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2014 Kia Soul totally redesigned, now bigger and more refined

The 2014 Kia Soul has been unveiled at the 2013 New York Auto Show, and the all-new five-door box-on-wheels offers up nearly an extra inch of wheelbase and a track that's wider by .6 inches. The changes offer up a bit more space indoors, and since overall height has remained the same, the Soul now looks a bit less top heavy than before. A wider rear hatch opening also makes loading and unloading cargo easier. Indoors, the 2014 Soul offers a substantially revised cabin with more soft-touch materials, and leather seats are now on the option sheet. Designers borrowed inspiration from the Kia Track'ster Concept indoors, using organic lines throughout.
An available eight-inch touch screen takes care of infotainment duties on the center stack, and now features the ability to scroll through content by flicking a finger, just like a smartphone, instead of paging through multiple screens. Buyers can also fit their 2014 Soul with a larger TFT LCD color screen in the instrument cluster, which now displays turn-by-turn directions on vehicles equipped with navigation.
Engineers managed to create a chassis that's also 29-percent stiffer, with 66 percent of the shell using ultra-high-strength steel for safety and rigidity. Under the hood, base models bow with a 1.6-liter direct-injection four-cylinder engine with 130 horsepower and 118 pound-feet of torque, while Plus and Exclaim trims get a more potent direct-injection 2.0-liter four-cylinder. That engine develops 164 hp and 151 lb-ft of torque, and both mills can be bolted to either a six-speed manual or automatic depending on trim. Check out the full press release below for more information.

Best sport sedans for 2022 and 2023

SUVs dominate the car industry at every size and price level, but some people still prefer the looks, and more importantly, the performance and comfort, of the traditional sedan. With a lower ride height, lighter weight and generally smaller size, they often are much more fun to drive, and can even be more comfortable. Sport sedans of course lean harder on the performance side of things, and are among the best options for sheer speed and fun, thanks to those inherent characteristics. We've rounded up the ones in the segment that do the sporty dance better than any others in 2024 to give you a handy guide when you're shopping for one of your own. You'll find a wide array of cars here including gas, electric and hybrid powertrains. They'll have manual and automatic transmissions and drive the front, rear or all four wheels. Technically a few hatchbacks have slipped in, but they're close enough in look and feel that we wanted to include them. And excluding them means you might miss out on some of the best-driving options available. You wouldn't want that, would you? Alfa Romeo Giulia Why it stands out: Punchy four-cylinder; astounding power from Quadrifoglio; light and nimble character; awesome shift paddlesCould be better: Clunky infotainment; sub-par switchgear Read our Alfa Romeo Giulia review We start this list with one of the most predictable inclusions: the Alfa Romeo Giulia. Yes, it's a stereotype that the Italian sport sedan is fun to drive, but the fact is, well, it is. The Giulia comes standard with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 280 horsepower, making it one of the most powerful four-cylinders in the segment. It's paired with a snappy and smooth eight-speed transmission and either rear-wheel or all-wheel drive.  The engine is lively and torquey, if a little short of revs, and the chassis feels super-light. The steering is eager and the car jumps into corners. We also highly recommend getting a version with the enormous and superb aluminum paddle shifters that make clicking through gears much more entertaining. And on the topic of the interior, it's attractive, but the various switches and knobs feels a little cheap, and the infotainment system is clunky. Of course there's also the incredible Giulia Quadrifoglio at the high end. It gets a Ferrari-derived twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6 making 505 hp, and it's rear-wheel drive only.

Kia Soul now has more turbo and 201 hp

Back in May, Kia revealed in a new hamster commercial that we would be seeing a turbocharged version of the Soul sometime this winter. After months of waiting, we finally get our first look at the Soul Turbo in the form of the European-market Soul SX. Obviously, the most important part of the newly-boosted Soul lies under the hood. There you will find the familiar turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder from the Veloster Turbo and the Elantra Sport. Unsurprisingly, it makes the same 201 horsepower as its corporate cousins. But that's still a healthy 37-horsepower improvement over the naturally aspirated 2.0-liter. The engine is bolted up to a new 7-speed dual clutch transmission. Kia didn't say anything about a manual option, but we certainly hope they'll offer one. The company claims the Soul SX has a 0-62 mph time of 7.8 seconds and a top speed of 124 mph. Aside from the engine, there are subtle exterior and interior tweaks that distinguish this quicker Soul. The front bumper gets a larger, more aggressive grille, and the side sills are slightly wider. The car also receives exclusive 10-spoke, 18-inch wheels, red accents and Soul badge, and a twin-tip exhaust. Inside, the Soul SX has a black cloth and leather interior featuring orange stitching and the obligatory flat-bottomed steering wheel. Kia also revealed that the Soul SX is now available for ordering. However, this is just the European model. We still have yet to see the final US-spec version, but we'll probably see it very soon. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Kia Soul SX: Paris 2016 View 12 Photos Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2016 Drew Phillips / Autoblog Paris Motor Show Kia Crossover Hatchback Performance 2016 paris motor show kia soul turbo