Instrumented Test
TESTED
Kia’s high-wattage ads for the second-generation Soul tout its greater refinement and uplevel equipment, but the boxy runabout still plays in a price-sensitive field. Fortunately for budget shoppers, the entry-level version looks to impress with similar quality and feel, and it’s also the only way to put a stick in this particular box.
Patience Is Required
For 2014, the mid-level Soul + (say “plus”) and range-topping Soul ! (“exclaim”) trims pack a 164-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder backed by a mandatory six-speed automatic transmission, a pairing that won us over in a recent test. The simplest Soul makes do with a weaker 1.6-liter mill, although, happily, it comes with a six-speed manual. (The automatic is available for two grand, bundled with aluminum wheels.) Fitted with direct injection, the engine develops 130 horsepower and 118 lb-ft of torque. As you’d expect given those meager numbers, our 2774-pound test car wasn’t quick, taking a leisurely 9.1 seconds to hit 60 mph and moseying through the quarter-mile in 16.9 at 84 mph. That’s a full second slower to 60 mph than the 338-pound-heavier 2.0-liter car, although the gap is cut in half after 1320 feet.
The 1.6 version noticeably struggled at higher speeds, with ample planning a requirement for passing on two-lanes. And keeping up with Michigan’s freeway traffic—it reliably averages 80 mph—meant constantly working the shifter to make the most of the available power. But that task was at least pleasant, thanks to the stick’s light, positive action and well-defined gates. It helps, too, that the brake and accelerator pedals are well placed for fancy footwork once you’re on more-sedate surface streets. (Hey, we’ll heel-and-toe in anything.)
Largely because we were constantly wringing the little 1.6’s neck, our observed fuel economy came to just 24 mpg, 1 mpg better than in the 2.0-liter and only matching the car’s 24-mpg EPA city rating. Highway mileage is estimated at 30 mpg.
We can deal with the slowness—plus, if anything, a poky car can require a driver to pay more attention to driving, a notion we support—but we are less forgiving of an unusual quirk in our 1.6-liter’s engine software. The car briefly cut the power when picking up the throttle after a shift, particularly when changing from first to second. It’s something we’ve noticed in a few other Hyundai/Kia products. We contacted the company for an explanation but have yet to receive a response.
