Kia Soul CRDi: A boxy crossover for long road trips [Sleeper Keeper]  

Most people are familiar with the Kia Soul, and two words that would sum up its appearance would be cute and funky. It’s a boxy crossover that came out during a time when the automotive design was generally moving away from that. Also, there were those series of hamster commercials for it certainly cemented how people felt about its design. 

Kia Soul's distinctive and funky look

To top that off, the older gasoline variants of the Soul weren’t that fast. Then again, there was one variant of this Kia-made crossover that was sold in the Philippines that’s a legitimate sleeper. Despite its tall, boxy form, this one was actually quite nimble on the highway.  

The specific variant we’re talking about was designated as the Soul SL VGT CRDi variant. Under its hood is the 1.6-liter U II inline-4 turbodiesel engine, which could make up to 134 horsepower and 300 Nm of torque, which are sent to the Soul’s front wheels. Suffice to say, that’s a lot of oomph for the Soul’s size and weight. 

The funkiness is also apparent on its rear end

Do note that the seven-speed double-clutch transmission that this variant of the Soul used didn’t actually like going at low speeds. Reportedly, it was prone to hunting gears when driven in a traffic jam. But when taken on expressway runs, it works well with the 1.6-liter turbocharged diesel mill. That said, it's another fast highway cruiser much like the Mitsubishi Outlander and the 2015 Ford Escape which we’ve previously dubbed as sleeper cars. 

Apart from being highly capable on the highway, the Soul also provides a lot of space. There’s no doubt that it can function as a daily for a family of five, and it will do brilliantly for traveling long distances due to its fairly generous luggage space and comfy seats. The SL VGT CRDi version of the Soul does lack some modern niceties like a touchscreen. It doesn’t even have Bluetooth connectivity, and the interior is mostly made out of hard plastic.  

The Kia Soul's interior

If you want a Kia Soul however, do note that you’ll have to turn to used units. This is because Kia Philippines dropped the said model in 2019, and was consequently replaced by the Stonic. Luckily, there are still a good number of Kia Souls that are in good shape, and you might find one that's listed in our used car section.  

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