LITTLE BIT O' SOUL; Kia's Gen-Y transporter promises a lot for the money.(NEWS)

Byline: J. P. VETTRAINO

It's two-thirds Scion xB and one-third Honda Fit. Or maybe that's one-third Scion xD and two-thirds Honda Element. Think of the Kia Soul either way, and you'll get pretty close to its core mission.

The 2010 Soul is a two-box, five-passenger, value-priced transport aimed at youthful, style-conscious buyers, arguably with a bit more styling flair than existing competitors. Preliminary indications suggest that the Soul is on target, and it will have a base price of $13,995 when it hits U.S. showrooms in this month.

Introduced as a concept at the Detroit auto show in January 2006, the Soul has evolved for production into something quite a bit different. As executed by Peter Schreyer, the former Audi designer who now directs Kia's styling department, the production Soul is more subtle than the show car, but it's interesting in its own right. With a dozen color schemes, factory wheels up to 18 inches and a multitude of dealer accessories, the Soul's character can change dramatically depending on how it's decked out.

The Soul is built on a variation of Kia's Rio subcompact platform, stretched a bit and packaged along the lines of the more conservatively styled Rondo mini-minivan. Its overall length falls halfway between Scion's larger xB and the smaller xD. On a wheelbase of 100.4 inches, the Soul offers a spacious rear seat. There's comfortable seating for rear passengers taller than six feet, even with the front seats positioned for similar-sized occupants, and there's still plenty of cargo space under the hatch. There also are lots of nooks and crannies for stashing stuff.

The Soul is to debut in the States with two engine choices: a 1.6-liter inline-four generating 122 hp and 115 lb-ft of torque and a 2.0-liter four delivering 142 hp and 137 lb-ft. Both feature continuously variable valve timing, and both will come standard with a five-speed manual transmission. The 2.0 four also will be available mated to a four-speed automatic. The suspension applies a conventional strut design in front. A solid torsion-beam axle in back minimizes encroachment into interior space.

Based on limited seat time in a preproduction Soul, we might draw some conclusions. The 2.0 gets down the road as well as an xB, and Kia promises higher mileage. Kia's Beta II four-cylinder isn't Honda-grade in its ...