Comments on: Spied: 2009 Kia Soul interior

By: Greg

Greg — Thu, 29 May 2008 19:59:46 +0000

What????Not enough interest? If they can sell as many cee’ds only in the same period of time as they can sell the same amount of 10 different vehicles in the USA, of course it would sell!! They are just afraid that they would not be able to produce enough. Right now, the problem is that Kia is selling more vehicles than they can produce. That is why they are opening new plants. In fact, when the manager at William’s Kia went to tour the KMMG plant, they said that Kia was planning another factory in the USA by 2019!

By: Jason

Jason — Wed, 28 May 2008 15:48:08 +0000

In the USA, the Spectra, Rio and Sportage all have 4 speed automatics. The Sportage is the only one with the “Sportronic” shifting ability. The Rio has the O/D off button under the shift lock button, and the Spectra has D32L, and can pull the lever back into 3 without pressing in the shift lock button. Keep in mind the Soul is mainly for the US market, where automatic transmissions make up about 75% of the cars on the road. I agree, they need to have more gears and manu-matic shifting, and 6 speed manual transmissions available over here, but they don’t listen. Just like the cee’d, they tell me we don’t have enough interest over here to make it worth the cost of modifying for the US market.

By: himi

himi — Tue, 27 May 2008 15:42:16 +0000

Rio has a 4-speed automatic right? If I see the same transmission in Soul, I’ll be highly dissapointed. There’s no way Kia can use it in it’s 09 cars. Everyone are moving towards 6-,7-speed automatics, so using a 4-speed would be a step back.
I hope to see the 5-speed automatic with manual shifting option and a 6 speed manual.

By: K-Sport (Boris)

K-Sport (Boris) — Tue, 27 May 2008 07:56:44 +0000

Jason. there will be a 6 speed manual tranny available.

By: Jason

Jason — Mon, 26 May 2008 23:11:45 +0000

K-Sport and Himi: I’m guessing the transmission will be like that on the USDM Rio. It’s PRND2L, with a small button under the shift lock that turns off the overdrive “O/D off”. I say this because in the picture the shifter looks just like that on the Rio, and it looks like there’s a button under it. I also hope they’ll have a manual transmission. The Rio and Spectra both have that option (the Soul being “in between” those two) and the Sportage also has one, and it’s a bigger vehicle…
Oh, and the steering wheel is definitely different from any previous Kia model!

By: JoshyLofty

JoshyLofty — Mon, 26 May 2008 17:53:51 +0000

i doubt the MPG will be better than the prius’ but i’m sure it’ll come close. a small car with a 2.0L should be good. & paddle shifters are always an option, the new Spectra is supposed to have it on the SX models.

By: K-Sport (Boris)

K-Sport (Boris) — Mon, 26 May 2008 07:52:11 +0000

I’m not very optimistic on paddle shifters with Kia.

By: JTZ

JTZ — Mon, 26 May 2008 01:28:37 +0000

I like what I’m seeing so far. I love gray interiors I can’t wait to see what other colors are available. I hope they have a black interior as a choice (do I like dark colors or what?). I’ll take one in black inside and out with Sirius radio. I bet the mpg is great. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the mpg is just as good as the concepts. That mpg is better than the Toyota Prius.

By: JoshyLofty

JoshyLofty — Mon, 26 May 2008 00:35:12 +0000

does anyone know if NAV will be an option as it was said in concept form? i’m praying for paddle shifters!

By: Nunzio

Nunzio — Sun, 25 May 2008 21:55:16 +0000

I sell Kia’s in Barrie, Canada and I cant wait for this car. I have had about 5 young kids come in already asking about the Soul….

By: himi

himi — Sun, 25 May 2008 20:41:51 +0000

Hm…seems like the manual mode will not be avaliable in Soul. But this is the shot from Korea and options in Korea always differ from those overseas. Let’s hope we get the automatic with manual shift option aswell!
Other than that, the interior looks very clean and simple. The same as in concepts, but missing those chrome elements and striking colours (red and gold).

By: K-Sport (Boris)

K-Sport (Boris) — Sun, 25 May 2008 08:03:02 +0000

Thats central dash speaker looks awesome!
I dont see a manual mode in the shifter. .

By: Patrick

Patrick — Sat, 24 May 2008 23:34:50 +0000

oh and they look like they just came off the production line cos the seats are covered in plastic

By: Greg

Greg — Sat, 24 May 2008 17:40:23 +0000

So far, I am seeing a possibility of 7 speakers! I see 3 on the dash + 4 in the doors, maybe 2 on the hatch = 9 + subwoofer, 10. Probably 10 speakers. Auto transmission, 2 Rondos in the background.