Congratulations for September 2009 Soul Of The Month win go to a 17-year old Peter, whose Kia Soul crossover has received the largest number of votes from his “Soul mates”. Here is his honorable interview, where he reveals some details about his Soul, ownership experience so far and future plans regarding tuning and modifying. You can also see some images of his ride, after the jump.

1. How and when did you find out about the Kia Soul?
I was watching the NBA finals and Kia’s hamster commercials caught my attention!

2. How long have you owned your Soul and what are your experiences so far?
I have owned the Soul for a little more than 2 months and I absolutely love everything about it. Both the drive and the looks are great.

3. If you had to pick one thing what was it that really sold you on the Kia Soul?
The one thing that really sold me is probably the combination of nice exterior and the roomy interior.

4. Did you name your Soul?
Yes, I named it Milk Carton thanks to my girlfriend Connie who though of it.

5. Can you tell us some interesting comments that you have heard about your ride from friends, family and other people?

First, my friends ask when they hop on my car is to turn on the LED speaker lights. And everyone of them has so-far said my car is roomy, cute, and better than a Scion

6. What are your plans as far as modifications? Are you interested in that at all?
My plan is to get some front, rear, and side skirts as well as some lowering springs. Yes I am very interested in car modifications because my brother Mike has added all the modifications for my car over the past two months.

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Meet Jackzz from Singapore, the owner of great looking Kia Rio. He has answered a few questions about modifiying his ride. Also check those awesome images and share with us your thoughts on his beautiful car.

How long have you owned your Rio?
3yrs

Honestly, what was your intention when you bought your Rio?
For transportation, travel to and from work for me and my wife
also for groceries shopping and family outing day.

In a few words, describe the style of your Rio?
To me my Rio is my reflection, aggressive,sporty yet nice and
tenderly loving family  man.

- What do you like the most about Rio?
Actually when i bought my Rio,mostly was the price which is
cheaper than other makes and model…But soon after i
realized that the shape of the car,the space for all passenger,
the interior,and on top of that the head unit which can play
DVD and it’s by Sony.And on top of that i ever squeeze 6 of my
friend in the Rio.

- Is there anything you don’t like about it?
Currently i got nothing that i dislike about this Rio.

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Don’t get mislead! At just a quck glance you’ll most probably think of 280 horsepower Subaru Impreza WRX Sti, but a second look will reveal that you’re actually looking at a heavily modified Kia Rio!

Yup folks, the car you see here is the current generation Kia Rio with some darn good looking modifications that simply transformed the Rio car to look reminiscent of the brutal and sexy Subaru Impreza WRX Sti.

Is there anyone who knows the owner of this B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L. Kia Rio? The car is a looker and we would like to hear some more details on it!! Please, report to info@kia-world.net

Click image to enlarge!

Just recently I came across a dyno graph that shows performance statistics for the 2,0L CRDI diesel engine equipped with K&N filter and ECU (engine control unit) upgrade. With such an upgrade, Kia’s most powerful four-cylinder diesel engine gains a lot in terms of power and torque. After the upgrade, horsepower rating for the engine jumped from 143hp to a respectable 190hp, while it’s torque increased to 316lbs/ft!!

Performance figures can bee seen on the graph which shows comparison in engine’s power from before and after it’s upgrade. As I already mentioned, the upgrade includes a K&N air filter and ECU upgrade. The ECU (engine control unit) comes from UK based TunIt company specialized to provide efficient and adaptable methods of enhancing vehicles performance (power and torque) without the need to alter the vehicle’s original equipment or programming.

This engine was, reportedly, installed to the Pro_cee’d and the package has resulted in some excellent performance. The figures for the engine look impressive, but what is more astounding is it’s drivability. Lots of torque is available from very low down, making it a very drivable and quick car.

I could not find any information for the 0-100 km/h run, but those who got behind the wheel of the upgraded pro_cee’d, state the car is very quick through gears and certainly, anyone would be more than happy with it’s performance. (more…)

Let me start off by just saying thank you for your kind remarks regarding my 2nd generation Sportage.

My name is David Pepiton I’m the 20 year old owner of a truly unique sportage. My ownership of this sportage started in December of 2005 when I started looking for my first car. I started by looking on the Internet searching different manufacturers and models. I found myself on January 4th torn between the 2005 motor trend sports utility of the year the Nissan Xterra and a Kia Sportage the biggest factor being price.

The deciding moment is when I was sitting at the dealership with my grandpa and we stated we would buy a sportage within a week. The sales person came back with a smile on his face and showed us a paper with the asking price one thousand less then we had asked for. Needless to say on January 6th 2006 I drove off the lot with a Kia sportage EX with many options could not get on the xterra such as leather and a sun roof for the amount of money I had paid. (more…)

1. How long have you owned your Spectra?
I have had my Spectra for a little over 3 years now.

2. What cars did you own before?
Before the Spectra I had a 2003 Rio, 1987 Mazda B2000 pickup and a 1979 Chevy Custom Delux pickup.

3. Honestly, what was your intention when you bought your Spectra?
I needed a bigger car than the Rio. I went to the dealership to look at new cars and the dealer showed me the only 2004.5 Spectra they had available. He knew I like to drive fast and would not be leaving the car stock so when we left the lot he said “Open her up!” So I did, and fell in love! I traded in my Rio, getting more for it in trade value than I paid for it, and drove home my new Spectra.

4. In a few words, describe the style of your Spectra?
Me. I am making the car to fit me and my personallity and not for anyone else. Though my wife did admit to me she likes being seen in it.

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How do you make your stock cee’d look more unique, sporty and aggressive? The UK based Hendy Group, a dealer franchise with plenty of motorsport experience, seems to have an answer. Their experts have revealed the way to improve the popular cee’d hatchback in three areas: power, control and styling.

Underhood, the engine gets reprogrammed ECU (Engine Computing Unit) that adds 29 extra horsepower out of the ceed’s 1.6L common-rail diesel engine, bringing total output to a very respectable 142hp. Torque also goes up to a hefty 305Nm from 255Nm in stock tune.

To stabilize the cee’d while increasing driving performance, the suspension gets overhauled, too, with stiffer dampers, Eibach springs and rear anti roll bar - taken from the three door Pro_cee’d.

Exterior modifications include the front bumper and lights from three door Pro_cee’d, low-profiled 17-inch ruber and a set of hot looking alloys in a black finish. The package is completed by tinted windows and a pair of black stripes on the hood, roof and back of the car.

And how does the modified cee’d feel on the road? Autoexpress got behind the wheel of it and you can read their verdict - after the jump( more pics included)… (more…)

My name is Eugene and I am from Northern Ireland. After buying my Sorento back in 2004 I found a distinct lack of accessories, advice and knowledge about the vehicle. To this end in April ‘04 I started up the UK Sorento Forum at www.UKSorento.Com, with endless hours in front of the computer screen, help from some of the original members and an initial membership of less than a dozen I aimed to have 40 members by the end of that year.

I was staggered to find hundreds of Sorento owners in the same position as myself and today some 3 years later we have the largest Sorento forum in the UK with membership currently standing at just under 2000 and exclusive discounts on Insurance and Accessories available to members.

1. Tell us something about your Sorento ownership experience?
I have found the Sorento a real pleasure to own so far, a super vehicle and a real workhorse with many diverse uses and the ability to tackle anything I have thrown at it so far.

2. How long have you owned your Sorento?
I have owned my Sorento for over 4 years after buying it new in January 2004.

3. What cars did you own before?
I have owned many types of cars from 1976, memorable ones include a Vauxhall Chevette 2300HS, a BMW 2002 and an Audi Quattro. Ones to forget include a Mini, a Hillman Hunter and a Vauxhall Cavalier as well. I started to drive 4×4’s about 10 years ago and owned 3 Vauxhall Fronteras before production stopped in late 2003 and I replaced it with my Kia Sorento.

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Kia’s stylish and sporty pro_cee’d is no stranger to Germany’s Nürburgring having been extensively tested there during development but this weekend is back to prove itself in the Nürburgring 24-hour race.

The barely modified three door pro_cee’d has been entered into Europe’s toughest and most legendary long-distance race by a team from Continental Italia who are hoping to triumph over the competition with as few tyre changes as possible. In fitting ContiSportContact 3 standard tyres to the pro_cee’d rather than race tyres, the team expect to have an advantage over those that have to swap tyres with each change in weather conditions.

The pro_cee’d is powered by Kia’s strong, flexible 2.0-litre diesel engine producing 138bhp at 4000rpm and 305Nm of torque all the way from 1800 to 2500rpm, giving instant, strong response throughout the rev band and outstanding performance.

During development, the handling on pro_cee’d was fine tuned on all kinds of roads and in all types of weather conditions in Germany, France, Spain and Sweden so the likely rainfall this weekend will not hinder the Kia’s progress. Test tracks also played an important part in the dynamic development of the all-round independent suspension, with pro_cee’d being put through its paces on circuits and proving grounds such as Nürburgring, Boxberg and ATP/Papenburg, Ladoux and Idiada.

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I am a Chemical Engineer in Eskisehir, Turkey.I am 22 years old. I most like to drive to different places with my car.

1. How long have you owned your Rio?

I own my rio since 20th march 2006.

2. What cars did you own before you bought your Kia?

This is my 2nd car. Old one was a Renault Laguna.

3. Honestly, what was your intention when you bought your Rio?

I bought rio , cuz its inner and outer design looked perfect for me for modding when I first saw it.Also it has the most powerful diesel engine in its class in Turkey.

4. In a few words, describe the style of your Rio?

Different, stylish, cool..

Click image to enlarge!

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I live in SouthCentral Pennsylvania not far from Harrisburg. I work as a cook at a local hospital. My 3 kids are all grown and out of the house. I like to Autocross (AutoX), I play a pretty good game of chess. As you can tell from the car I’m a Lord of the Rings fan and I love my Spectra5! Please feel free to post your comments about the car at my Cardomain site. Vote for it in the Custom paint section. Check out the HAFC info here.

1.How long have you owned Spectra?
I bought the car with 8 miles on it September 28, 2006 and it now has 23,000 miles.

2. What cars did you own before?
I owned a 2003 Olds Alero.

3. Honestly, what was your intention when you bought your Spectra?
Saving money on gas and I was looking for the hatchback design. I like the look.

4. In a few words, describe the style of your Spectra?
Sporty and uniquely mine. It’s a one of a kind.

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Say a big hello to Dan, another passionate Kia owner! He’s coming from Canada and he’s the owner of this fast and furious 2004 Kia Rio sedan.

1. How long have you owned your Rio?
- Since August 2004

2. What cars did you own before?
- 1990 Chrysler Lebaron Turbo )heavily modified) 1990 Suzuki Sidekick (lightly modified)

3. Honestly, what was your intention when you bought your Rio?
- I wanted a daily driver so I was not driving the Lebaron all the time.

4. In a few words, describe the style of your Rio?
- Well with the Rio I decided I wanted the look to be very tasteful. Alot of it is personal taste, if I see something I like I try to work with the idea, If it looks good it stays, if not then I try something else.

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Hi, I’m Carol Dumas. I’m from Manistee, Michigan, USA. I am 41 yrs old. I work as a revenue auditor for the local casino. I love to do gardening and spend time with my children. I love to drive my car.

1. How long have you owned your Optima?
7 months.

2. What cars did you own before?
A mix of 26 Chryslers, Dodges, and Oldsmobiles. Except for a Buick Riviera, and a Mercury Grand Marquis. Also a Kia Spectra.

3. Honestly, what was your intention when you bought your Optima?
I fell in love with it. I actually had no intention to buy a new car.

4. In a few words, describe the style of your Optima?
Unique, beautiful, simple, upscale, and luxurious.

5. What do you like the most about Optima?
Do I have to choose? The…Seat warmers!

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I’m very pleased to introduce you Muhamad from Singapore. He is the proud owner of this gorgeously modified Kia Cerato (Spectra5). This year, Singapore will stage a Formula One Grand Prix race, and judging by it’s look, his Kia Cerato could easily be used as a pace car on that race.

1. How long have you owned Cerato?
I’ve owned my Spectra, or known as Cerato hatchback here in Singapore, for about coming to 3yrs. In Sg, we have this 10year lease kind of thing for cars, whereby once it’s expired, we need to either ’scrap’ the vehicle or renew the certificate of entitlement. Not cheap..

2. What cars did you own before?
This is my first car. But not my first vehicle. I’m also currently own a 9yr old Honda XR400R dirt bike.

3. Honestly, what was your intention when you bought your Cerato?
To be plain honest, i bought it because it was cheap. Furthermore, KIA has a promo going on around the period when i was looking for a car after i got my first baby. I shortlisted a few budget options and decided to go for the Cerato Hatch as it seems to be most value for money. Outlook is quite good, interior is spacious and it comes with all 4 disc brakes, which is cool since i don’t quite like rear drum brakes.

4. In a few words, describe the style of your Cerato?
Hmmm…to be honest when i first got it, I wouldn’t have imagined it to look like what it looks like today. Started modding it and just couldn’t stop. Basically, it’s style or concept is in the line of GT and WRC rally cars but in terms of performance, it’s far, far from it. Some of my friends call it Cerato GT.

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Hi, I’m Steven. I’m from Singapore. 26yrs old this year. I work in the IT industries. I love to do up my car and take pictures of it. I love to DIY and help others too.

1. How long have you owned Picanto?
1yr and 9mths

2. What cars did you own before?
Picanto is my 1st car

3. Honestly, what was your intention when you bought your Picanto?
I wanted a small and affordable car. Easy to maintain in the long run. Picanto fitted the bill.

4. In a few words, describe the style of your Picanto?
I very much wanted to give it a cosy and elegant style. Is VIP a suitable description?

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