The brand of car you drive matters — especially in Britain. Buy a Mini and your neighbours might think you’re quite a sporty, stylish sort of person. Tell them you’ve bought a Kia and, at best, you’ll get a blank stare.

Built in South Korea, Kias have traditionally been white-goods cars, the kind of thing you buy when you just want cheap and reliable transport. There’s no image here, no prestige, no excitement, no soul. Perhaps Kia was having a chuckle, then, when it named its new, compact, affordable — £11,000 to £15,000 — family car the Soul.

The company’s designers have certainly tried hard to shake off the drab image. The Soul has that cute and funky box look pioneered by Japanese cars such as the Nissan Cube and Toyota Scion xB, neither of which is on sale in the UK. To match its upright, almost comically box-like dimensions, the Soul has a rising wedge line along the body sides and dramatically flared wheelarches that invest it with some dynamic style. In the flesh I think it looks quite good, especially in white, which is the new silver. It’ll probably polarise opinion, and Kia reckons that’s a good thing.

Those boxy proportions allow for a spacious interior, though, with plenty of space for five adults to spread out. That said, it’s a conventional interior, with versatility limited to split folding rear seats. Boot space with the rear seats in place isn’t brilliant, although there is a handy underfloor storage compartment.

I have to say, though, that the cabin is one of the best Kia has built. All the controls are simple and easy to understand, and the materials and finish are a match for those of Japanese rivals, as is build quality. And because the Soul sits higher than an equivalent saloon, the view is excellent. The only bum notes are a cubby hole high on the dash that was difficult to open and a steering wheel that adjusts for rake but not reach.

The Soul has eccentric optional touches, too, such as LED light rings around the front-door speakers that can be set to pulse in time with the music. Or how about seat material with stitched Soul logos that glow in the dark? Or maybe not.

The high seating position and the aggressive arch flares give the Soul a slightly off-road-ish feel, but this Kia is strictly road-going front-drive only. It will come to the UK with a choice of two engines, 1.6 litre petrol or turbodiesel, both developing 124bhp. I drove both. The diesel is by far the better choice, delivering punchy performance thanks to 188 lb ft of torque. Kia’s performance figures show that the petrol version is slightly quicker, but the numbers are meaningless here. You have to beat the petrol engine half to death to get it to its optimum revs, whereas the diesel is relaxed and responsive, with far less gear-changing needed for quick progress. The diesel is also more frugal than the petrol, giving, we are told, 55.4mpg on the combined cycle. The Soul is available with a five-speed manual gearbox only.

Nobody is ever going to buy a Kia because they are looking for the ultimate driving experience, but the Soul does better than expected in that department. Body roll and pitch are well contained for such a tall thing, and the ride quality is surprisingly good. However, while the steering is direct and precise, there’s not much in the way of feel and feedback. Understeer is the rule when pressing on into corners, but it’s all quite containable.

The exact prices haven’t been announced yet, but the Soul will compete with small MPVs and SUVs: the Nissan Qashqai and Suzuki SX4 are the most obvious rivals. The Kia will be good value, no doubt, but the company hopes that buyers will spend loads personalising their Soul with decals and add-ons to give it some extra kudos.

In fact the worst thing about this car is the name: it’s just embarrassing, so best tell the neighbours it’s a badly spell-checked approximation of South Korea’s capital city.

Vital statistics

ENGINE 1582cc, four cylinders
POWER 124bhp @ 4000rpm
TORQUE 188 lb ft @ 2000rpm
TRANSMISSION Five-speed manual
FUEL / CO2 55.4mpg / 137g/km
ACCELERATION 0-62mph: 10.4sec
TOP SPEED 113mph
PRICE £12,000 approx
ROAD TAX BAND C (£120 a year)
VERDICT A Kia with character
RELEASE DATE March

Also worth considering

Suzuki SX4 1.6 GLX £11,013
For Four-wheel drive; butch looks
Against Unrefined engine and cheap-looking cabin

Nissan Qashqai 1.6 Visia £14,048
For Handsome and agile
Against Interior is not spacious or versatile