Kia Soul Photo Gallery

"Alien" (green) is arguably the best color. But others also suit the car well.

Controls easy to reach and operate.

Also a stylish box from this angle.

With more power and two more gears for 2012, the 2.0 has no trouble with the Soul's 2,800 lbs.

Another angle.

A Sport model with red/black interior is no longer offered. But in the ! sand warms up the black.

The seat has a deep cushion and is very high off the floor. Much roomier than this photo suggests.

Luggage for two people for a weekend.

Excellent visibility for urban driving.

The Soul would make a good taxi cab (as long as the fares don't have much luggage).

New exterior includes chunkier grille surround.

All-new, yet indistinguishable from the first-gen Soul at a glance.

First-gen Soul had sharper creases.

Cute, perhaps, but not pretty.

New shade of green more sophisticated. Alien green, as seen on the 2012, remains available.

Larger tail lamps, floating panel in tailgate.

Apparently these tail lamps weren't large enough.

Better materials and more sophisticated design inside, but some fun sacrificed.

Sand interior no longer available with the 2014.

Some iffy materials, haphazard design.

Center stack slightly canted towards the driver.

Physical controls well designed, but voice recognition fail.

Artful design. Real metal would make silver bits better, but not expected at this price.

Tweeter design provides some of the visual pop of a megabuck B&O system, audio quality just okay.

A little less roomy than before, but still adult-friendly.

Much wider rear opening than the first gen

Rear seat does not fold flat. Fiat can hold more.

Smaller rear opening of first-gen Soul.

Adequate power, just don't expect any thrills

Nothing special under the nothing special cover.

Unlike the e-Golf's, the Soul EV's charge port is conveniently located in its nose.

Not a fan of the blue-white combo. Aside from this, the same quirky good looks of other Souls.

Just enough angles to keep it from looking like a box (the problem with the Scion xB).

The rear quarter is the car's most handsome angle.

Get white to avoid a high-contrast two-tone.

Kia did more than VW to dress up its EV's interior. I'm not in love, but at least they tried.

The same interior looks more upscale in dark rather than light gray.

Plenty of neat details like the speakers on top of the air vents.

Well-designed instruments and controls.

Drive efficiently, and the tree grows leaves. This doesn't happen in the VW ;(

Helpful trip information.

A list of nearby charging stations is especially easy to pull up in the Kia.

The EV seats have blue piping. Good if not great comfort and support.

Not as roomy as the regular Soul, but still adult-friendly.

The Soul's cargo area has less length but more height.

The battery pack reduces cargo area, but still a useful amount. Seats don't quite fold flat.

Avoid messing with the orange bits.

As smooth as an electric motor, because it is an electric motor. Plenty of punch for daily driving.

Red lower body highlights and thin-spoked wheels indicate this is the new turbocharged Soul !.

Though not evident due to the tall body sides, large windows provide excellent outward visibility.

Enough angles and curves that the Soul isn't just a boring box like the second-gen Scion xB.

A lot of design. Too much? I personally don't care for the black bands around the wheel openings.

Bonus shot of the Kia Soul from the front quarter because I like how it came out.

A short length and tall height make for challenging proportions. Kia has done better than others.

The second-generation Soul got much larger tail lamps. Too large?

Fender bulges from the Bentley Bentayga, in case it's not clear the Countryman is a crossover.

Much more style than in the typical inexpensive car, but less than in the Mini. Better want black.

A lot of design inside the Mini. Better materials and build quality than in past Minis.

Orange stitching and houndstooth cloth successfully sportify the otherwise all-black interior.

Compact instrument cluster highlights the bland depth of the instrument panel. Vast expanse of gray.

Controls are easy to find and operate, but look and feel pedestrian.

Mini's controls have always helped make the driving experience special. Now with decent ergonomics.

Comfortable and supportive seat in an attractive houndstooth cloth.

Plenty of room for heads and legs in back.

Merely adequate cargo space behind the back seat. Additional space beneath the floor, though.

Folding the Soul's rear seat greatly expands its cargo capacity.

Very good if not great performance and fuel economy from the turbocharged 1.6-liter engine.

More cleanly designed than the typical current engine compartment.