Kia's Soul aims to live up to its name by injecting a little more personality that the usual Korean offerings. Steve Walker reports.

4x4 looks, 4x4 practicality with front wheel-drive and supermini dimensions, that's the idea behind Kia's Soul and the Korean marque has executed it well. Highlights include a spacious interior and a strong diesel engine while the cute looks should help disarm those still holding a grudge against urban 4x4 vehicles.

Some people have a real downer on 4x4s. Particularly when they're large and driven in town, they're the cars that the public at large love to hate. Of course they have their good points, otherwise why would so many people buy them, but how do you squeeze those positives into a package that's less of an affront to self righteous urbanites? That sounds like a challenge and it looks as though Kia may have stepped up to the plate. The Korean manufacturer's Soul model is a long way removed from the 4x4 template to the extent that it isn't even four-wheel-drive but you've got to admit it's a cutie.

The Soul isn't a 4x4 but it does employ 4x4 elements. It looks like one, it has the driving position of one and it has lots of the practical features that have helped make 4x4 models popular. Think of it as a supermini that looks and feels a bit 4x4 and you'll have a decent handle on where the Soul is coming from. It's also an important car for Kia, a manufacturer that had previously specialised in straight-laced value for money but has recently upped its game from a quality standpoint. With the Soul, Kia is showing signs that it's getting more adventurous with its design.

This car is powered by one of two engines, a petrol or a diesel. Both have a 1.6-litre capacity and both produce around 125bhp which throws the age old petrol vs diesel debate into sharper focus than usual. The petrol option is a little brisker from standstill to 62mph with a 10.4s time compared to the diesel's 10.7s but the diesel will feel stronger in real world driving conditions thanks to its superior torque. It also has the greater top speed, topping out at 112 while the petrol hits the wall at 110mph.

The Soul sits its driver in an upright position and gives a decent view out over its stubby bonnet at the front. The C-pillars are chunky affairs and don't help visibility rearward but the Soul's flat back should assist in parking manoeuvres.

The Soul might be front wheel-drive but you could certainly be forgiven for thinking otherwise on first catching site of one. The classic 4x4 styling cues can all be ticked off, from the chunky bumpers and flared wheel arches to the roof bars and the setsquare rear end. There's even a plastic vent behind the front wheel that houses the side repeater and could have been lifted direct from a Land Rover. The Soul is only a fraction longer than a Ford Fiesta supermini but its boxy dimensions help it trump any supermini you'd care to mention for interior space. The boot has a huge opening, a usefully high loading lip and compartments beneath the floor, while space in the back seats is also plentiful.

Kia's quest to give this model some soul doesn't end with the exterior styling. The interior too shows a level of imagination not normally associated with Korean cars. The plastics quality is open to question in places but the space is light and bright thanks to some extrovert colour schemes. Kia is even venturing down the personalisation route for the first time. Traditional Kia buyers aren't usually of the sort who will dip into the options list for a sports body kit or a Union Jack roof graphic and Kia products tend not to lend themselves to that kind of thing anyway but the Soul dares to be different. Kia has shed its usual reserve in offering a collection of bodywork graphics, interior styling features and even 'eyelashes' that can be stuck on the headlamps to add some personality. Good idea or not, it's not Kia's usual modus operandi.

What we have always been able to bank on with Kia is equipment and lots of it. The Soul shows no sign of breaking with that tradition as its standard specification includes an MP3-compatible stereo with six speakers, a 112-watt output and PowerBass to rattle those windows. There's also six airbags, ABS and ESP stability control as standard.

The Soul promises to keep running costs manageable and the diesel engine in particular looks good here. Where the petrol option manages 43.5mpg and emissions of 153g/km, the oil-burner's 47.9mpg and 137g/km goes a long way to justify the price premium needed to lay your hands on that unit in the first place.

Anyone familiar with Kia's past efforts might notice a bit of a sea change with this model. It's certainly not orthodox or unadventurous in the way that that most of the marque's past efforts have been. The question is, will Kia's new found confidence will be rewarded in the marketplace? The concept behind the Soul certainly holds water. Bringing the more palatable elements of 4x4 design to a front wheel-drive supermini-sized vehicle is a sensible course of action and buyers looking for a practical small car with a bit of style could easily be seduced.

The Soul offers the urban tough looks and upright driving position of a 4x4 with front wheel-drive underpinnings and fewer of the gas-guzzling connotations. Its spacious interior is well conceived and the diesel engine in particular looks a winner. Kia's stated aim is to produce cars for Europe based around European tastes and the Soul could be its best effort yet.