KIA put its Soul into Britain six years ago and has never looked back.

The Korean car maker has been on a seemingly unstoppable roll with sales soaring culminating in record figures for March putting the brand just outside the top ten in the UK and ahead of the likes of Land Rover and Renault.

The Soul's part in all of this was to get Kia noticed with a car that was decidedly different.

Now there's a new Soul on the way and it's just as funky as before - even down to the pulsating multi-colour light show from the speakers on higher grade models.

It's priced from £12,600 for a 1.6-litre petrol version in Start trim which includes air conditioning, keyless entry, a digital radio and a tyre pressure warning system which, for the money and Kia's seven year warranty is an awful lot of car.

The new Soul has retained its distinctive SUV-like shape but the body lines are softer and it sits slightly squatter. Large light clusters front and rear, body coloured bumpers and a wide grille make it stand out on the road.

It's been designed in California where they like their cars to look cool and as an ‘urban crossover' the Soul is right on song.

This is a car with real personality but the main improvements come with the interior and the way it drives.

All models have variable steering settings which can alter the weight and feel from comfort to sport and Kia has worked hard on the suspension settings to suit European conditions.

The ride from the new Soul is now nicely composed under all conditions while the cabin is not only well insulated from extraneous noise but roomier and well finished with good quality trim.

The Soul can seat five and its shape provides for plenty of head and leg room while the boot is a useful 354 litres increasing to a maximum of 1,367 with the rear seats folded.

The petrol engine is lively enough developing 130bhp which results in a 0 to 60 time of 10.6 seconds, a top speed of 115mph and claimed fuel economy of 41.5mpg with emissions of 158g/km.

That's not as tax friendly as rivals such as the Nissan Juke and Renault Captur and put the Soul 1.6 GDi in the £170 a year road tax bracket for new cars. Larger wheels - and the top grade Souls sit on 18-inch alloys - push the emissions up to 170g/km which is high in this day and age.

Diesels are a better bet and the Soul with Kia's 1.6-litre 126bhp CRDi engine is rated at 132g/km for a six speed manual model. That equates to an official fuel figure of 56.5mpg and although on paper the diesel is not quite as quick (11.7 seconds 0 to 60 and 110mpg maximum) the extra mid-range pull makes it more useful.

Expect mid to low 40 miles per gallon from the diesel in everyday use and high 30s at motorway speeds which is what the petrol version is likely to return overall.

The diesels carry a £1,600 premium and cost from £16,400 in mid-range Connect trim which includes Bluetooth connectivity, a reversing camera and cruise control as well as posh black gloss trim on the facia.

Step up to Connect Plus, priced from £15,900 and you get sat nav, automatic air con and an uprated hi-fi which includes the light show speakers and the higher up the specification scale you go the more the attractive the Soul becomes for today's new breed of auto fashionistas.

Two-tone paint jobs and added garnish such as chrome door handles, black gloss bumpers and door mirror caps, front, body skirts and darkened glass are featured on the Soul Mixx which will be joining the line up later in the year and looks good enough to outshine a MINI for individuality.

It's priced from £18,150 while the range topper is the Soul Maxx which costs from £19,950 and includes finely-stitched leather upholstery, a panoramic sunroof and an auto-dim interior mirror among its features.

The new Soul is a car which will cut a dash under any circumstances but when it lets its hair down it's one of the trendiest cars around.