My wife and mother are Soul sisters (apparently).

Everyone remembers that catchy ad campaign, with "Hammstar" rocking out to Black Sheep's "The Choice is Yours".  But just in case, here you go:

Yep, that video sums up the Soul pretty well.  Soft and cute, but looks tough and seems to be cool, even though it's just a regular little car wearing a glitzier exterior.    My wife saw this commercial about 6 times before she decided she must have one, and as she's always indulged my needs for a new car, well, I did the same. 

Below the skin, the Soul is pretty much the same car as the Kia Rio, though there is a 2.0 litre available as an option in place of the Rio's 1.6, and the Soul has disc brakes all around versus the rear drums in the Rio.  But, Kia has done a great marketing job of making their least expensive and desirable car into something that people like, and pay a premium for.  

Our Soul came equipped with every airbag you'd ever want, Bluetooth, a 300W stereo with subwoofer (and speaker lights!), moonroof, 18-inch wheels, foglights, and Homelink, all for under $20,000.  And much to my surprise, it's not so bad to drive.  In fact, aside from slightly overboosted power steering, I can't complain much at all.  Plus, it can do this, which the GTI would look undignified doing:

Just look at that ground clearance!  Seriously, though, this little beast went down miles of gravel road and through the woods, no problem. 

Recently, my mother got the opportunity to drive our Soul on some twisty highways and gravel roads.  And she liked it well enough, she bought her own 2 weeks later.  They could not be happier with their little Korean boxes, and after more than a year, I still enjoy ours as well.