2012 Kia Soul priced under $14,000, start/stop coming later in year

Filed under: Car Buying, Budget, Hatchback, Kia

The Kia Soul, otherwise known as Korea's answer to the Scion xB and Nissan Cube, has sold 65,118 units so far this year, close to twice as many as last year, and is now consistently racking up sales every month of over 10,000 units. The refreshed 2012 model will throw gasoline on the fire with updated engines, styling tweaks and new infotainment options, and Kia has confirmed it won't be messing too much with one of the Soul's best selling points: its low price.

A base 2012 Kia Soul will start at $13,900, not including a $750 destination charge, which is $600 more than a 2011 model. Kia can justify the price difference because it's upgraded the Soul's anemic 1.6-liter base engine with the company's GDI direct injection technology that not only makes it more powerful, but also helps it reach 35 miles per gallon on the highway, four mpg more than before. The five-speed manual transmission has also been ditched for a six-speed, and you can now order the base Soul with an automatic transmission for the first time: a six-speed unit that replaces the prior four-speed. The new base Soul with the six-speed automatic starts at $15,700.

Kia has discontinued the range-topping Soul Sport model for 2012, which leaves the Soul + (Plus) and ! (Exclamation) models above the base Soul. A Soul Plus with a more powerful 164-hp (+22 hp) 2.0-liter engine starts at $16,300 for a manual and $17,300 for an automatic, while the Soul Exclamation now starts at $19,600. Each Soul costs a little more than last year's model, but they all still fall under the all-important $20K mark and come well equipped before options, including new ones like an ECO package, the brand's UVO infotainment system and a rear-view camera.

Kia has also confirmed that the Soul will get "Idle, Stop and Go" (ISG) technology, essentially a start/stop system, later in the model year that will further improve its fuel efficiency numbers.

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2012 Kia Soul priced under $14,000, start/stop coming later in year originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/08/19/2012-kia-soul-pricing-found-on-web-start-stop-coming-later-in-y/

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