Kia 2012 Soul with new engines, transmissions and style

Kia has introduced the updated 2012 Soul at the 2011 New York Auto Show. The quirky box has received a slew of styling updates both inside and out alongside a number of mechanical improvements designed to give the vehicle a little extra power and fuel efficiency, to boot. Up front, the Soul gains projection-beam headlights accented with LED daytime running lights, and two new paint colors have been added to the option sheet – Canyon and Moss. Indoors, top-trim buyers are treated to Kia’s new Microsoft-branded hands-free connectivity system called UVO or an optional navigation system for the first time.

But the most exciting news comes from under the Soul’s hood. That’s a pony increase of 11 percent over the old, non-DI 1.6-liter engine, and Kia says that when coupled to either a new six-speed manual transmission or a similarly minty six-speed automatic gearbox, which replace the old five-speed manual and four-speed automatic, the engine will return 28 miles per gallon in the city and 34 mpg highway.