2011 Kia Soul news, pictures, and information

Urban Passenger Vehicle Continues to Offer a Combination of Style, Value and Personalization Options

The versatile five-door's low, wide stance is paired wîth an angled window line, rounded nose and large flared-back headlamps, giving it a playful and youthful appearance. With a friendly face and exuberant personality, Soul is perfect for coastline drives or cruising downtown city streets, embodying the mantra 'a new way to roll.'

The beltline rises from the front wheel arch to create a gentle wedge shape and continues under and around the rear side window. The rear is dominated by the vertical combination tail lamps set into the body color panel wîth clear outer lenses. The body and wheel arch crease line extends around the bumper for a tough, not rough, style matching the look of the front.

Offering plenty of standard features, the Soul trim offers a chrome-accented grille, clear lens auto-off headlamps, solar glass, black door handles and side mirrors, grip exterior door handles, black bodyside molding, rear wiper/washer, variable intermittent windshield wipers and 15-inch steel wheels fitted wîth P195/65R15 tires.

Úpgrading to the Soul+ adds keyless remote entry wîth flip key, Bluetooth®3 wireless technology, privacy glass on the rear and rear side windows, body-color door handles and dual body-color power side mirrors along wîth 16-inch alloy wheels wîth P205/55R16 tires. Soul+ also comes wîth optional front fog lamps and a power sunroof.

The Soul! adds as standard equipment a power sunroof, fog lamps and 18-inch alloy wheels paired wîth P225/45R18 tires. The dynamic Soul sport builds off of the Soul+ features and adds unique body color front and rear fascias, side sills, rear spoiler, 18-inch alloy wheels and fog lamps, wholly personifying the athletic, urban look Soul embodies. Heated outside mirrors also are standard on the Soul! and Soul sport models.

Also adding to the distinctiveness of Soul, buyers can choose from a wide palate of exotic exterior paint colors, including: Dune and Clear White; metallic tones of Shadow, Titanium and Bright Silver; coffee-inspired Java; red-hot Molten; Alien green, flame-emulating Ignition, Denim blue and dreamy Ghost. Further adding to Soul's stylish and funky appeal, KMA is launching two all-new Special Edition Souls4 in the 2011 model year. Based on the Soul+ trim and available wîth automatic climate control, each additional Special Edition Soul will offer unique exterior styling along wîth a number of fun accessories specific to that Soul.

Spacious, State-of-the-Art Interior

Recipient of the Ward's AutoWorld 'Grooviest Interior' award for 2010, inside the cabin is where Soul really shows its power to surprise. For those who want a personal lounge on wheels or an efficient cargo carrier wîth 14 storage zones, Soul has it covered. While Soul offers a relatively small exterior, it offers a surprisingly spacious interior. Passengers will find comfort in the roomy cabin that offers 40.2/39.6 inches of headroom (front/rear), shoulder room of 55.2/55.1 inches, 42.1/39.0 inches of legroom and a passenger volume of 102.3 cubic feet.

All five adult passengers will find ingress and egress simple and effortless, credited to tall doors and a high seating position, and each Soul has its own personality credited to multiple options for interiors wîth different colors, fabrics and audio system packages available for selection.

Soul's interior design is decidedly influenced by the car's highly specified audio system. An uncluttered dashboard wîth a three-dial instrument cluster, LCD illumination and floating center stack design is the key visual feature and offers enticing access to the AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system outfitted wîth SIRIÚS Satellite Radio capabilities and three months complimentary service. Standard ÚSB and auxiliary input jacks also are in the center console wîth full iPod®5 and MP3 controllability via the audio head unit and §teering wheel controls achieved wîth an optional accessory iPod cable.

Improving the Soul's interior look and feel, Soul features metal-finish accents that appear on the §teering wheel, shift lever surround, air vents and speakers. The interior door panels also are enhanced wîth soft-touch perforated panels and padded door armrests.

Additional standard interior features that make the Soul stand out from the rest include air conditioning, tilt §teering column, power door locks, illuminated window switches, power windows wîth driver's side auto-down, external temperature display and digital clock in the radio, an upper storage bin, dual-level glove box, 12-volt power outlet, rear window defroster, cargo area light and a dome light wîth delay out. Soul is stylishly appointed wîth black cloth seats, adding to its comfortable interior. A 60/40 split-folding rear seat wîth headrest height adjustment offers multiple seating and cargo arrangements depending on driver and passenger needs.

Soul+ offers additional standard features, including cruise control wîth §teering wheel-mounted controls, hands-free Bluetooth wireless technology connectivity, dual 12-volt power outlets and tweeter speakers, all enhancing creature comforts on the road. Also standard on the Soul+ is a covered upper storage bin, dual visor vanity mirrors wîth covers and dual map lights, while black cloth seats are adorned wîth Soul logo inserts, further personalizing the cabin.

Advancing to the Soul! adds a leather-wrapped §teering wheel and shift knob and carpeted floor mats, combined wîth sand-black cloth interior trim wîth houndstooth inserts for a distinguishing Soul style. For the Soul! and Soul sport (and an option for Soul+), a standard Audio Úpgrade Package enhances the sound wîth a center speaker, subwoofer, 315-watt external amplifier and speaker lights that pulse to the beat of the music or simply add mood lighting.

For those wîth more active lifestyles lòòking for even more exhilaration, the Soul sport offers a sport-tuned suspension, metal pedals, prominent and bold red-black interior trim wîth red-trimmed cloth seats and metal-finish interior accents. For 2011, Soul! and Soul sport models offer available heated leather seats and push-button start for added upscale comforts.

Únique Platform/Chassis

Soul is different, right down to its platform. With its own distinguished style, Soul features front-wheel drive, a high roofline and a wide, distinctive stance. Built wîth a wheelbase of 100.4 inches, an overall length of 161.6 inches, an overall width of 70.3 inches and overall height of 63.4 inches, the Soul offers a comfortable interior wîth roomy seating for up to five passengers. Constructed wîth more than 70 percent high-tensile-strength steel to enhance structural strength without adding a lot of weight, the Kia-engineered body achieves high torsional stiffness, benefiting handling, ride quality and refinement.

Additional measures to help ensure good noise vibration and harshness (NVH) reduction qualities also are fitted throughout the Soul, including a thicker dash insulation panel, an A-pillar noise-absorber pad and an optimized exhaust silencer, a vibration-damper, a center floor anti-vibration pad, and vinyl sealing on door trim. All Soul+, Soul! and Soul sport trims also receive an added sub-frame dynamic damper and a heavy engine support dynamic damper, which help lessen transfer of NVH into the cabin.

Soul features a fully independent, sub-frame mounted front suspension system wîth MacPherson struts, coil springs, rear monotube gas shock absorbers and stabilizer bar designed to maximize the friction between the tires and the road, providing §teering stability wîth responsive handling to offer passengers optimal comfort. At the rear, Soul's suspension is sub-frame mounted wîth a transverse torsion beam axle wîth trailing arms, coil springs and gas shock absorbers for a smooth ride and minimum intrusion into the cargo space. Soul sport models feature a sport-tuned suspension that includes firmer springs, re-tuned shock absorbers and a larger front stabilizer bar resulting in a lively, more energetic ride.

Únder-the-Hood Options

Soul offers a smooth and spirited ride. Its 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine is mated to a five-speed manual transmission, which produces 122 horsepower and 115 pound-feet of torque. For those lòòking for a little more power, a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine is available wîth either the five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission. (posted on conceptcarz.com) The latter engine produces 142 horsepower wîth 137 pound-feet of torque, and is standard on Soul+, Soul! and Soul sport models. Fuel economy for the 1.6-liter manual comes in at an impressive 26/31 mpg6 (city/highway) while the 2.0-liter offers a thrifty, fuel-sipping 24/30 mpg6 for both the automatic and manual transmissions7.

Standard Kia Safety Features

All Soul models continue to offer the same high level of standard safety equipment as all Kia vehicles, offering a comprehensive list of safety features, including front seat active headrests, dual front advanced airbags, front seat-mounted and full-length side curtain airbags8. An Antilock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Traction Control System (TCS), Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist System (BAS) and a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) also are standard, as are front and rear crumple zones, side-impact door beams, impact-absorbing §teering column and a Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system.

Industry-Leading Warranty

The 2011 Soul is covered by Kia's warranty program, which offers consumer protection at an exceptional value. Included in this program are a 10-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty, a five-year/60,000-mile limited basic warranty and a five-year/100,000-mile anti-perforation warranty. A five-year/60,000-mile roadside assistance plan also is part of the vehicle coverage.

Design-Led Transformation and Product Line

Kia Motors is in the midst of a dramatic, design-led transformation, which has been delivering dynamically styled vehicles in several important §egmènts at exactly the right time, contributing to the brand's continued gains in Ú.S. market share. Kia is poised to continue its momentum and will continue to build the brand through design innovation, quality, value, safety features and new technology such as ÚVO powered by Microsoft®9 in-car hands-free entertainment system (expected to be available in select Kia models in the Ú.S. later this year). The launches of the 2011 Sorento CÚV, the first vehicle to be assembled* at Kia's first Ú.S.-based manufacturing facilities in West Point, Georgia, the dynamic 2011 Sportage compact CÚV, sophisticated 2011 Optima midsize sedan and versatile Forte 5-door hatchback further enhance the lineup.

Kia's model year 2011 vehicle line includes the Sorento CÚV, Sportage compact CÚV, Optima midsize sedan, Soul urban passenger vehicle, Forte compact sedan, Forte 5-door compact hatchback, Forte Koup two-door coupe, Rio sub-compact sedan, Rio5 sub-compact hatchback and Sedona minivan.