The 2010 Kia Soul Epitomizes the Notion of "Boxy but Good"

In the obscure Dudley Moore classic "Crazy People" a group of institutionalized mental patients starts their own advertising agency. One of the classic lines from the film is when this group of nut-jobs sells the slogan "Volvos: They're Boxy but They're Good." Fast forward to the present day and this ad campaign could very easily be used to sell the 2010 Kia Soul. It sure is boxy and it sure is good. Especially when you consider how little money Kia wants for it.

Starting at $13,300 (yes, you read that right), the 2010 Kia Soul may be the best bargain on the new car market. For that little amount of money you get standard air conditioning, power windows, locks, anti-lock brakes, airbags for everyone, atire pressure monitoring system and electronic stability control. Kudos to Kia for offering all the comfort and safety goodies as standard even on the cheapest model.

Up the ante a little bit to $15,000 for the oddly named + model and you get standard Bluetooth, USB/Aux Jacks, a sprightly 142 horsepower 4 cylinder and privacy glass. This makes the very stylish Soul a direct competitor to the dumpy looking and shoddily built Kia Rio which is nigh on impossible to find on dealer lots with ABS (which is optional). So if you are thinking of a Rio, Accent, Aveo or any other silly entry level auto you really would be a fool to overlook the Soul which no doubt will also hold onto its resale value a lot better than those rent-me specials.

These two base models have a well built, albeit dark hued, interior. So to add a little pizzazz to the whole Soul-ful experience Kia decided to get a little wacky with the interior décor on the up level models. Whether or not you care for it is a matter of highly personal taste.

My personal preference is for the (again oddly named) ! model which adds a thumping 315 watt audio system, sunroof, 18 inch alloy wheels, fog lights, steering wheel controls for audio and hands free voice activated Bluetooth connectivity. The dashboard and door panels are colored beige and the tops of the seats are covered in a "Houndstooth" seat fabric that looks like something out of a Burberry Spring Catalog. It is decidedly odd but not necessarily off-putting.

Jarring in the extreme is the top level Sport model and I am not referring to its "sports suspension." Instead of the beige dashboard and door panels the interior of the Sport is a shade of red usually only seen on the lips of "ladies of ill-repute." The thought of looking at this "out of control red" (as I like to call it) dashboard for the entirety of a cross country road trip is enough to make a person want to gouge out their eyeballs with melon ballers from Crate & Barrel. (Note: Although Kia considers the Sport to be the "top level" model it starts at $17,195 just like the ! model.)

The Soul has really been a game changer for Kia around the world as it mixes its usual virtues of affordability and economy with a heavy dose of style. The spastic color scheme in the Sport, however, threatens to ruin what amounts to the model that should have the biggest profit margin. In Korea they sell a version with a blue dashboard that is actually quite attractive and soothing. This makes you wonder, why did Kia pick red instead of blue for the Sport's dashboard and why can't we have both in the land of the "Red, White and Blue?"

Kia has taken to releasing special editions usually featuring new exterior colors besides their usual offerings which have names like Alien (Kermit the Frog Green), Java (Brown) and Molten (Red). So Kia, why not offer a special edition with all the bells and whistles and install that cool looking blue dashboard? I guarantee it would sell like the proverbial hotcakes. Boxy hotcakes, that is