SA Road Tests

Welcome

This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Most, but not all, the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

My most recent drive is on the home page. Archived reviews and opinion pieces are in the active menu down the left side. Hover your cursor over a heading or manufacturer's name and follow the drop-down.


Soul sister: The 2016 Kia Soul 1.6 CRDi Smart DCT

Doing what it’s designed for

Posted: 4 May 2016

The cheat sheet
Base price: R408 995
Engine: 1582 cc, DOHC 16-valve, four-cylinder turbodiesel
Power: 100 kW at 4000 rpm
Torque: 300 Nm between 1900 and 2750 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 11.1 seconds
Maximum speed: 182 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 6.8 l/100 km
Tank: 54 litres
Luggage: 354 - 1388 litres
Warranty: 5 years / 150 000 km; with 3 years’ roadside assistance
Service plan: 4 years / 90 000 km

“They drive in boxes, little boxes made of tacky plastic, and they all look just the same.”
Sorry about paraphrasing the ‘60s protest anthem so dreadfully, but it came to mind…

To be fair, not all SUVs and MPVs look “just the same.” Some, like Kia’s Soul, are noticeably different and now that its look-alikes (GWM CB 150 and Daihatsu Materia) have either been discontinued or left this market, she has the catwalk to herself.

Not all ramp models are stunningly beautiful – some are “interesting”, striking, eye-catching or simply unforgettable. To some Ms Soul looks rather plain, but to others she has true, inner beauty.

She doesn’t have a pretty face, nor ape the fashion trend toward four-door coupé styling with skinny windows. Nor is she svelte and spicy. Or by any means racy. If anything, she’s built like a cinder-block outhouse and her features are rather masculine. She’s boxy and square with staring eyes and chunky wheels. Things that make her beautiful are big and practical windows, being easy to get into and out of, and handling like a dream in city traffic. She does everything she’s designed to, does it well, and has all the features any suburban family needs.

We drove an almost identical model just over a year ago and while it is still available, this one’s noticeably different; like chalk and cheese. Kia’s top Soul was treated to a power boost for its 1.6-litre diesel engine and it has a new gearbox.

Muscle goes up from 94 kilowatts and 260 Newton metres to 100 kW and 300 Nm – not mind blowing, but it performs willingly and briskly. The difference that makes it really worthwhile is the gearbox; a new, developed-in-house, seven-speed twin clutch unit that makes the old six-cog slushbox feel antiquated.

In the interest of editorial balance, it works well with this engine but doesn’t exhibit quite the razor-sharp responses of something similar in one of those German products. The box shifts snappily when doing what it’s intended for; moving mum and kids between home, school, shopping and extramural activities.

What you must not demand of it, is lightning kick-downs while cruising at 120 km/h on the freeway. That’s when it hesitates slightly so, if you need a quick response, pull the stick over toward your left knee and whip the knob backwards a click or two. The manual function works solidly and promptly, so you’ll be alright.

While we’re being brutally honest, the car feels a little top-heavy when getting a move on, but many non-sporting SUVs are like that. Further, its suspension is pretty harsh over rumble strips and rough asphalt and the 45-profile tyres don’t help either.

More important is that the boot area is of a decent size and well equipped with a light, lashing rings, bag hooks, an adjustable shelf and spacesaver emergency wheel that’s stowed inside rather than underneath. The 60:40 split seatbacks can be deployed from behind to fold flat and in line with the upper level of the shelf, there is almost no transmission hump so three can sit comfortably and they all have plenty of head- knee- and foot room. Although only one pull down handle is provided, for righties, the hatch door is easy to open and close.

Upfront, the driver’s chair adjusts electrically and boasts lumbar support, upholstery is in leather with seats that allow slightly broader physiques, the view outward is clear - although somewhat narrower “C” pillars would be an improvement - and the car has a tighter turning circle (10.6 metres and three steering weights) than many of its competitors. Storage space is generous with a big armrest box, decently sized cubby, fair door bins and lots of boxes and trays.

Unfortunately, if you’re looking for a huge LCD touch screen to handle all the functions, it isn’t; a 4.3-incher is what you get. Think, rather, of this Kia as a wellspring of inner peace – being content with “enough” is fundamental – enough performance, enough boot space, enough economy, enough soul - and a pig-out quantity of people room.

Test unit from Kia Motors SA press fleet.

Our review of the 2015 Kia Soul 1.6 diesel, with more detail, is here

What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material. If I ever place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with that vehicle at least once already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.

Comments?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you completely disagree with what I say? If you want advice or have a genuine concern, I will be happy to hear from you. All I ask is that you write something in the subject line so I know which vehicle you're talking about.