Hip To Be Square

Same Quirky Persona

- Gary Witzenburg

Anyone remember Honda’s boxy Element? Based on the CR-V compact crossover but striving to look like a downsized truck-based SUV, it ran from 2003 to 2011.

The Scion xB? Looking like the proverbial box it came in, this microvan from Toyota’s youth-targeted (and now dead) Scion brand was one of the first subcompact CUVs—before that segment even existed. Launched for 2004, it grew larger and less boxy (and therefore less cool) for 2008, then was dropped after 2015.

The Nissan Cube? Weirdest of the three, with its asymmetrical rear window and tailgate design, it debuted in Japan in 1998, emigrated to the U.S. in 2009, and was deported in 2014.

Then came Kia’s Soul. Arriving fashionably late to the U.S. mini-breadvan party, this brilliantly named, pleasingly styled, well-executed, and cleverly marketed Forte sedan–based entry outsold and outlasted those others and for 2020 enters its third generation as one of the upwardly mobile Korean maker’s top sellers.

“The Soul has been a massive success since its introduction to the U.S. market, blowing its (now defunct) rivals out of the water and establishing itself as an automotive icon with its fun-loving character and eccentric style,” says Orth Hedrick, Kia Car Planning and Telematics executive director. The all-new 2020 version retains its quirky shape on a new, stiffer platform with optional turbocharged power, upgrades its cabin and piles on a plethora of standard and available features, including a 10.25-inch infotainment screen, a head-up display that floats over the hood, available premium sound, and customizable mood lighting.