2012 Kia Soul Priced at $13,900
All 2012s get a mildly updated exterior and interior. Outside, you’ll see new bumpers and exterior lamps, including standard LED taillamps. In the cabin, the Soul gets better materials and improved sound insulation. Mechanically, all Souls get a standard tilt/telescoping steering wheel, electronic stability control and hill start assist. You can read our coverage of the 2012 Soul from the New York International Auto Show here.
The 2012 Soul will be available in three trims: Soul, Soul Plus and Soul Exclaim. Apparently, there’s no Sport trim for the model year. Kia says the base Soul with an automatic transmission will come in at $15,700 (for 2011 it was $15,495), and the Soul Exclaim will come in under $20,000 (it was $18,495 for 2011). The company didn’t reveal any other pricing.
The 2012 model will be the first offered with Microsoft Uvo, a Ford Sync competitor, standard on Soul Exclaim. LED headlamps, 18-inch alloy wheels, a 4.3-inch touch-screen with backup camera and 350-watt stereo are also standard on the Exclaim.
Kia has revised the improved powertrain specs since we last reported on them. Both engines will produce more power than previously stated, now generating 138 horsepower for the 1.6-liter four-cylinder and 164 hp for the 2.0-liter four-cylinder. Fuel economy improves to 28/34 mpg city/highway for the base engine and 27/33 mpg for the optional larger four-cylinder. Kia says the 1.6-liter will be capable of 35 mpg on the highway, but it hasn’t disclosed whether that’s only with the Eco Package.
The Soul will be among the first models from the automaker to feature start-stop technology — it is available with the Eco Package with either powertrain.
