The refreshed 2012 Kia Soul lands in UK.

The most important change for the 2012 Soul is the presentation of a new 1.6-liter petrol gasoline direct injection (GDi) engine and a revised version of the 1.6-liter CRDi, both hooked up to a six-speed manual gearbox that replaces the previous five-speed unit. Apart from the gasoline model, the diesel version is optionally available with a new 6sp auto in place of the former 4sp transmission.

The new direct-injection petrol unit delivers 138 hp, an increase of 14 hp over the previous 1.6-liter engine for a 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint time of 10 seconds and an official combined-cycle economy of 44.1mpg UK with CO2 emissions of 149g/km. The modified 1.6-liter CRDi diesel with the six-speed manual completes the 0-60mph (96km/h) acceleration in 10.3 seconds and is 3mpg more fuel-efficient (57.6mpg UK) than its predecessor. CO2 emissions are also down by 8g/km to 129g/km.

For the 2012 model year, Kia refreshed the appearance of the Soul with some modest styling tweaks to the front and rear bumpers, upper and lower front grilles, headlamps, tail lights and the alloy wheel designs. Kia said all versions are 15mm longer than before to accommodate the new powertrains under the bonnet. Interior improvements include a redesigned center stack and new color options. The 2012 Kia Soul is on sale in the UK with on-the-road prices ranging from £12,495 for the basic petrol model to the £17,795 for the fully equipped diesel variant.

Kia Soul – Performance and Economy figures

Kia Soul – Pricing