First Drive: 2010 Kia Soul (Edmunds Inside Line)

A Splash of Color in a Sea of Gray: James Riswick

To fully understand the 2010 Kia Soul, it helps to know a little something about its native land. See, South Korea is a car guy's nightmare. It's not that the cars on its oft-congested roads are crap; it's just that they collectively have all the variety and character of a Joe Lieberman Comedy Hour.

Everywhere you look on the highways of Seoul, there's a white Sonata, a black Ssangyong sedan or a silverish compact SUV. The only way there could be less color on the road would be if someone set the country to grayscale. It's a surprise to see in a country with such fantastic, fanciful public architecture.

What Korea needs is a car like the 2010 Kia Soul, a funky little box thing that comes in such hipster hues as Ghost, Ignition, Molten, Java, Denim and Alien. Che Myungsic, Kia's 30-year-old marketing manager for the Soul, describes the car as a pair of flashy, colorful sneakers in a lineup filled with sensible shoes. It's the car for anyone who craves self-expression, like those people who bought the first Scion xB and then added multicolor cabin lights.

The 2010 Soul is a game-changer for Kia, the first vehicle from the Korean automaker that has a chance of being remembered for more than its low price and long warranty. This Kia has actually got soul...

Click on the link below to read the full article and view new images of the US-spec Kia Soul.

Excerpt from Inside Line: Edmunds

Posted in: First Drive,Kia