Socket andsee
It’s electric or nothing for the Soul now. Funny, the last one had a choice of electric or combustion, and almost everyone chose the one with pistons. Still, the Soul EV is a whole lot more usable this time because it’s propelled by the battery and motor of the e-Niro, which might look boring but has about the best range-to-price ratio of any EV. Well, whatever you think of the Soul’s looks, boring wouldn’t be the adjective.
From the bluff squinting-LED nose to the robot-head tail, the Soul sits just the correct side of the intersection between car and cartoon. Inside, it’s a pleasingly curated selection of ovalised islands, even if the plastics are a bit utilitarian. Not so the equipment count, which is both super-lavish and far easier to operate than it is in rivals from Germany and Japan. Accommodation for people isn’t bad, but the boot’s a pinch.
Its key talent is to get a long way on a not-too-vast battery. The smaller the battery, the cheaper to buy and run, the lighter, and the faster to charge. Rated range is 280 miles WLTP. Point is, Kia is very good at getting the actuality to approach the test cycle. I’d be happy tackling a 250-mile non-stop trip. There’s some clever stuff in the radar-based regeneration system: if the car in front of you slows down, you subtly slow too. Cabin climate control ekes out energy even in winter. If the trip computer wasn’t lying, I got nearly 4mpkWh, though like all EVs it tumbled at an indicated 80mph on the motorway.
Acceleration is brisk, as well as smooth and quiet as you’d expect. Even if you switch up the regen braking, it transitions smoothly between pedal-down acceleration and lift-off deceleration. Cornering is neat enough, even if the steering’s meaninglessly light. The ride’s compliant enough too, though on quick undulations the damping can’t contain the mass tidily enough. There’s wind noise at a high-speed cruise, but, hey, that’ll learn you not to drive so range-depletingly fast.
After the grant, the price and equipment are similar to the top-version electric Mini. The Mini’s lovely, but the Kia’s space and range make it a real car.