KIA VOLTS INTO CONTENTION (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_kiasoulev_2020

By Jonathan Crouch

The third generation Kia Soul is entirely wedded to battery power. Jonathan Crouch drives the Soul EV.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 69

The Kia Soul comes only in all-electric form, so it's just as well that this brand's EV technology has hugely improved in recent times. To the point where almost anyone ought to be able to consider it. There's now also a choice of battery options for Soul EV folk. If you've been waiting for the right moment to join the battery-powered automotive revolution, that time may just have arrived.

Backgroundword count: 167

You might think that the full-electric car market could be pretty much divided into a couple of kinds of contender. There are relatively affordable ones, like the Nissan LEAF, the base version developed steadily to the point where its lithium-ion batteries can offer up to around 180 miles on a good day. Or for around twice the money, buyers can graduate to the more sophisticated battery technology that luxury models use - cars like the Jaguar I-PACE, the Audi Q8 e-tron, the Mercedes EQC and various Teslas. With these, a driving range of around 300 miles or more is the norm. That used to be a reasonable EV buying perspective. But in 2018, the Hyundai/Kia conglomerate turned up on the market with three EV models offering the kind of range you'd get in a luxury EV for the kind of price you'd pay for a more affordable one; namely the Hyundai Kona Electric, the Kia e-Niro and the car we look at here, the Kia Soul EV.

Driving Experienceword count: 232

Given that there are now no longer any combustion-engined versions of this Soul, it's just as well that this EV model's WLTP-rated all-electric driving range is quite lengthy - 280 miles, or up to 402 miles in the city. That's with the larger 64kWh battery pack that you get with the top 'Explore' model. The entry-level 134bhp 'Urban' variant has a smaller 39.2kWh battery pack, with a driving range of 171 miles - or up to 252 miles in a city setting. The 64kWh version is the one you'd ideally want and with 201bhp, it makes 62mph from rest in 7.6s en route to 104mph. For the 39.2kWh version, the figures are 9.9s and 97mph. On both Soul EVs, the suspension has been carefully worked on to try and deal with the effects of this car's rather prodigious 1,757kg kerb weight. Not enough to make this car feel anything like a satisfying steer through the bends though. The rather vague steering doesn't help here either. As with the Niro EV, the most impressive aspect of this Soul's powertrain lies with its adjustability. That's thanks to the provision of different driving modes (Normal, Eco, Eco+ and Sport) and the ability to change the amount of regenerative charging the car develops under braking. This regenerative set-up can be controlled through steering column-mounted paddle shifters, and once you've adjusted to it, it's straightforward to use.

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