Kia Soul Arrives At Dealerships

The first allocation of the new Kia Soul supermini started arriving at dealers today in time for it's April launch.

We clocked eyes on a transporter dropping six models off at a local dealership which were quickly driven off and parked out the way. Although the launch is no big secret it's clear that the Soul is being viewed by its dealer network as playing a vital role in keeping Kia sales on the up whilst other manufacturers are falling by the wayside.

The model mix we saw comprised of the Soul 1 & 2, which also included an automatic, as well as the Samba and Shaker. The top of the range Soul Burner isn't being launched at the same time as the rest of the line up and will make its debut early summer.

The salesman did tell us that the early Soul models had the original suspension fitted which was designed for the US market and that the new Lotus developed suspension would follow later in the spring.

The work undertaken by Lotus on the ride and handing package has resulted in changes to the overall suspension settings and bump stops. These changes have allowed the Soul to become more compliant with UK roads, adding a touch more refinement to the ride, yet allowing the dampers to do more 'work' under the chassis.

The Kia Soul range will start at £10495 for the Soul 1 variant which is only available as a 1.6 petrol. The Soul 2 starts from £11495 and is available in both petrol and diesel the latter also comes in a choice of manual or automatic.

The remainder of the Soul range are known as the 'Originals' and will be highly customisable. First is the Soul Samba which is available in Red and themed around music and will cost from £12495.

Next comes the Soul Shaker featuring unique colours, trims and equipment. The Shaker is available in a retro classic Vanilla paint work and is more visual, focussing on style and sophistication. It also has an advanced reversing camera system.

This advanced safety feature combines a rear camera located on the tailgate, with a small high-resolution image projection screen in the electrochromic rear view mirror to allow the driver to see exactly what is behind the car when reverse gear is selected.Prices start from £12495.

Finally there's the Soul Burner which will appeal to those customers who want to stand out in the crowd. Based on the original concept car which made its debut at the 2008 London Motorshow, the Burner is equipped with big alloys, Tornado Red wing mirrors, piano black high-gloss tusk-style bumpers and headlamp garnishes, and a signature Tornado Red ‘Burner’ grille.

It's more SUV like that the rest of the range and is expected to be a big hit with customers in the UK when it finally goes on sale in late spring.

Add comment February 24th, 2009

Take A Look At Hyundai’s i20 Three Door

Hyundai have finally revealed an image of the Hyundai i20 three-door. The official unveiling will take place at the Geneva Motor Show March 3rd. The three-door will join the recently launched i20 five-door and build on its success. Derived from exceptional quality and an industry-leading warranty the new body style will broaden the i20’s appeal to the fastest-growing sector of the car market in Europe, the supermini.

Positioned between the successful i10 and i30 models, the i20 three-door shares many of its styling features with the five-door. In fact the front and rear remains unchanged, but the distinctive crease lines that run along each side are enhanced by the longer front doors and the sporty, upswept shape of the rear-side window.

Built on the same 2.525mm wheelbase and weighing 10-kilograms less than the i20 five-door, the new model offers an equally well proportioned exterior and spacious interior that will comfortably accommodate adult passengers in the front and rear seats. 

The larger front doors create a wide entry aperture, and Hyundai’s quick-release memory seats with walk-in functionality provide easy access to and from the rear.  The system enables the front-seat backrests to be tipped and the whole seat to slide forwards. This simple-to-use system returns the front seat to the originally selected position without the need for readjustment.

Just because the i20's smaller, doesn’t mean it’s less safe. Hyundai’s aim is to make the i20 the safest car in the supermini class. Hyundai does not believe safety should be limited to the more expensive models, there is a total of six airbags as standard on all i20 models plus active head restraints.

Hyundai believes the 1.2-litre petrol engine will be the best-selling power plant in the range. The new, all-alloy unit combines miserly fuel consumption with low CO2 emissions to produce a compelling package with exceptionally low running costs.

'Kappa' as the engine is dubbed is the latest example of Hyundai's expertise in developing lightweight, low-NVH, super-efficient engines. With a displacement of just 1,248cc, Kappa unit develops an impressive 78PS and a class-leading torque figure of 119Nm endowing the i20 with responsive acceleration and excellent driveability. 

In addition to a stylish new look, the three-door model offers an impressive low price, £450 less than the five-door. The i20 line-up price will start at just £8,195 for the 1.2 Classic model. Available to order now, with the first examples arriving in UK showrooms in April.

Add comment February 19th, 2009