Kia has always been an attention-grabbing brand. But up to now it has been competitive prices and long warranties that have enticed buyers – not styling. With the funky, chunky Soul the emphasis on value for money remains, but now it is the car itself that’s an eye-catcher.

Like virtually every other car in the B-segment, it has five doors, five seats, front-wheel drive and a hatchback rear.

But how many other cars in this sector invite comparisons to the Mini, Fiat 500 and Land Rover and draw comments like: “It looks like a baby tank.” At just over four metres long, the Soul is anything but tank-like. Easy to manage and nippy for round-town work and parking, the Soul neatly combines the ease of use of a compact hatchback, with the interior space of a much-larger sports utility vehicle.

That SUV style comes from the unusually high roofline and generous wheelbase, which also gives much more interior space than you would expect from a car of such compact dimensions.

Priced from about £10,500, Kia expects the Soul to compete with small SUV lookalikes – such as the Suzuki SX4, Fiat Sedici, Toyota Urban Cruiser and Skoda Yeti on the one hand, and fashionable models such as the Oxford-built Mini and Fiat 500 on the other. It is aimed as an alternative to many regular B-segment cars such as the Vauxhall Corsa or Ford Fiesta, but if you are looking for out-and-out sharpness of ride and handling, then the Fiesta is still out in front. Engine choices are a 124 bhp 1.6-litre petrol and a peppier German-designed and engineered 126 horsepower turbodiesel engine, which can average more than 60mpg with the standard five-speed manual gearbox. It is also available with the convenience of a four-speed automatic gearbox.

The Soul’s self-confident external design continues inside with a high SUV-style driving position, thick-rimmed four-spoke steering wheel and a three-dial instrument cluster. The car comes as standard with six airbags, electronic stability programme and anti-lock brakes.

Also standard is a six-speaker RDS radio with CD player, MP3 compatibility and ports to allow the connection of iPods and other digital music devices.

Upmarket models also have an upgraded 315-watt sound system, which comes complete with a dashtop-mounted centre speaker, external power amplifier, a boot-mounted sub-woofer and controllable ‘mood lighting’ built into the front door speakers.

Kia plans a three-tier Soul line-up in the UK, including a rolling programme of special models that will be refreshed every 12 months or so.

Every model comes with air conditioning, electric windows and remote central locking fitted and to top it off, buyers also get an eye-catching 150,000km (93,000 mile) seven-year warranty, which has just been extended to all Kia models.

Auto facts Kia Soul Shaker 1.6 CRDi

  • Price: £13,845
  • Ins group: Five
  • Fuel consumption (Combined): 54.3mpg
  • Top speed: 113mph
  • Length: 410.5cm/161.6in
  • Width: 178.5cm/ 70.3in
  • Luggage space: 12 cu ft
  • Fuel tank capacity: 10.5 gallons/ 48 litres
  • CO2 emissions: 137g/km
  • Warranty: 7 years/150,000 km