In a world where things such as SUVs, MPVs, Mom's Taxis and such things are two-a-penny, something pops up now and again to make you think.
The term "crossover" has been much abused and confused over the years so, when Kia came up with the Soul, I was more than just a little sceptical about it all.
It was even described as a rebellious car. Now, I always believed if you really wanted something rebellious in this day and age, you had better find something from 1930's America with a big V8, remove the fenders and paint it in radical flame patterns with clashing colours, add wide wheels, and blow it seriously with one of those tall superchargers that protrude through the bonnet.
At the same time, you chop the roof down to reduce the glass surfaces, raise the hip lines and make sure it uses litres of fuel on a trip to the local shop. Then you go and misbehave along the Main Road.
But a 1.6-litre Korean car? No. Somehow 91.2kW driving the front wheels just doesn't cut it in the rebellious stakes.
I was right. It is not a rebellious car. It is a seriously nice mid-sized car with plenty of headroom and legroom, surprising levels of comfort and build quality, attractive finishes and a somewhat eccentric appearance.
Eccentricity on its own, however, won't translate into rebellion and maybe, as far as this little car is concerned, that is a very good thing. Because if it was a rebellious car, many people who should consider it a viable motoring option wouldn't give it a second glance.
In the past Kia wasn't taken seriously by anybody but those buyers looking for a bit of Far East low-cost motoring, especially as far as price was concerned.
Even when the equally surprisingly nice C'eed popped on to the market with its aspirations as a bit of a performance car, not many people sat up and took note.
It is sad really, because, ever since I drove the little Kia Picanto the first time, I've been impressed with what you get for your buck from this carmaker.
To be sure, Kia ain't no Bentley or even BMW, but the company has done a marvellous job of taking over where Hyundai had taken over from Toyota back in the day, if you understand what I mean and don't get completely confused. The new locally built Renault Sandero is in the same league at the moment.
But the Soul seems to have taken Kia's ambitions a bit further.
One cannot call the car beautiful. Interesting is the word I would use. Its upright nature and square rear end does remind one somewhat of a cross between a Daihatsu Materia and a 1940's bread van but then again, not really. It's difficult to put a finger on it.
The Soul is, clearly, not a four-wheel drive. It is not even remotely a soft-roader. But it does have reasonable ground clearance, which allows it to cover terrain over which one would hesitate to drive a standard family sedan.
GREAT SPACE FOR HUMAN BODIES
It does not have a huge boot either. Kia admits it is the same size as that of its Rio hatchback. To me it even looked as if Mrs Du Plessis's Fiat Uno might be slightly better endowed in that department.
But it has great space for human bodies. The alive kind, I mean. In this car you will seat four adults with no trouble and five with maybe a slight squeeze in the back seat.
Vertical measurements should, however, never be called into question.
But how does it go? Smartly, I'd say. Yes, the somewhat low kilowatts aside, the engine loves living on the higher side of the rev range and is surprisingly sprightly once you get it to spin a bit.
Torque is fine at 156Nm, giving the car ample oomph to pull where it needs to pull, considering the type of engine under the bonnet. It's a thoroughly modern unit with continually variable valve timing and multipoint fuel injection.
At times one could be excused for thinking there might be a two-litre hidden in there, but this notion would soon be dispelled when it ran out of punch up a hill during overtaking. The suspension is really comfortable, while hugging the road well enough to prevent any surprises in corners or under braking.
Perhaps the steering might be a touch too light at speed but it's something you get used to and I think it might be a minor ill to be found among many a lower-priced car with the more straightforward power-steering systems.
SPEED-RELATED VOLUME CONTROL
As far as fuel consumption is concerned, do not expect hybrid frugality. The best I could get was 9.7 litres/100km on the open road. Interestingly, it did not get much worse in town, which might indicate that the car's design is less efficient at higher speeds due to its upright posture.
After all, the higher the speed, the more the profile matters.
One thing Kia made sure of was that the sound system in this car did its thing. You can plug in your memory stick or iPod or play CDs and the sound quality is really good.
Interestingly, it also has speed-related volume control - the faster you go the greater the road noise, of course, so the volume goes up in degrees automatically to match it.
As you slow down the volume also subsides, so you don't have Jimi Hendrix bursting your ear drums from the volume settings selected at speed.
The hi-fi controls can also be found on the steering wheel.
This Kia has just about all the nice things one might want, from electric windows, to air-conditioning, to central locking, to tinted windows.
DON'T OVERLOOK CONFIDENCE
Throw in a battery-saver gadget that prevents the battery from running flat and you have the right car for somebody like me who, on occasion, forgets to switch off the lights.
The Kia Soul weighs in at R189 995, including a four-year or 90 000km service plan and a five-year or 100 000km warranty - which shows the confidence this carmaker has in its products. Don't overlook that.