WHEN Kia was trying to establish itself as an up-and-coming car maker in the west and take on some of the more established European brands there were many reasons one might choose to buy one.

Most would have related to cost, or offering value for money.

The other big selling point was an extended warranty that spoke volumes about the company's faith in its product.

But few would have taken the plunge based on the aesthetic appeal of the cars themselves.

But all that has changed in recent years.

The Kia Sorrento SUV did much to win people over and it was followed by the excellent pro_cee'd - a car that actually started to match European levels of sophistication and refinement.

The Soul takes things on to a whole new level though. Here is a Kia vehicle that people will surely want to buy simply for what it is.

Lots of manufacturers like to do thing differently and come up with creations that look like nothing else and the Soul is a case in point.

It's part of the cycle of change being led by design chief Peter Schreyer (of Audi TT fame).

This new design direction for Kia is both ambitious and exciting and the Soul is without doubt its high point so far.

One of its distinguishing characteristics is that it defies categorisation in the conventional sense.

Part SUV, part hatchback and part crossover, it has the air of a few things rolled into one.

Whatever the case it certainly has an unmistakable profile and while it's nowhere near as avant garde as cars like the Nissan Cube or Daihatsu Materia it's certainly different.

"What on earth is that?" my wife said, when it arrived on our drive - with the emphasis on the word ‘that'!

While the Soul is one of those cars that stands out as being different it has the kind of profile that actually won't seem that out of kilter in the not too distant future. Remember how radical the original Ford Focus looked when it first emerged?

The Soul sits high, like an SUV and its square-ish shape enables the creation of a fair measure of interior space.

As a result it feels amazingly spacious and open when you're ensconced in the cabin and the high driving position nicely apes one of an SUV's biggest strengths without being too extreme.

It drives well too, its supple ride ensuring it feels easy and comfortable around town and particularly good on motorways, where I spent a fair time driving it. The fact it sits high makes it prone to a little bit of roll here and there but overall it manages to feel pretty stable.

It's roomy in the rear too, though the abundance of passenger space and its overall shape mean there isn't much space left for transporting luggage.

Given the car's bulk and squat stance you could be forgiven for thinking it had a massive boot too but while it has plenty of height to it, there's not much in the way of depth.

There's a choice of 1.6-litre petrol or diesel engines but the pick has to be the diesel fitted to my test car.

It packs plenty of power for one's motoring needs in a car like this and delivers decent levels of economy, though given the diesel premium of around £1,000 you'll need to be notching up enough miles to make the extra expense worth it.

This particular car came with a set of eye-catching gun metal alloy wheels that might have been snazzy but looked surprisingly good.

One might imagine such a modification could err on the garish but they actually worked well, even if they did give the car a slight Mad Max futuristic look.