Kia Soul review (21/06/2014)

IT MAY be that sister company Hyundai is now self-proclaimed as ‘Ireland’s fastest growing car brand,’ but Kia has been making steady progress here in recent years and the most recent registration figures to the end of May showed the Korean firm competing well inside the top ten selling marques with a very healthy 4.57% market share for the first five months of the year.

It may also be that our test car this week — the Kia Soul — will not add hugely to the company’s well-being in sales terms herebecause it is something of a niche model, but it will certainly add to its growing reputation of making adventurous, bold and innovative cars.

When we saw it first at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, the Soul, along with Toyota’s Urban Cruiser, represented a new generation of cars appealing to young hipsters who wanted to stand out from the establishment. The Soul racked up decent sales figures globally without becoming the icon that perhaps Kia would have liked.