Autoblog

REPORT: Kia Soul Denim to be limited to 1,200 units, start at $17,300

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:34:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Crossover, Hatchback, Kia, Specialty

Kia Denim Soul - Click above for high-res image gallery

According to Kia-World.net, pricing for the Korean automaker's new Soul Denim, which we inadvertently stumbled upon in the land of coffee while testing the equally new Forte, will begin at $17,300 with a standard five-speed manual transmission and $18,250 with the optional slushbox. Production will reportedly be limited to 1,200 units, though we'd expect more special editions in the future.

For that sum, the buyer will get the custom Denim Blue paint scheme with offset white striping, white side mirrors and white 18-inch alloy rims as seen in our gallery below. Exterior mods continue with a new rear spoiler and fender-mounted turn signal indicator lamps.

Despite its name, the Kia Soul Denim will not feature an interior sewn up to match your favorite pair of jeans. Instead, black fabric with 'Soul' logo inserts will reportedly cover the seats. Based on the Soul+ model, the Denim will also get the uprated audio and moonroof packages, fogs lights, floor mats and an iPod cable as standard equipment.

Gallery: Kia Denim Soul

[Source: Kia-World.net]

REPORT: Kia Soul Denim to be limited to 1,200 units, start at $17,300 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Soul Train: Stunt time with Kia down at the docks

Chris Shunk — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 17:15:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Videos, Hatchback, Kia

Click above to watch the video after the jump

Do you remember those Transformers fan videos in which fanboys with a lot of time and not a lot of friends made stop-frame action sequences with their toys? The creative types at Kia must have liked the idea, because they assembled a several dozen Kia Souls to make a video of their own. The end result is something pretty damn cool.

Hit the jump to watch "Kia Soul Rock!" The 1:29 video starts off with the prerequisite car stunts and power slides, and then it surprises with synchronized stop-motion goodness that includes nearly 100 Souls working together to make a rolling self effigy. Talk about your high-effort productions. At the end, the Soul Sport models all head into the cargo ship for transport, but Kia wants to stress that the vehicles used for stunt duty will not be shipped to customers. Thanks for the tip, ConceptVBS!

Gallery: 2010 Kia Soul

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading VIDEO: Soul Train: Stunt time with Kia down at the docks

VIDEO: Soul Train: Stunt time with Kia down at the docks originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 14 Jun 2009 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2010 Kia Soul deserves to be breakout hit for brand

Dan Roth — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage, Budget, Crossover, Hatchback, Kia, Reviews

2010 Kia Soul - Click above for high-res image gallery

Greeting the Kia Soul with low expectations didn't make sense. Perhaps the details of the funkwagon's story seemed overly familiar at first blush - Kia wants, nay, needs to be more than just the bargain-basement Hyundai store. Differentiating product lines with the help of bold design has been tried before, and the results have been disastrous more often than they've been wildly successful. Finding out that the Soul's styling inspiration was a wild boar sent the cynical mind of this autowriter reeling, preparing to suffer with a bore of a swine-inspired car. But Kia's been on a roll lately with aggressively priced product that's well equipped and imbued with performance that's often more inspired than the sum of its parts. If any brand stands a chance of melding its design studio's hit parade with tuning that lives up to the looks, it's Kia... right?

Gallery: Review: 2010 Kia Soul

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Review: 2010 Kia Soul deserves to be breakout hit for brand originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Drive: 2010 Kia Soul Sport makes the scene in Miami

Chris Paukert — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:58:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Wagon, Hatchback, Kia, First Drive

2010 Kia Soul Sport - Click above for high-res image gallery

As far back as 2005, Kia tasked itself with becoming Korea's sporty automaker, leaving parent Hyundai to become a more affordable luxury brand. Then-chief operating officer Len Hunt admitted that while Kia's value proposition was clear, its products largely failed to connect with buyers on an emotional level - the company's models were purchased based on price, warranty and little else.

Since that time, Kia has steadily introduced a slew of greatly improved products, but nothing remotely "sporty" has hit showroom floors. Sure, there have been a few promising-looking concepts, 2007's Kee and Kue, along with 2008's Koup... but while the company has been creating one-off showcars, Hyundai has grabbed eyeballs, market share, and more than a few magazine covers by delivering both upmarket and sporty vehicles, namely the Genesis Sedan and Coupe.

And yet, here we find ourselves in Miami, ready to drive Kia's latest and greatest, the 2010 Soul. Is this where the "sporty" kicks in? At first blush, things aren't promising - the Soul is front-drive, modestly powered, tallish, and squared-off in an economy-car-tall-wagon-crossover-looking sort of way. None of which is pushing any "sporty" buttons for us. Did we miss a new, possibly ironic meaning for the word?

Follow the jump to find out...

Gallery: 2010 Kia Soul - First Drive

Photos copyright (C)2009 Chris Paukert / Weblogs, Inc.

Our travel and lodging for this media event was provided by the manufacturer.

Continue reading First Drive: 2010 Kia Soul Sport makes the scene in Miami

First Drive: 2010 Kia Soul Sport makes the scene in Miami originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leakage: 2010 Kia Soul starting at $13,995

Damon Lavrinc — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 15:01:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Budget, Crossover, Kia

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2010 Kia Soul

A little birdie sent us a memo addressed to Kia dealers outlining the prices and specifications for the 2010 Kia Soul, due to hit dealers this April. The base model, equipped with the 122 hp, 1.6-liter inline-four and mated to a five-speed manual gearbox will be sold at an introductory price of $13,995 (including destination charge), and includes six airbags, ABS, ESC, air conditioning, power windows and door locks, an AM/FM/CD/MP3 player with three months of free Sirius satellite radio, along with USB and auxiliary inputs. For the money, the plain-old Soul is a stonkin' good deal and could cause first-gen Scion xB owners to avoid a repeat trip to the ToMoCo dealer.

The Soul + gets a bump in displacement and output, with a 142 hp 2.0-liter four, 16-inch wheels, rear disc brakes, tinted glass, body matched door handles, power mirrors, Bluetooth integration, keyless entry and cruise control. The Soul + will start at $14,950 with a five-speed manual and rise to $15,900 when equipped with the four-speed automatic.

Both the Soul! and Soul sport get the same 2.0-liter mill, but benefit from 18-inch rollers, fog lamps, an upgraded stereo, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, and metal interior trim. The Soul! can be equipped with a sunroof and sand/black seats, while the sport model gets unique front and rear fascias, side sills, rear spoiler, a "sport-tuned" suspension, red/black interior scheme and metal pedals. Both models start at $16,950 with a manual or $17,900 with the four-speed auto 'box.

Kia claims that the Soul will have "the most comprehensive list of accessories ever developed for Kia vehicle" ranging from body kits, to wheels, to interior lighting packages and performance upgrades. We're looking forward to getting behind the wheel to see if the Soul can pick up where the second-gen. xB went astray. Hit the jump to read the memo.

Gallery: 2010 Kia Soul

Continue reading Leakage: 2010 Kia Soul starting at $13,995

Leakage: 2010 Kia Soul starting at $13,995 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Dec 2008 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LA 2008: Kia's Soul-ful debut

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:58:00 EST

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Crossover, Kia

Click above for more live shots of the Kia Soul in LA

Kia put on quite a show today, prancing out a slew of new Souls at the LA Auto Show. Expected to drop as an early 2010 model in late '09, the new boxy Soul will go head-to-head with the equally-new Nissan Cube for the affections of ex-xB buyers here in the States. While the Cube really goes after the square-edged look, Kia has softened the Soul. The box's rising beltline starts lower in the front and gradually sweeps skyward at the rear, adding a unique look to the little crossover. A standard 1.6L four banger pushes roughly 120 horses through a five-speed manual tranny and an optional 2.0L unit with about 140 horsepower can be mated with either the stick or a four-speed automatic on uplevel models. Each should exceed 30 mpg on the highway.

The Korean automaker promises that there will be an abundant number of customization possibilities for its new Soul and there will be three separate Soul models in addition to the base kit, including the Soul+, Soul! (exclaim) and Soul sport. We think that they may be trying a bit too hard to be young and hip with these odd model designations, but standard auxiliary and USB input jacks in the center console with full iPod control through the steering wheel audio controls strike us as an excellent idea for its target demographic. Details on what each model gets are in the press release pasted after the break.

Gallery: LA 2008: Kia Soul Live Debut

Gallery: 2010 Kia Soul

Continue reading LA 2008: Kia's Soul-ful debut

LA 2008: Kia's Soul-ful debut originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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