> See the Kia Soul gallery

"Look deep into your Soul," Kia Motors South Africa CEO, Ray Levin challenges. "There you'll find it ? it's you, an individual, your own person. Whatever your age or lifestyle you have the freedom to choose and be different ? the new Kia Soul will allow you to express your personality and set yourself apart from the rest? Make your own individual statement? Soul is a reality."

Levin went on to explain that Kia had weathered the storm of the reigning recession very well ? dropping off about half of the market average year on year, while worldwide, the brand has actually grown. Quite a feat...

The bold new Soul should be seen as the pioneer of a new niche ? cool styling, great practicality and an interesting concept, the 4.1-metre long urban crossover is a five-door hatchback with front-wheel drive, a high roofline and an unusually long wheelbase.

Powered by Kia's impressive 91kW 156Nm electronic multi-point fuel injected and continuously variable valve timed 1.6-litre Gamma petrol engine, Soul is credited with a 10.4-second 0-100km/h acceleration time and a 177km/h top speed.

Soul is frugal and earth friendly too at a claimed 5.8l/100km on the combined cycle and 158g/km CO2 emissions.

The long wheelbase and wide track newcomer benefits from fully independent MacPherson Strut suspension with co-axial coils up front and a twist-beam at the rear.

On the road the little Soul clearly impressed. Preferred driving partner Droppa ? he of Star Motoring fame ? said the 2.0-litre pulled well. We were both surprised by the revelation a little later that Soul is actually a 1600. Denis blamed coastal altitudes. I was impressed...

Anyway, there's much more to like about Soul ? a cheeky name considering its Korean hometown Seoul ? from a well-equipped and, well, cheeky cabin. All that space and practicality, decent road manners and so much raw style.

Kia deserves to win with this car ? it offers so much more than a common garden hatch yet it makes you think it's the sophisticated 4x4 it really isn't.

Safety's not been neglected either, with Soul scoring a five-star Euro NCAP rating, thanks to a high level of active and passive safety, including dual airbags as standard.

A four-channel, four-sensor, ABS anti-lock braking system is fitted as standard and incorporates electronic brake force distribution to adapt to individual wheel grip conditions, adding a further degree of control and stability.

Soul also offers excellent luggage capacity its size ? a total of 340 litres with the rear seats upright. The 60/40 split rear seat backrest can be folded down without having to remove the head restraints and the resulting almost flat load area can accommodate a total of 570 litres of luggage without obstructing the windows.

Standard features on the Kia Soul include 16-inch alloy wheels, 205/55 R16 tyres, body colour side mouldings and door mirror housings, electric front and rear windows, front driver & passenger airbags, head restraints and three-point seat belts for all five occupants, remote release filler flap, rear screen wiper, an RDS Radio/CD player with MP3/AUX/USB iPod connection ports and six speaker, 112-watt audio system and steering wheel mounted audio controls.

Oh and don't forget about the electric power steering, air-conditioning, tinted glass with shaded windscreen band, central locking, 'battery saver' to prevent draining of the battery, electric heated door mirrors, special "Soul Glow" seating fabric, a rear spoiler and front & rear fog lights.

Soul will retail at a suggested retail price of R189 995 and will include a four-year/90 000km service plan and a five-year/100 000km warranty.