{"id":8305,"date":"2014-05-12T22:14:16","date_gmt":"2014-05-12T22:14:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wheelsforwomen.ie\/?p=8305"},"modified":"2015-03-18T19:48:08","modified_gmt":"2015-03-18T19:48:08","slug":"first-drive-kia-soul-1-6-ex","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wheelsforwomen.ie\/index.php\/first-drive-kia-soul-1-6-ex\/","title":{"rendered":"First Drive : Kia Soul 1.6 EX"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The<\/a>

The Kia Soul, a funky styled SUV<\/p><\/div>\n

Kia\u2019s quirky Soul was a huge hit worldwide particularly in the States but few found homes in Ireland, can the new version change all that asks Geraldine Herbert<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

What is it? <\/b>This revamped Soul is Kia\u2019s cool, cute and funky compact SUV. Promising a firmer suspension, better refinement and smarter styling the Soul is still distinctive enough to stand apart from rivals .<\/p>\n

What about the interior?<\/b> Inside the funky body doesn’t compromise interior space and while not quite as quirky as the exterior styling might suggest overall everything is well made and there are some really nice touches \u00a0and details throughout.<\/p>\n

And on the road?<\/b> At the launch we drove the only engine available, the 1.6-litre diesel.<\/p>\n

Kia Soul and the city:<\/b> Once behind the wheel the Soul feels like a much smaller car and whether negotiating city traffic or meandering through narrow streets the light steering makes it a perfect city car. \u00a0\u00a0The high driving position gives a good view over the chunky front bonnet.<\/p>\n

Kia Soul and the open road:<\/b> The 1.6 diesel engine is punchy and makes light work of motorways ; once moving, it feels safe and stable. While it tends to be a tad noisy at low speeds it is responsive and refined with plenty of grip.<\/p>\n

How Much?<\/b> The entry level \u00a0EX is priced at \u20ac24,495\u00a0 and the Platinum is available from \u20ac28,495.<\/p>\n

\"Inside<\/a>

Inside there is lots of room<\/p><\/div>\n

How Safe?<\/b> The Soul has not yet been tested by the EuroNCAP but in terms of safety both models include side and curtain \u00a0airbags and ABS With Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, Front active head rests, Adaptive Brake Lights (Emergency Stop Signalling), Electronic Stability Control (Esc) With Brake-Assist System and Vehicle Stability Management (Vsm) as standard.<\/p>\n

What about my options:<\/b> Soul drivers have a choice of two trims, EX and Platium. The entry level EX is well equipped with features including 17\u201d Alloy Wheels, Bluetooth, Cruise Control\/Speed Limiter, climate control automatic air con ,digital radio and rear view camera. The Platinum option adds 18\u201d Alloys, sat nav, leather upholstery with heated front seats electrically adjustable drivers seat, panoramic sunroof and an Infinity sounds system\u00a0 .<\/p>\n

3 words to describe the Kia Soul:<\/b> Fun; Quirky; Practical<\/p>\n

For more information check out\u00a0Kia Ireland\u00a0<\/a>or the\u00a0Kia Ireland\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>page.<\/p>\n

Geraldine Herbert<\/strong><\/p>\n

13th May, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kia\u2019s quirky Soul was a huge hit worldwide particularly in the States but few found homes in Ireland, can the new version change all that asks Geraldine Herbert What is it? This revamped Soul is Kia\u2019s cool, cute and funky compact SUV. Promising a firmer suspension, better refinement and smarter styling the Soul is still […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8308,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,297,267],"tags":[246,503,912,1737],"yoast_head":"\nFirst Drive : Kia Soul 1.6 EX - wheelsforwomen.ie<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The quirky Kia Soul was a huge hit worldwide particularly in the States but few found homes in Ireland, can the new version change all that\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wheelsforwomen.ie\/index.php\/first-drive-kia-soul-1-6-ex\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"First Drive : Kia Soul 1.6 EX - wheelsforwomen.ie\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The quirky Kia Soul was a huge hit worldwide particularly in the States but few found homes in Ireland, can the new version change all that\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.wheelsforwomen.ie\/index.php\/first-drive-kia-soul-1-6-ex\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"wheelsforwomen.ie\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/wheelsforwomen\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-05-12T22:14:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-03-18T19:48:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.wheelsforwomen.ie\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/kia_soul_1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"424\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Geraldine Herbert\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Geraldine Herbert\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wheelsforwomen.ie\/index.php\/first-drive-kia-soul-1-6-ex\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wheelsforwomen.ie\/index.php\/first-drive-kia-soul-1-6-ex\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Geraldine Herbert\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wheelsforwomen.ie\/#\/schema\/person\/4e9263f6ed5330b3f3553487011f8b95\"},\"headline\":\"First Drive : Kia Soul 1.6 EX\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-05-12T22:14:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-03-18T19:48:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wheelsforwomen.ie\/index.php\/first-drive-kia-soul-1-6-ex\/\"},\"wordCount\":409,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wheelsforwomen.ie\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"compact SUV\",\"Featured\",\"Kia Ireland\",\"Kia Soul\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Car Reviews\",\"Compact SUV\",\"First Drives\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wheelsforwomen.ie\/index.php\/first-drive-kia-soul-1-6-ex\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.wheelsforwomen.ie\/index.php\/first-drive-kia-soul-1-6-ex\/\",\"name\":\"First Drive : Kia Soul 1.6 EX - 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