Bold chiseled wheel arches give the Soul strength. The corners are nicely rounded, erasing some of the inherent boxiness. The grille is small and tidy, the Soul's mouth no bigger than needed so suck in air for the engine (unlike so many, from Audi to Dodge truck). The headlights are stylish, wrapping over the intersection of front fascia, fender and hood. There's an artificial black vent on each front fender behind the wheel, a nice touch. A black horizontal ding strip on the doors doesn't do much for cleanliness, but it has a function. The 16- and 18-inch alloy wheels are nothing special, but one of the test cars had carbon-fiber stick-on accessory appliques that made them look like stylish 10-spokes, until you got close enough to touch.
Big vertical Volvo-like taillamps, shaped a bit like arrowheads, climb the rear corners and project a feeling of safety. The liftgate and rear window are clean and smooth (and darkly cool when tinted), with an indented handle under a Kia oval logo and a stylish chrome Soul badge off to the side. Next Page