MOTORS: Kia Soul EV: Plenty soul to explore in all-electric powered car
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They say you can get used to anything in time and that’s certainly true of Kia’s all-electric Soul.
When I first set eyes on the car over a year ago I thought it wasn’t one of the bonniest on the road and I wasn’t alone. A friend said it had all the visual appeal of a frog, which depending on your ecological leanings, may or may not be a bad thing.
But perhaps because many more EVs and their individual looks have appeared since then, the latest version looked a little easier on the eye. In fact, the featured test car in its bright Inferno Red paint job and black roof projected a smart image, reflective of the advanced technology under the surface.
Related: MOTORS: Vauxhall Astra GS
Kia have seized the electric revolution with both hands across their range.
The Soul drives well, has individual styling, is extremely capable and will do almost 300 miles on a full charge with low running costs. As far as I could see, the only downside is that at almost £40,000 it’s pricey compared to some of the competition like the Nissan Leaf, Renault Zoe or its cousins from Hyundai, the Ioniq5 or Kona EV. The boot is quite small so you might be pushed to squeeze in all the essentials for a weekend away with ma, pa and the weans. There’s plenty of passenger leg and headroom, even for tall adults although it might be a squash to fit three in the back.
The all-electric model is the only version of the Soul now available and prices start from £32,795 with two new trim levels, Urban and the flagship Explore, of the test car. It comes crammed with equipment, like a Harman Kardon premium sound system, 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with sat nav, adaptive cruise control, heated leather seats and LED lights all round.
On the road the car is well balanced and agile and there’s no lack of power around the upper end of the speed limit. It’s especially nippy around town where its vertical back end also makes it a cosy parker when space is limited.
In spite of its high-riding look, there’s no great body roll on the bends and the suspension isn’t particularly firm – a tendency in many heavy electric cars.
There are four driving modes of Normal, Sport, Eco and Eco+ for maximum efficiency.
The regenerative braking system is highly effective, with paddles behind the steering wheel to adjust the intensity so that with practice you can bring the car to a halt without using the brake pedal, which in turn reduces wear and maintenance costs.
Power comes from a single electric motor fed from a 64kWh battery lying under the floor and driving the front wheels. Around town, with stopping and starting and the regenerative system doing its job, you could get up to 400 miles out of a full charge but on the open road that’s likely to drop to the mid-200s.
The charging point under a flap at the front can take up to 77kW so if you’re lucky enough to find a 100kW rapid charger it could take only about an hour to take it up to the optimum 80 per cent. Even a 50kW point should take only about a quarter of an hour longer. If you don’t have a wall-mounted charger at home where you can bring the battery up to capacity overnight, it’ll take almost 30 hours to charge on a 230v socket, which isn’t really practical.
The Kia designers have done a brilliant job in creating some dramatic interiors and that also goes for the Soul. It has an upmarket look and feel and all the switches and controls are exactly where they should be, easy to use and effective.
And for peace of mind, Kia’s 100,000-mile, seven-year warranty is still the best in the business.
Kia Soul EV “Explore” Premium Long Range
PRICE: £39,740
ENGINE: 64kWh permanent magnet synchronous electric motor, single-speed auto transmission
POWER: 201 bhp
TORQUE: 395 Nm
PERFORMANCE: Top speed 104mph. 0-60mph 7.9 seconds
CHARGING TIME: 1 hr 15 mins (DC 50kW) 9.5 hours (AC 7.2kW home wallbox)
RANGE: 280 miles
