By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(October 19, 2014) In the year that has elapsed since we last had a Kia Soul in or test fleet, many things have happened to Kia’s funkiest vehicle. The most important of which is that the second generation Soul launched not long after we tested the 2013 model. Despite having similar styling and being about the same size, the latest Soul is a big step up in terms of fit and finish, materials, equipment and driving dynamics.

Nearly all of the faults of the previous generation have been excised. In doing so, however, Kia may have gone a bit too far. Don’t get me wrong, the new car is handsome, capable, rides better, is quieter, has a better navigation interface and more.

However, it is missing one ingredient that made the first generation so inviting: personality.

It’s hard to tell where along the way the Soul lost this most important commodity, but lost it it has. Though the suspension setup on the final edition of the first generation car left much to be desired, it had a simple charm and a mischievousness that you couldn’t ignore. Unfortunately, the new Soul is still charming, but it feels more mature, almost too mature.

And that might explain — along with its trim size and capacious interior — why it garnered so much attention from drivers with AARP memberships. They loved the leather seat trim, panoramic sunroof, heated and ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel (not only good for cold winter mornings, but a great way to ease arthritis pains, apparently), and more.

They didn’t seem to mind that the Soul didn’t have parallel parking assist or similar technology as the car’s upright stance, short overhangs and boxy shape make it a breeze to park. It’s the perfect city car.

Or is it a crossover? I ask because the new Soul is a bit beefier looking than its predecessor, especially the way its grille area juts out from the front bumper, and a similar panel does the same on the rear fascia. The only things missing are running boards and an all-wheel drive option. It already has an upright seating position with great sight lines and “slide across” seating that makes ingress and egress easier.

All it really needs is a third row. Thankfully, Kia hasn’t added one to the option list. Doing so would give us just another small SUV, and eliminate any remnants of the Soul’s car roots. And it is a car underneath, as it is based on a modified Kia Rio platform.

Fully 66% of the chassis uses High-Strength or Ultra-High-Strength steel, which has allowed Kia engineers to increase torsional rigidity by 28.7% while reducing the size of the A-pillars by 0.8 inches. The new platform feels like the proverbial I-beam compared to its predecessor, and this strong base lets the modified steering and suspension work better. Like the old Soul, the new Soul has its front suspension attached to a subframe. Where they differ is that the current Soul isolates the subframe from the main structure via four bushings.

The old car had none, and road noise and ride motions were sent straight into the main structure. In addition, the front anti-roll bar has been moved rearward, while the steering box has moved forward and uses a one-piece housing. (This replaces the two-piece steering gear housing that could flex under duress.) On-center steering feel is much improved, as are steering efforts and precision. The only fly in the ointment is the standard FlexSteer electric power steering and its three boost levels (“Normal”, “Sport” and “Comfort). Do yourself a favor, leave it in the Normal setting and forget the button to change steering boost exists.

Suspension travel has increased, thanks in part to the rear suspension redesign that takes the formerly angled dampers, lengthens them and sits them upright. In addition, the damping curves have been rethought, and the regressive curves of the old car (stiff transitioning to soft) have been replaced by linear-to-progressive curves more in keeping with standard industry practice. The result is a car that takes sharp bumps with less noise and bother, and which stays planted at speed. The new Kia Soul is a much more comfortable car.

That said, it has lost a bit of the spark that once made the Soul fun to drive. Early Souls, because they had been tuned (in part) with the help of Lotus, felt light and lively, and turned into a corner with a touch of eagerness. The car felt a bit mischievous, and — because of that — was quite endearing.

Over time, however, the Kia engineers turned their back on this tuning, and made the springs and dampers stiffer to the detriment of ride, handling and fun. Now they have backed away from that course, and followed industry convention. With a bit of tuning to the dampers, bushings and suspension settings, the sense of mischief could be rediscovered but, for now, the Soul will have to accept being very competent but a bit dull.

One place where the Soul shines is its powertrain. The 2.0-liter inline four is mated to a six-speed automatic on all but the base models, where a 1.6-liter engine and choice of six-speed manual or automatic is offered. And while the lack of a manual transmission may seem like one tradeoff too many to some, adding 34 horsepower and 33 lb.-ft. of torque more than makes up for it.

With 164 hp at 6,200 rpm and 151 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,000 rpm, the Soul accelerates quickly, has the power to merge into traffic on the freeway, and capable of keeping up with it once there. And despite the car’s bluff and boxy shape, it’s EPA rated at 23 city/31 highway/26 combined. In the real world, where EPA numbers often succumb to reality, the Soul is able to meet these numbers.

Judging by the numbers, the new Soul should feel marginally roomier than its predecessor at best, but actually feels quite a bit bigger. Though overall height has declined by 0.4 in., width is up 0.6 in., and the wheelbase has grown by 0.8 in. By repackaging the interior, the engineers were able to increase front seat leg room by 0.8 in. and add 0.2 in. to the rear seat space. In addition, the hip point was lowed by half an inch, and step-in height is marginally lower (0.2 in.) as well. You now feel more a part of the vehicle.

The interior materials have improved markedly. You no longer feel like you are running around town in a hard plastic rattle trap. Soft-touch plastics feature prominently on the instrument and door panels, the gauge cluster is less juvenile in terms of font and layout, and the optional navigation system has crisp, clear graphics. The leather-wrapped steering wheel is fatter, and carries controls for the audio system, steering boost level, hands-free telephone, and more.

If you order the “Whole Shabang” package ($2,500), you also get HID low-beam headlamps, pushbutton start with smart entry, leather seat trim, heated and ventilated front seats, heated outboard rear seats, a heated steering wheel, an engine immobilizer and a 4.3-in. color LCD “supervision monitor” located between the speedometer and tach.

Our test car also had the $2,600 Sun and Sound package that adds automatic climate control, a panoramic sunroof with power sunshade, navigation with an 8-in. color touch screen, an Infinity audio system, and speaker lights that you can leave off, set to pulse with the music or use to establish an interior mood. That’s a lot of stuff for not a lot of money.

The Soul Exclaim (a.k.a. Soul!) starts at $20,300, and has a shipping and handling fee of $795. Add in $5,100 in options, and you have a unique, flexible four-door hatch that retails for $26,195. It can accommodate you and up to four friends with a small bit of luggage, or you and someone special with lots of stuff, and do it while returning great gas mileage.

It could, in many ways, be the perfect car for a broad cross-section of buyers, but needs to have a more fun personality, especially in terms of dynamics, to be truly memorable and charming.

Right now, it’s  just a bit too normal and mature.

The Virtual Driver