Kia ditches the ‘boy-racer’ look and goes for a more matured look in the facelifted Soul.

Kia created the Soul a couple of years back in an attempt to ditch their image for making boring, white-good cars. In a way it has worked. The Soul and the slew of cool, sleek, and well-developed cars that followed it have succeeded in helping Kia to ditch their old image and bring them into a whole new era. The Soul may have been the genesis for the new face of Kia, but no matter how impressive the car may have been, time stands still for nobody. It still looks good, there’s no doubt about it, but to keep it up to par with the competition, Kia redesigned the Soul for the 2014 model year.

On the outside, it may look like very little work has been done. But look a little closer, and you will realise that Kia has lengthened the Soul, tweaked its headlights and front bumper, and smartened up its rear end. The rear taillight cluster has been replaced by a much smarter and more modern unit, while the rear tailgate has been widened and is now made up of a single piece of glass, with the centre decked out with a piece of body-coloured trim.

Inside, gone is the radical interior, and in its place, a much smarter and more expensive looking dashboard. The leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather trim on the doors, coupled with a variety of piano black trim and soft touch materials make the Kia Soul feel a whole lot more expensive than it actually is.

When it comes to power, there are several engine choices, from the base 1.6 litre engine, to the top of the range 2.0 litre inline four. The 2.0 litre four banger develops 164 bhp, which gives enough power on tap, without sacrificing fuel economy. The powerplant is coupled with Kia\'s new six-speed automatic transmission, which maintains the perfect balance between a sporty drive and comfort.

It’s no wonder the old Soul was such a success. It offers all you’d want in a supermini; funky, well built, spacious and cheap. However, there were certainly some rough edges that needed to be sorted out. Kia sorted them out and made the new car even better. It is good looking, practical, spacious and affordable.