Kia Soul v Skoda Roomster

Are you ready for Kia to bear its soul? The Korean firm is out to attract younger, more fashion-conscious buyers with its trendy Soul supermini, and now is the time to see if it’s in tune with the needs of small-car buyers...

Described by company bosses as an ‘urban crossover’, the newcomer features chunky SUV styling cues, together with supermini-MPV proportions and practicality. Over the years, Kia has built a strong reputation for producing sensible, reliable and well priced machines. Even better has been its aftersales care, which includes the industry’s only seven-year warranty, available on the Cee’d compact family car.

But the manufacturer now wants to appeal to buyers with desirability as well as value. So, taking the successful MINI and Fiat 500 as its inspiration, the Soul aims to attract customers with a range of stylish personalisation options. A further boost is Kia’s link-up with British sports car firm Lotus. Engineers at the Norfolk company have tuned the Soul’s chassis to deliver the optimum mix of ride and handling for British roads.

So has Kia managed to create a small family car with character? We’ve lined it up against the quirky Skoda Roomster Scout in order to find out. Both of our contenders are range-topping diesel-engined versions, with generous standard specification and an eye-catching exterior finish. But do they offer any real advantage over a standard supermini?