Kia Soul offers a soul awakening experience

Interior is filled with funky red, giving drivers a perky sensationNot only is it funky-looking, it drives much better than before

The Kia Soul adds more character to a car that already had plenty of it when it was introduced in 2010. What do Julian and Nicholas have to say then?

Nicholas will probably claim that the facelifted Kia Soul is more tea than coffee because of the soothing sensation the car exudes, and also because he has a lump on his back that looks like a single testicle.

Very fortunately, since I love coffee and I do not have lumpy stuff on my back, I can only enjoy the Kia Soul in an exciting manner and come up with several things that can elevate this boxy car from something you want to something you might just need.

I suppose it's the same with the rest of the cars that we review. We drive many different ones - some good, some bad, some powerful, and some that deserve respect. Then out of the blue, there's this boxy-looking car that literally takes the word 'funky' for its design. It's no hot rod, but it has this positively frantic effect on you. No, it's not love. It's more like the average Joe you'd meet on the busy business district where time is money. Somewhere along the lines of the adrenaline rush you get after you down that double-shot espresso.

This brings me to the recently launched facelifted Kia Soul. When it was first launched in 2010, the Soul marked Kia's initial foray into the funky market, pitching against the likes of the MINI Copper and the Citroen DS3. But unlike its peer, the Soul has the bittersweet taste of a brewed awakening. It has a lively effect on occupants, thanks to its quirky looks and funky red interior.
Like coffee, the Soul isn't for everybody. Its unique look is for buyers who has a little bit of that quirkiness in them, don't mind the boxy shape and stance and craves for ample space. In fact, it's probably another gem for those who reckon it's phat to be square. Looking like a mutated frog, the Kia Soul now sports LED daytime running lights, further enhancing the 'eyes' of the car while the radiator grille has been tweaked a tad. There's hardly anything on wheels these days with more character and charisma than the Korean marque's stylish Soul.

But it's the cabin that really brings out the eccentricities of the car's character. It's almost like the aftermath of sipping six espressos a day, credit going to the disco speaker frames by the side of the front door panels that light up. Available in a variety of colours and a couple of settings (including glowing to the beat of the music), it's an all-time 'caffeine-high' which gives you the drive to accomplish your daily tasks. While we're on the topic of eccentricity, the seats are upholstered in Burberry-inspired fabric, which instils soul into the car. It's inevitably loud and hyper but somehow innocuous.

Staying on the chirpy side of things is also its drivetrain, thanks to the smoother automatic transmission. With the Soul only in its second year of production, Kia has addressed the car's weaknesses by way of upgrading its engine and transmission. Up by two gears, the 1.6-litre powerplant is a vast improvement over its predecessor's four-speed, displaying improved century sprint timing from 12 seconds to 10.9 seconds. As a result, it now feels more enthusiastic and has more power for passing manoeuvres on expressways.

Of course it won't encourage caffeine-g antics, but at least the exhaust note sounds the part of a cultured car which doesn't leave you shaken. It delivers the ponies and torque smoother and more usefully than before which will allow the driver to further bring out the hyperactive behaviour by darting in and out of traffic without breaking a sweat.

Being a coffee drinker, the Kia Soul relates a lot to me because of its unique urban styling and peppy performance. It's proof that fun things can, too, come in square, boxy packages. It may not be for everybody but it sure does have a lot of 'caffeine' in it to keep it running.