First Drive: 2010 Kia Soul Sport makes the scene in Miami

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Filed under: Economy, Wagons/Estates, Hatchbacks, Kia, First Drive

2010 Kia Soul Sport - Click above for high-res image gallery

As far back as 2005, Kia tasked itself with becoming Korea's sporty automaker, leaving parent Hyundai to become a more affordable luxury brand. Then-chief operating officer Len Hunt admitted that while Kia's value proposition was clear, its products largely failed to connect with buyers on an emotional level - the company's models were purchased based on price, warranty and little else.

Since that time, Kia has steadily introduced a slew of greatly improved products, but nothing remotely "sporty" has hit showroom floors. Sure, there have been a few promising-looking concepts, 2007's Kee and Kue, along with 2008's Koup... but while the company has been creating one-off showcars, Hyundai has grabbed eyeballs, market share, and more than a few magazine covers by delivering both upmarket and sporty vehicles, namely the Genesis Sedan and Coupe.

And yet, here we find ourselves in Miami, ready to drive Kia's latest and greatest, the 2010 Soul. Is this where the "sporty" kicks in? At first blush, things aren't promising - the Soul is front-drive, modestly powered, tallish, and squared-off in an economy-car-tall-wagon-crossover-looking sort of way. None of which is pushing any "sporty" buttons for us. Did we miss a new, possibly ironic meaning for the word?

Follow the jump to find out...

Gallery: 2010 Kia Soul - First Drive

Photos copyright (C)2009 Chris Paukert / Weblogs, Inc.

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First Drive: 2010 Kia Soul Sport makes the scene in Miami originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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