Kia soul

Today, I had the chance to test drive the all-new Kia Soul. Thirty-four were sold in February with just a smattering hitting dealerships. More Souls are hitting dealerships as I write this, and it's well worth a trip to your local shop to check this car out.

Without writing a full review, I'd like to say I have a very good initial impression of the Kia Soul. After driving both an automatic and manual transmission, I can say that Kia didn't scrimp on either. I thought I'd like the manual more because there's more control in the power department, but oddly, the automatic transmission is surprisingly nice. Mated to the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, the Soul ends up being peppy off the start.

The visibility is great, the touch points are surprisingly solid, and yet again, if I didn't see the big "Kia" badging on the front and back of the car, I'd have no clue that this is a Kia.

Kia says that this is a halo car for the brand, but I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up being a volume seller. It's attractive in an unusual kind of way and it has a phenomenal amount of quality for a car that bases under $14K ... which includes air conditioning. Under $15K, it just keeps getting better and better.

Watch out Scion xB. I'm not sure you have a chance against this new urban utility vehicle.