The Kia Soul is a trendy five-door "urban crossover vehicle" based on the Kia Rio. The styling, standard equipment, value price, and overall usefulness, all contribute to make the Soul very appealing, especially to the youth market.

The Soul is available in four trims, Soul (base), Soul +, Soul ! (exclaim), and Soul sport. The front-wheel drive, five-passenger Soul (base), is powered by a 122-hp 1.6-liter four cylinder engine with power delivery through a five-speed manual transmission only. The Soul +, Soul ! (exclaim), and Soul sport, are powered by a 142-hp 2.0-liter four cylinder engine with a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. Standard safety features include six-airbags, electronic stability control system with traction control and anti-lock brakes, active front head restraints, and a tire pressure monitoring system.

This vehicle is a brand-new entry from Kia.

The 2825-pound Soul is built on a modified Kia Rio subcompact platform. Its 100.4-inch wheelbase pays real roominess dividends in the back seat, with six-footers having enough headroom to place a fist between their scalps and the headliner. From a comfort standpoint, this little vehicle is a winner. -- Car and Driver

There's ambition aplenty in here, including a vivid red over black trim combo, a gearknob that looks like a lottery Thunderball, and the option of pulsing door-mounted speakers, whose intensity is controlled by a switch near the steering column. -- TopGear