Sometimes when I review a car, I find myself torn between things that are important to me, and things that might be important to you, the reader. What niggles at me might be acceptable or even preferred to you, and balancing that is difficult.

This month, once again I find myself in that situation. This time, with the Kia Soul EV. This is a car that, straight off the bat, can be divisive; a bit marmite. Some love its quirky, boxy shape. Some not so much. Personally, I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for it. In some ways it’s like the original Nissan Juke: loved by some, absolutely loathed by others.

When a car is so close to the border between like and dislike, I’m always aware of the importance of the words I choose and the features I focus on. So here goes.

An initial note of surprise at the quality

As with most Kias I’ve driven, there is always the initial note of surprise at the quality and spec level – something that shouldn’t surprise anymore. Kia has been a leading manufacturer for many years now and the confidence implied by the seven-year warranty is a massive thing in my book – and well deserved.

As an EV, the only detractor for me (other than a sub 250 mile range) was the lack of a 3-pin charger. I’ve mentioned before that if you buy an EV you’ll surely put a decent charger in at home too, but for me it’s a minor inconvenience.

The infotainment system is impressive

The cabin is spacious, nicely laid out and, as always, the infotainment system is impressive. Again, coming from Korea, the home of Samsung and LG, this shouldn’t be surprising, but I stand by my opinion that it’s one of the nicest systems out there and the sat nav is great.

So looks are 50/50 – you either appreciate or hate. I’m still in the former camp. Spec is impressive, comfort is good and the boot isn’t too shabby either. For me then, the niggles are two-fold (apart from the charging).

Firstly, it has a speed warning system that monitors the current speed limit and pings incessantly if you exceed it by three miles an hour. It can be turned off, but will revert to ‘on’ everytime you stop the car. I know this is technically a good idea, especially for those of us with points on our licences, but it’s a little too militant for me.

Secondly, the auto-hold on the handbrake system; again a brilliant feature that I aways like… but the default for this option is ‘off’ and you have to select it every time you start the motor.

Too close to call

Where do I land on this one? On the whole, I think it’s a great mid-sized car with distinctive looks. I can live with the speed warning system – and god knows I probably need it – but the other defaults are just a little annoying. Enough to prevent me buying one? It’s genuinely too close to call.

However, with my wife firmly positioned in the ‘hate’ camp, I think that may be a dealbreaker for me!