably both on poor surfaces at speed and in town, making it an excellent all-rounder.
Interior
There’s plenty of legroom front and rear for four, and even five for shorter journeys. The dash design is good looking, equipment very generous and storage excellent.
It is well-built and solid and although there are some hard plastics inside, they do look good. It even has inputs for an iPod and USB.
FAST FACTS
Kia Soul
Price: Pay £7,000 at a dealer for an ’09 09-reg ‘2’, or £8,800 for a ’10 10-reg Tempest
Mechanical: 124bhp, 1,591cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 5-speed manual gearbox
Max speed: 110mph
0-62mph: 10.6 seconds
Combined mpg: 43
Insurance group: 5
CO2 emissions: 153g/km
Main rival: Skoda Yeti