This is the official brochure of Korean version Kia Soul.
The eight-page brochure that leaked to the web today reveals a lot more information than Kia has released so far.
The brochure lets you know pretty much everything about the car and provides detailed information regarding Soul’s engines, dimensions, trims, options and accessories that will be available on Korean version of the Kia Soul.
Korean-specs of Kia Soul
In the home market, the new Soul will be available with three different trims -U, 2U and 4U.
The range-topping 4U trim will offer a myriad of amenities, including rear-view camera, 3,5 inch large rearview mirror mounted LCD display, rear parking sensors, high quality audio system that features 8 speakers and MP3 compatibility, a USB port and auxiliary jack.
The range-topping 4U trim runs on 18-inch alloy wheels with 225/45R18 tires.
Customers will be able to personalize their Souls with custom colors and accessories.
The Soul can be opted with 18-inch black painted alloy wheels, vinyl tattoos with the shape of dragon, rear spoiler, metal pedals, LED side indicator, aluminium fuel cap cover, side skirts and under spoilers fitted to the front and rear bumper.
The “Schreyer” grille will not be standard on Soul but a part of optional kit.
You should also know that there will be a red-light pulsing audio speakers in front and luminous cloth with the Soul wording on the front seats -see here.
Expect to see the word Soul shining out from the cloth in the darkness! Both features will be offered on Soul as optional extra.
hmm, there seems to be nothing about that knob with the + and minus sign buttons in it. but in the pic of the airbags, we can see a screen which is probably for the navigation system option. 8 speakers is a good if not great number of speakers. And it seems there is three wheel options but I’ve only seen 2 [15 and 18″].
and there seem to be just three colour options: Black, Brown-Black and Red-Black. then what was with the white and grey interiors we had seen in other pix?
Well, this is Korean version so it might not ahve all of the options that other markets get. That’s why I think white is excluded, althoug I think it should be there cause it looks very good!
O wait actually, the page in the second pic does show “+” and “-” and it says 5 levels. could that be for mood lighting?
omg why is the grille optional??? thats the stupidest thing i’ve ever heard. even bmw, the king of options, has the grille as standard… it should be the same for kia’s sensational new grille… anyways, looks like that + and – button was indeed for the brightness of the speaker LEDs.
mine would be black with the silver dragon decals and brown/black interior… mmmm~
btw i think kia copied the seat that says soul a million times from Bride’s racing seat cloth and modified it a bit… also, are we sure that the pic with the navi screen is a soul? the wheel looks like a borrego’s…
The nav screen probably is Borrego. One less pic they had to pay the photographer to take, that’s money saved!!
hmm, thats right. it isnt soul in that pic. anyways I think that light level adjuster is more than for the lights. its got a ring knob around it. its probably for selecting out of many things and adjusting them indivisually [like bass and treble etc]
err, guys. is a 109hp 1.5L engine good to give a lower fuel economy than 1.6L pulling soul’s weight?
Actually, looking at the airbag picture carefully, you can easily tell that that is Optima. You can see the lines of the steering wheel, and you can see the info center right above the hazard button.
im really upset it won’t have a NAV but if i can get a KIA nav on ebay that happens to fit the Soul, i’ll just do that. otherwise i’m pretty satisfied. i’m surprised i hit it right on the $ with the +/- knob. i’m also happy that the sound system is so good. there’s a subwoofer in the back! thats awesome.
I asked, is a 109hp 1.5L engine good to give a lower fuel economy than a 124hp 1.6L pulling soul’s weight? or will it have similar problems to sportage’s power-to-weight ratio which gives a feul economy similar to its V6 variant?
This is a comparitive brochure for the dealers from the look of it. That 1.5L engine is either that of the Nissan Cube or Toyota bB both mentioned from the first page. We all already know the Soul will only be available in 1.6L gas and diesel an a 2.0L gasoline engine.
I like the options. I hope we get most of them if not all in the US.
I love the SOUL! It is so hot right now! I want one! In pink!
it would be pretty cute in Pink i must say. hehe.
I KNOW! I love pink. the sub-woofer will be amazing. i cant wait to cruise the streets
well ya could always have it custom painted since there’s VERY few companies (VW, Aston Martin, & Maybach) that come stock with such a color. How old are you Kate? Where do you live? i’m not trying to pick you up i promise. haha. I’m just getting good vibes from you. lol.
I thought you were married! lol I hope the subwoofer is as Kiak ass as the Optima’s!!
lets not jump to conclusions on the audio, cos even if it is a 1000W Harman/Kardon system, it may not be properly tuned and/or the chassis may not be ideal for it and produce a really bad/tinny sound but thats partly subjective. of course being a H/K, thats near impossible but its just a theory, which brings me to another point – do we know what brand it is??? infinity or JBL???
and yeah greg ur right its an optima… silly me~
Good question Patrick…I don’t think we know what brand it is. In USA Kia uses Infinity radios, right?
In Korea, its usually JBL. and outside its infinity, siemens or that un-known one which isnt a popular brand. the one in 2005+ sportages and base optimas.
The base Optima uses JBL. I don’t care for JBL.
i don’t care for the Infinity woofer in the Optima. too small and not ported so it just sounds like a big speaker. and greg, you though *I* was married???
The woofer isn’t that great, but it kicks JBL’s ass. The subwoofer out-basses several after market subs I’ve heard. When you play an all-bass song, The car just shakes. We-I mean a rock-cracked the windshield playing bass too high. (Don’t tell the insurance company)
greg i’m gunna argue this too. the subwoofer in the Optima is only 8″ and doesn’t even have separate controller or amp controls. i have a 2006 Dodge with a stock 10 speaker boston sound system with ported 10″ woofers and it has separate bass AND amp controllers and even with both all the way up it’ll rattle the license plates a bit but its not gunna crack any windows. so either you’re fibbing or you’re implying that kia didn’t make a quality car. and i think we both know which one wasn’t implied.
Well, yes, a rock did hit the windshield and cracked it. And, I am going to argue that our infinity system has an external AMP. I don’t care what anyone else says. Everyone likes their music different, and I have not heard a stereo system better than a stock Infinity. That goes for stock Infinity in any car.
i agree infinity is one of the best out there. i had it in my Stratus R/T (coupe) a couple years back. that was actually my first car. anyways i loved it in that. all i was saying was its not powerful enough to crack a window as you implied. but i too agree everyone likes it different. my system stays on -4 on the stock head unit and +1 on the bass controller and +4 on the amp. 10 is the highest on all three. i have nice sound systems for sound quality not for the “bling” factor.
The Soul with 18″ wheels and Tomato Red exterior, red and black interior would be my basic entry choices for the Kia Soul. And a 5 or 6-speed stick would be my tranny option. If I wasn’t already properly outfitted with a great car I’d take a long hard look at the Soul. But the Forte sedan would still be my first new car Kia choice. Kia just keeps getting better and better with Mr.Schreyer’s work!
yeah i’m currently battling between the Forte & Soul as we speak. i’ll have to study them both VERY hard.
JoshyLofty-keep us informed about what you learn and what you decide, and why, OK? It’s always interesting to learn what others like in automobiles and why they do. My reasoning on digging the Kia Forte sedan is simple. I love 4-door rigs the most. The Forte is an absolutely gorgeous automobile, and I have a lot of confidence in Kia vehicle build quality. That Long-Haul makes buying a Kia a no-brainer if you already like their cars-that Warranty is one of the smartest moves Hyundai/Kia has made and it has contributed to their success. Mitsubishi also offers the 10 year, 100,000 mile Warranty…former Hyundai CEO Finbarr O’Neill left Hyundai round about 2002 and took the generous Warranty idea with him to be the CEO at Mitsubishi. Fortunately, Mitsubishi still offers it now.
Bryan, i too share the same curiousity as to why ppl choose what. I’ll tellya now i’ve owned 2 kias and because of my positive experiences, my mom bought a 2007 Optima EX new in 2006. she still has it and has said its been her most favorite of all cars. She traded up from a Pontiac G6 GT. Anyways i’ll tellya my next car WILL be korean. I’m battling between the Koup, Genesis Coupe, Soul, & forte. I have always been a huge fan of 2 door cars. I currently have a 4 door though and i haven’t had a coupe in 3 years. So the Genesis Coupe & Koup are both definitely high on my list. That all could change depending on what the actual Koup will look like and when it gets here. So far though is solidly set between the Forte and Soul mainly because (for forte’s case) the luxury & refinement on the Forte seem to be top-notch and i’d feel very much like i’m driving an Acura. I also like the midnight blue color with the contrasting option of black/brown interior and the nice big Nav. the gearbox, dash, & the rest of the interior are stunning as well; not to leave out the exterior. you can definitely see the design elements that give away the fact that the designer that designed the newest CTS is working on this car. look @ the area around the side view mirrors, then look at the CTS. its an almost impossible mix of lines in a very awkward area that he perfected on the CTS and then duplicated on the Forte. The soul on the other hand is a funky fun little car that i could really strut around in and show off who i am. its all about self expression. i love the green tea latte (lime green being my fav color) with the great-to-look-at 18″ wheels. The fact that i saw the shots with the houndstooth black & white interior sent me souring thru the roof. (houndstooth is the black & white almost-checkered looking pattern we saw on the link you’ll see if you click my name) houndstooth is my favorite pattern i fell in love with when i was in school. (i’m a fashion design student & major). The only thing keeping me from going with the Soul [hands down] is the lack of NAV, & the possibility we won’t get anything more than a 4-speed auto. The soul definitely has some great features & amenities but the Forte’s are a little more grown up and thats what i need to figure out which i want. a grown-up sedan or a funky & fun little hatch… I’ll tell you right now though that if the Koup looks as good as it’s concept & the production Forte and is a price i can live with, i’m going with that.
JoshyLofty-I am quite sure that P.Schreyer and Company are going to build the Forte Koup pretty close to the pattern on the concept. What an awesome looking car…I would take a close look at one if I wanted a coupe, for sure. Kia build quality is pretty tight now, too. Keep us up to snuff and informed as we roll along, and thank you for your very detailed response back to me. It is pretty obvious what your’e looking to get! Kia rocks the house, man! I love to see what others are thinking on new cars and what they’re looking for!
Paris motorshow update: mini cooper’s concept for competeing in this fresh, mini-CUV segment with soul is appearing at the Paris motorshow.
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Anyway, I’ve chosen soul cuz I’m pretty much bored of sedans. besides the fact that majority of UAE’s small cars are sedans its also cuz they have long rear over hangs and tougher to manoeuvre in the tight parking areas and crowded streets in some areas. The soul is shorter and more manoeuvrale with short overhangs and a slighly higher seating position vs. forte’s… tranny is a bit of a downside though, but no probs. I just love the soul.
I want Kia Forte Koup SX, loaded, AWD, 2.0 Turbo, 5 spd manual.
I still havent found any info about the haldex AWD tests Kia is conducting… hmm…
The Koup concept was AWD.
the Koup i’m almost positive won’t come in AWD. would be nice tho. we shall see 🙂
If it did, and has a suspension package, it could be a Lancer Evo competitor.
Glad you’re going to get a manual transmission, Greg, for your Forte Koup. Fun choice for a rig like that.
If you have 300+ HP and AWD, it is dumb to have an auto transmission!
I’d take a manu-matic. manual is the last thing I’ll want in traffiic jams.
Greg…I was on Edmunds’ thread “The Future of the Manual Transmission” thread for months and months, touting the wonders of the stick shift as the best thing since sliced bread. But I ended up trading our ’01 Kia Sportage 4X4 5-speed for the Lancer GTS with the 2.0L 152hp 4 cyl Mitsubishi motor and the automatic CVT tranny. I don’t really miss the stick shift because I’ve got the titanium paddle shifters for fun “shifting” mode right from the wheel! It works great and it’s a lot of fun. I may stick with this mode for now on as I like it so much. I like sticks still, too, it’s really a personal decision in the end.
Greg, the Forte Koup will have the paddle-shifters, too! At least give it a test drive check.
K-sport, we have manu-matic. It is electronically controlled, and it is not at all the same as a real manual. BTW, Manistee doesn’t have traffic jams, lol!! I will test drive them both. I would guess that the paddle shifters shift like Kia manu-matic.
except, the paddle shifters will have a F1 feel. Alright greg. Manual’s fine for Manistee. Paddle shifters look fun though compared to the shifting of manumatics. I’ve even touched them. it does feel great to click them!
It’s fast “shifting” hrough the grears, too. It makes the engine rev up high if you pick a “gear” too low for the car’s speed.
Ok boys and girls. Just got back from the dealership, well, 2 days ago when the car was first realeased. I viewed the 2U model with the 1.6L gas engine. Options were the glow-cloth, which i think is standard on all models, sunroof (which I believe is also standard), 15″ tires (the 18s were not available for show yet).
The review first-hand so far:
Good looking car, much larger than you would expect, espcially on the inside, which is so roomy I felt like I was in a full-sized. This has more front seat room than a galloper, or pretty much any of the K-SUVs, old or new. I’m a big guy and I currently drive a Matiz (mostly so I can sneak down the back streets in Seoul) and this was a huge difference. The back seat is equally roomy, and 4 people could travel in a lot of comfort, 5 still comfortably. The seats, while not bad, are still the economy-class foam seats of so many other cars, and an upgrade to top-quality seats (did not see the red/black leather yet) might be a good option if you drive a lot. The concept is great, and the details on cabin design are well-planned. Some highlights were: angle water-bottle cradles on the doors for easier driver access at about 15 degrees, volume and other controls on the steering wheel for quick access (and the priority sequenceing on those was intelligent), a single, sloping command console with multi-function buttons that might take a few weeks to learn but afterwards would sure simplify and speed things up, deep-set dials that are easy to see but out of the way (that and the center console make for an excellent level of visibility out the front windshield), nice hieight without being too high, excellent visibility all around out all windows with no annoying placement of headrests or anything else to create unnecessary blind spots, enormous glove box with as much room as two in another car, spacious and simple storage areas throughout without limiting one to odd spaces to fit thingss in, nice leg room toward the pedals, decent trunk space… this was not huge since the space went into the cabin, but was large vertically and that is where it counts, great sound system even without any bonus options (played a crappy radio channel and made it sound good – 3 band equalizer standard), and a good place to mount your GPS without blocking your view or putting it too low.
All in all the big seller is the interior design, which gives lots of room, great visibility, and still enough storage – well-done, intelligent and simple (although the controls have a learning curve attached)
While they did not have a test-drive model, I have an appointment to drive one October 2nd when it comes in.
Now, I can’t trash-talk anything without having driven it first BUT:
The engine looked like it was glued together. Now I’m sure its a decent engine, but I want to see a lot less plastic under my hood and a lot more aluminum. No DOHC on the 1.6L model, though the 2.0 is supposed to have. The air intake, which is the first thing I rip out of any car to replace it with a ram or at least a hi-flow, is oddly installed and putting in something new will take some creative planning and re-routing of tubes – not an easy Civic-stlye snap in job if you want cold air. The engine block runs width-wise, which is fine, but is tilted back at such an angle that my head was imagining a number of little problems that might happen…. Korean cars, in my experience, are famous for faulty or weak-ass tension leads, and they looked housed in flimsier stuff than my Matiz SX – recommend a rip, new leads, new plugs. Lights look redily accessible and there is a nifty under-mat storage in the trunk for your bottles and cables. Rain guards did not seem to be standard. Roof racks were decent, gave enough room to wax under, but the roof was so flat there will be pooling in a rain storm for sure, so park on a hill.
The big question will be how the engine performs with the weight (it reads to have some decent torque), and how it will handle corners with the height. It has intelligent driving chips, ABS and an option for some sweet 18″s, but is tall like an SUV without the same under-carriage.
All that said, the sticker on the 2U 1.6L model I described looking at was about US 16,000 or a shy under all-in. Granted that is Korean pricing, but the top of the line 4U model with all options, skirts and glowing speakers etc etc is around 20,000.
Given the competition (I saw a used PT cruiser with 5k on it, options and the 2.4L – 150 HP engine, for 24,000) I would say this is a good buy – again HAVE NOT DRIVEN IT YET SO I MAY BE SPEAKING TOO SOON.
If you are intereested, send me an email at [email protected] and I’ll let you know how the test-drive was.
Not sure how many of you will find this on your searches, but hope it helps someone.
Oh ya – NO manu-matic
Thank you for your review! The 1.6 is probably awful, so make sure you test drive a 2.0 before judging it.
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