Competition for hatchback and wagon vehicles is increasing, as everyone from Chevy to VW now offers some variant 3 to 5 door vehicle. With a starting price around $14,500, tech features throughout, and fuel economy averages near 26-27 mpg city, 31+ highway, Soul is ready to beat them all.

There are two engines available for the new Soul, a 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter. Both are matted to a 6-speed automatic transmission, with optional manual available. This is an improvement over the 4-speed auto in 2011′s Soul. The 1.6-liter direct injection produces 138 bhp and 123 lb.-ft. of torque. The revised 2.0-liter makes 164 bhp and 148 lb.-ft. of torque.

Some fun standard options available inside 2012′s Soul are a tilt and telescoping steering wheel, Vehicle Stability Management, Hill-start Assist and sound insulation. A new 4.3-inch UVO voice-activated touchscreen system is also standard, along with a 350-watt 7-speaker Infinity sound system.

As for any notable changes, Soul’s outer shell includes new side mirrors with added turn signals, sculpted hood, revised head/taillights and new bumpers. Overall length has grown slightly by 0.6 inches.

As 2013 and 2014 come closer, the outer shell of Soul will undoubtedly morph. But as long as Kia brings the goods to young drivers year after year, this small but mighty hatchback should continue to attract buyers.

Source / Pics: Road & Track

This week Kia released their 2010 Scion xD clone Soul officially photos for the United States version of their concept vehicle. Kia Soul will have a 1.6 liter engine capable of producing 126 horse power. It will be available in both 5-speed manual and 4-speed automatic, and promises to be one of the more successful Kia vehicles, and claims to be a compact “lifestyle” vehicles. According to Kia-world.net: Kia intends to produce about 136,000 units per year of the Soul at their Gwangju manufacturing plant in South Korea. 50,000 of those are slated for the U.S. market.

Sharp, eh? I much prefer the look of the Kia Soul to the Scion’s that it’s likely to compete against.

The Soul debuted ahead of the Paris Motor Show, and should be available in the U.S. a year from now.

According to Kia: The production Kia Soul will be available with a choice of three engines: two gasoline powerplants along with a diesel option. The latter option will be a 1.6-liter turbodiesel power unit with VGT (variable geometry turbocharger), power output will stand at 126hp and 255Nm of torque. The gasoline engines start with a 1.6-liter option which generates 126hp and 156Nm of torque, as well as a 2.0-liter unit that boasts 142hp although this last option will only be available in the US and some non-European markets.