Kia Soul EV Quirky electric alternative to Kia’s regular Niro family SUV is back with a long range
Quirky alternative to the e-niro electric SUV is back with punchy pace and a 280-mile range On sale Now Price from £37,295
FIRST DRIVE
IT MIGHT NOT seem like it, but the Kia Soul is quite a significant car. When the second generation of Kia’s quirky small SUV was released in 2014, it represented the first production car that you could buy with not only the usual petrol and diesel engines but also electric power, in the Soul EV.
However, with its boxy shape and poor real-world range of around 100 miles, the Soul EV never found traction with UK buyers and bespoke electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf and Renault Zoe outsold it by a big margin. But in the six years since then, Kia has become a leader in battery technology – tech that helped its other electric SUV, the e-niro, win our coveted title of 2019 Car of the Year.
Unsurprisingly, this new, second-generation Soul EV has benefited from that know-how, gaining the same 64kwh battery and 201bhp electric motor as its larger brother. The results, on paper at least, look rather convincing, with the Soul being officially capable of covering 280 miles between recharges and getting from a standstill to 62mph in just 7.6sec.
On the road, those figures translate to pretty punchy performance. Unlike the Volkswagen
RIVALS
e-golf and Leaf, which start to feel a bit strained above 60mph, the Soul EV keeps accelerating at a pace that would embarrass plenty of conventionally powered family cars. In fact, the amount of grunt going through the front wheels (291lb ft, to be precise) can make it all too easy to trigger the traction control when pulling out of junctions.
Thankfully, it’s more controlled when slowing down. You can vary the amount of battery regeneration via paddles on the steering wheel, and on its highest setting, you can stop the car pretty effectively simply by lifting off the accelerator. The Soul can also automatically increase the regenerative braking effort if it senses traffic slowing up ahead, making for a more relaxed driving experience.
In fact, the Soul is a great city car. Around town, the relatively soft suspension does a decent job of controlling unwanted body movements and takes the sting out of potholes and expansion joints. The ride deteriorates a little at motorway speeds, the Soul being noticeably choppier than the firmer e-niro and more tightly controlled e-golf, but not by enough to make things uncomfortable.
The Soul also impresses with its interior quality. Not only is it plusher inside than mainstream rivals such as the Leaf and Zoe, but it also features a responsive and pin-sharp 10.25in infotainment system that comes as standard with Apple Carplay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring. And although the Soul is relatively compact in size, it offers plenty of space inside. In the front, there’s more than enough leg and head room even for those more than 6ft tall, and you get marginally more space in the rear than you do in the larger e-niro.
BUYER’S FILE Kia Soul EV
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Engine Power Torque Gearbox 0-62mph Top speed Range CO2, tax band
While the e-niro has a significantly longer boot, the Soul’s is taller and more usable and can swallow six carry-on suitcases to the e-niro’s five. It’s just a shame Kia has fitted the Soul with rear seats that fold in a 60/40 configuration to the e-niro’s 40/20/40 set-up. At least the Soul gets a twolevel boot floor as standard to maximise boot space or reduce the loading lip.
But all things considered, the Soul EV is an incredibly well-rounded package. It has strong performance and an impressively long range, comes very well equipped and is practical. Put simply, until the Volkswagen ID 3 arrives in the UK later this year, those looking for a funky, compact but spacious electric car have gotta have Soul.