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Clarkson Goes Mad, Falls In Love With Kia Soul

When I first saw the Kia Soul in person, at the 2009 Edmonton Auto Show, I thought it was the most charming car there. It was such a notable departure for the Korean automaker, you could sense that the designers were having fun. And having fun is in awfully short supply these days. The thing just had, I dunno, spunk.

Now Jeremy Clarkson, the most critical and controversial automotive journalist/entertainer… in the world, has reviewed the Kia Soul. Just to recap, Mr. Clarkson is anything but fond of Korean manufacturers (as you’ll see in the video after the jump). In fact, he only seems to like Italian and British ones. With reference to the Kia Rio, he once wrote:

“You may have seen The Fly II, in which a scientist attempts to teleport a dog. In one of the most gruesome scenes I’ve seen in a film it arrives completely inside out. Well the Kia Rio is uglier than that.”

This was followed by a rating of 1 star and a verdict of “Absolutely dire”.

So reading his review of the Kia Soul (link after the jump), I was understandably perplexed by his statements such as “I think it looks brilliant, especially if you order it in ivory white because then it looks like the eco-house I dream about building but never will.” Then there’s the closing statement, a statement that had me staring at my MacBook screen in utter disbelief:

“I miss it. And that is remarkable because that makes it the first car from the Pacific rim that is more than 1.2 tons of metal, glass and plastic. The Soul is that as well but it has a personality. It wormed its way into my heart.”

I think the old man has gone soft. Maybe it’s time they pass the torch on to someone else. Like us.

[Times Online, YouTube]

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