“Hola” Kia Soul fans and enthusiasts!
I just wanted to say hello to everyone, and report that we have safely arrived in Spain yesterday late at night!
I only slept a couple of four hours, woke up at eight in the morning and went downstairs for a quick breakfast.
The weather here is so nice, it’s sunny with 15 degrees C, so quite a change of climate for us. It was very cold when we left Slovenia and here it’s like spring weather.
Well, you must be interested in the Soul, right!? I have just came back from my first test-drive and I can tell you this car ROCKS and it’s so f****** beautiful!! 🙂
The Soul is so much nicer in real life than at the pics. Several people who have seen it before have already told us that you have to see it in-person to actualle see it’s real beauty and I can confirm that 100%.
It’s boxy design is very attractive and so different from cars you can see on the roads these days!
The one I drove was equipped with 1,6L diesel unit, generating 126hp, tomato red color and 18-inch alloy-wheels. It also had the camera at rear and a display in the mirror inside (very useful option btw!). Front seats were very comfortable and also featured the Soul signatures, you know, those that glow in the dark.
Took some good shots of the Soul, some are published below, but more will come on Saturday or Sunday, when I come back home. Depends on how much engery I will still have left. 🙂
For today, we have another test drive planned. Later in the day there will be a press conference, where some news about future Kia plans are believed to be announced.
A coleague of mine also told me, we will most probably get some news about the cee’d ISG and the future YN mini-MPV, but most of the conference time will be, of course, dedicated to the Soul.
Well, those are just a few first impressions of the Soul and the happening here in Valencia. Everthing’s going as planned and I can’t wait for events (pres conference, another test drive,..) to come later in the day!
Have a nice time and enjoy!
Kia Soul Pictures
Himi you lucky dog, how i wish i could be there with you. Hope your haveing the time of your life ,and post plenty of pics. Oh and if possible post a pic with someone at least 6 foot tall standing next to a Soul ,for me so i can judge the size of the Soul..Thanks…
Oh my god! YOU ARE SO LUCKY! Brilliant country and brilliant car. I think you really have captured alot of the souls beauty in those images. I would love to move to Spain, as my fathers side is all Spanish. Good luck, and have a safe trip back!
oh, can you get some interior shots too, ta.
El soul es un coche muy bonito y es la gran apuesta de Kia para 2009.
Himi, please make some interior pictures, and try to get some of the different trim levels, that would be great because as i see in your second picture there is a soul in moonlight blue with the 16″ rims, so i assume that KIA brought them all to the conference. THANKS!!!!
O boy! that orange SOul looks just awesome without the editing that was there in other official pix. Beautiful!
Thanks for the great report himi, really makes me feel confident that I will like the Soul when I see one in a month or two.
Some cars really do look best in pics, glad to hear that the Soul looks best “in the flesh”.
OMG himi, that link is amazing. Those pics knocked my socks off! The Cocktail Orange really surprised me…..so nice.
Wow! I only got to see the Soul today, I couldn’t drive it though. The dealerships are not allowed to let anyone drive it. All I got to drive was a pearl white 2009 Optima EX V6. Traverse city traffic is hectic in this fu**ing snow, and the 2009 Optima has a driving feel to it that is just so much nicer then the 2006.5-2008 models. Congrats on your trip, himi, seems like it is pretty warm there. It is almost my birthday, the weather sucks, and i didn’t get to drive the Soul, I only got to see it!
Yes, please post a shot of a person beside it knowing that person’s height, around 6 ft. tall, as asked above.
And thanks for the great pics!
Enjoy your trip, and never mind sleeping when you get home! Post the pics!!! j/k
Greg
Congratulations himi, to be involved in a unique event like this is a great achievement and also so much fun. Thanks for the excellent photos, I really like the Java Brown Soul, but they ALL look really cool. I am interested in just how big or small the Soul is, I know it’s built on the Rio plarform, himi have Kia increased on this apart from height?, is it obviously bigger when you see it for real?.
Yes it is much better in person, I even have a guy in his 70’s looking at getting one, because the size and hauling capability. As long as people qualify for loans these things are going to sell..
Hah, you almost have to have a perfect credit rating to get approved. I know someone with a 750 credit score that got turned down. The economy sucks. Hopefully the economy gets back on track just a little so that this baby can sell!
Cool, I hope your enjoying yourself. Be sure to get as much info as you can..
hey i dunno if this was asked before, but can u tell us what the material quality is like? i see lots of nasty hard plastic but it may just be the pics… especially on the doors and dash
Hi there!
–
We have safely arrived back home. Had a good flight with no problems in the air. Now it’s time to rest! See ya soon!
🙂
Hello All,
I’m a new reader of Kia World and like what Kia has done with the new models, particularly the Soul. Can hardly wait for the local dealer to get some in so I can test drive one – expected in Spring 2009 I believe. The posted pictures are GREAT also!! I just want to wish you all a very Happy Holiday Season and all the very Best in the New Year!
Dean
Well, your local dealership should have one on display before January. You could go and check it out!
I’m not sure where to post this but anyone in the US may have noticed the Soul being mentioned at the end of Kia’s current sales commercial. They actually say to go to your local dealer to see it…. it’s not available yet right??
It is not available yet but Many Stores will recieve a Korean Version for Display purposes. We are getting 3 in this week. But…I got to see and drive a US version on Saturday!!!!!!! It is sweet. Interior quality is very good (I do not get what the reviews say) It is better than any other Kia I have seen so far including the Borrego. It drives incredible. Fun, responsive and handles way better than the xB or xD.
If you’re in the Seattle area you can check out the Kia Soul in the flesh at Lee Johnson Kia in Kirkland! They have the Korean-spec 1.6L diesel Titanium Kia Soul with black interior. Kia did a great job with the Soul and looks MUCH better in person…..personally I love the 18″ wheels on it.
I got to see the Soul now, too! Not for sale, but on display.
There aren’t any Souls in my area here near NYC. I’ll be heading down to FL later this week, hopefully a dealer there will have one..
Is FL short for florida?
Yes, FL is Florida.
THe soul looks incredible in person. I saw it pull up outside my dealership. just jaw dropping in person.
Your dealership was in the latest Open Road Magazine, Colby.
Yea, we get a lot of praise from Kia for the type of store we run. We have the highest closing ratio for internet leads of any other Kia store in the Nation. We are the only autogroup in the North East to have more than 1 store plus we plan on opening 2 others in the future. I got an award from Kia for being the #1 e*Leads dealer in the nation too.
Kia came here to shoot an internet customer video to show at other Kia Stores around the nation
A number of Bob King Kia vids have come up on youtube.com
himi, was there a soul with houndstooth graphics?
As far as I know it was there, but I haven’t seen it!
there’s a vid of it on youtube. There are palm trees in the vid and it has EU registration plate. thats why I think its spain. Any other place in EU with palm trees.
Can you post a link to that video Boris?
–
Well, I think it’s most definately from the press event, because that’s the only place where Souls were actually presented to the public.
yeah sure. Just click my name here ^^^^^
Thanks Boris! That’s from Valencia yes.
–
Have you seen this one? Not from Valencia but has the houndstooth pattern.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt1qfSrkH_8&feature=related
yeah, I have. its from the LAAS. thats a chess board pattern actually. Maybe designed by Vans or something judging by the vid’s name.
IN BELGIUM SOUL LANCHE AT THE DEALERS 15/01/2009, SOUL 7 YEAR WARANTY IN BELGIUM AND STARTS AT 1.6 14.990 AND 1.6 CRDI 15.990 http://www.freesoul.be
O wow! got 7 year warranty. wonder when UAE will get that.
We have the preproduction/display model Soul sitting at our dealership (wisconsin). Judging from the decals, it appears to be a Korean spec unit.
Hey D… Which dealership are you from?
Don’t know about D, but I (M) am at Dick Brantmeier Kia in Sheboygan, wi
Well, we across the lake have a Korean Spec one also (Traverse City). It has a diesel engine. I am trying to persuede the dealership manager to let be drive it on the road, but so far I have only been able to drive it on the dealership lot. The engine does not conform to Tier2Bin5, so it is not actually street legal. I think that is why he won’t let me. From what I can tell, the interior materials are really nice, and the seats are really comfy.
I also noticed that ours does not appear to have TPMS sensors… another strike against streat legal..
All the Kia Souls currently on display at US Kia dealers are Korean spec Souls with Korea VIN numbers and will be shipped back to Korea to retail after being displayed so Kia does not want them driven period not to mention as they are Korean spec they are NOT street legal anywhere in the US.
It’s an absolute shame Kia will not offer the Soul in the US with heated seats, back-up warning system, or the stereo mood lighting system like they do in Korea.
I have been reading comments about the tires. Most reviewers don’t seem to like the ride on the 18’s at all……too bumpy or
rough. I think they are “V” rated, so pretty stiff contact patch. The 16’s were better received, and the handling apparently better as well. I think I want to get the Soul Sport, but I don’t think I want the 18’s that come with that package. The 18’s LOOK better for sure, but I need the best ride and handling I can get, especially on this car which is a little tall to start with. Hopefully the dealer won’t have any problems switching 16’s for the 18’s that normally come with the Sport version.
I was thinking, why do you want heated seats for, especially where I live it’s unheard of, or even the Southern states of the US, but I just seen on a TV news service here in Australia that you had SNOW in Las Vegas??…..What the??
That’d be unheard of wouldn’t it??
snow is Las Vegas???! whatever in the world…?
Woke up to 2 degrees F this morning. Yes two. We are expecting upwards of 12 inches of snow this evening, with another 3-5 inches to follow on the weekend. All of that on top of the 10-15 we have already gotten this month. Thats why heated seats are so nice…
We just got ours in today. Looks great! Agree US should have the mood lighting and seat heaters. Hopefully survey takers will tell Kia to have them!
The seat heaters are a MUST in Michigan. We received over 80 inches of snow since Dec. 1.
YES! They have a Soul here in Florida. Looks great! I want to see it lowered with the bodykit..
I should have mine by jan 15th…. Soul Black, Burner Launch Pack, dragon sticker, 1.6 CRDI “Play”
you mean the soul which is Belgium-spec which will be sold there or an only-for-display Korean-spec soul?