After spending a week behind the wheel of the refreshed 2012 Kia Soul, I found myself in a bit of a quandary. My “alien” green hatchback had intended, it seemed, to become a more stylish, up-market, technologically-advanced alternative to its little brother, the 5-Door Rio, and for not much more money. Mostly devoid of comfort, economy, and proper handling prowess, however, I found the Soul’s real-world capabilities to have fallen victim to the old “style over substance” adage. Somewhere in creating this stylish Rio-alternative, Kia seemed to have lost quite a few things in translation.

My first look at the outside of the 2012 Soul projected an exuberant, fashion-forward persona. My tested model, the top- level !, was bespoke with two-tone 18” wheels, LED front and rear lighting accents, and aggressively-sculpted front, side, and rear profiles.