Report: 2010 Kia Soul Priced From $13,995
Look out Scion xB -- not only is the new Kia Soul more attractive, it's MSRP is a whole lot less than Toyota's second-generation xBox. In a memo meant for dealer eyes only, the Soul's pricing and specifications were leaked, showing that the new little econo-hatch will start at $13,995, which includes standard items such as six airbags, ESC, air conditioning, power windows/locks, ABS, and an AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system with three months of free Sirius radio. The base engine for the Soul will be a 122-horsepower 1.6-liter four-cylinder.
Moving up the chain, the Soul + gets a bump in power to 142 horses from its 2.0-liter engine. Sixteen-inch wheels, rear disc brakes, tinted windows, power mirrors, body-matched color door handles, Bluetooth, keyless entry, and cruise all come packaged in with this Plus model, which will retail for $14,950 with a five-speed manual and $15,900 with a four-speed automatic.
Lastly, there's the top-trim Soul! which uses the same 2.0-liter engine, but has attractive eighteen-inch wheels, fog lamps, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, metal interior trim, and an upgraded stereo. Optional Soul! equipment includes a sunroof and a sport package consisting of unique front and rear fascias, side sills, a rear spoiler, sport-tuned suspension, red/black interior, and sport pedals. The Soul! will command $16,950 and $17,900, respective to their transmissions.
Comments
Mark in Maine
Did a drive-by of the local Kia dealer the other evening, and There sat a Soul in the showroom! Nice red one with sunroof, alloys, etc., and a Diesel engine. Salesman told me it was a demo model that was being shuffled around to various dealerships until Spring. Had Euro number plate indentation in the rear bumper, and was LHD. Also, the little messages printed on the outside rearview mirrors were in Korean. Dealer had no price or mileage info whatsoever. It looks pretty good in person, A case of love-it-or-hate-it styling if ever there was one. Nice-looking, visible build quality was great, very well put-together interior. Picked up a two-page brochure, too - Kia is aiming this thing at the Scion xB and xD, the Suzuki SX4, and the Nissan Cube. The Soul looks like a pretty good deal for the money - looking forward to encountering one that can be test driven . . .
Anonymous
That engine is the same as the 122-128 Horsepower 1.6 they sell in Hyundais Euro Accent (i20).
Mark in Maine
Yah, the salesman had done a bit of surfing, and showed me a printout from somewhere claiming 57 mpg (!) for that engine . . .
hyundaismoke
Thats the 1.2 Kappa Motor Mark. That 80 HP motor wont make it to US shores in any Hyundai/Kia production model. The New 1.6 Alpha IV in the Soul is a highly modified version of the Alpha III engine in the Hyundai Accent/Kia Rio. US Souls will be getting 33-36 MPG Auto Tran. Which is strange, becuase the European Hyundai i20 can squeeze 46 MPG out of the same 126 HP motor. Maybe the Soul has a differnt air intake system than the i20, then again the Hyundai i20 has hybrid stop start technology standard as well.
Since they are using the Alpha in the Soul I think the Rio is redundant. Hyundai/Kia have been planing to scrap their current Accent/Rio models and replace with the next generation models a year or 2 earlier than normal, but I think they want to get rid of inventory first.
-Always Drive Foreign, the real patriotic thing to do is to let our wasteful auto industry to collapse so we can Nationalize it. We still make good trucks though.
hyundaismoke
I do hear Rumors that the Current Elantra will be scrapped super early for the Next Gen Elantra later this year. The Next Gen Elantra will be based off the new KIA Forte/C'eed/Forte Coupe (Next gen Spectra) Just like the European Hyundai i30 is. The New Company Grilles and front fascias will be more athletic yet refined, featuring a chrome horizontal bar on the top of the grille. with lower air intakes, akin to the Veloster, and HED-5 concepts.
Plus Replacing the Accent and Elantra would make sense in their 7 new models in the next 18 months strategy.
-Always Drive Foreign, the real patriotic thing to do is to let our wasteful auto industry to collapse so we can Nationalize it. We still make good trucks though.
Mark in Maine
Thanks for the additional info - didn't think that Kia would be forthcoming with anything Diesel for our (U.S.) market - Looking forward to driving the 2.0 Soul when it gets here.
CopyFire
This design is phenomenal, and the price is right. Why can't the Big 3 figure this out?? Steal a designer, already!