At the end of October, Kia will present the electric Soul to the Slovenian public, which is also the first electric model of this brand available on the old continent. Despite the fact that it has a range of 200 hp and a price below 30 thousand, the importer will not market it yet, as they are waiting for the arrival of competition and the development of the infrastructure. We were the first to drive him through the streets of Ljubljana.
China's small crossover the vast majority of readers are already familiar with the name soul, but what is less known is the fact that it is Korean brand based on the renewed version of this small crossover model also prepared an all-electric vehicle, competing with the best that are already on the market or will soon be available. It boasts of 200 km range and possibility fast charging, and last but not least, even more in relation to the competition acceptable price.
Electric soul it will not be difficult to distinguish it from the others on the outside, as the designers have devoted significantly more to it futuristic design, including LED lights, full engine cover, which also hides the connection for charging and charging white and black rims and special two-tone body combination, which, in the case of the tested model, attracted attention with its pearl white and turquoise blue combination.
160 km of real range, charging in half an hour for two euros
It drives him 81 kilowatt electric motor, which also develops 285 Nm. Lithium-ion batteries they are located in the trunk and under the rear seats, thus providing it with a low center of gravity and better driving characteristics, and according to the factory, they should be sufficient for 200 km, and at the first test we saw that the user can actually count on about 160 km.
The interior is strongly similar to that of the last generation Soul, but the differences are to be found in the better ones materials, whose good part it is from recycled raw materials, and as far as equipment is concerned, it is basically one of the better stocked ones. Visible differences are thus only in the gauges and serial center touchscreen, where many are also listed useful information for the driver, as well as information navigation system and parking camera, it is also part of the standard equipment CVT automatic transmission, which also brings with it a more futuristic gear lever.
Accelerates up to a hundred in exemplary fashion 12 seconds, and the final speed amounts to everyday use 145 km/h. So can with electric soul no worries, to stay on the road jump let's say to Maribor and fill it up to 85 percent in half an hour, which is then enough to return to Ljubljana. At the same time, you will not be forced to follow the flow of transit trucks on the highway, but you will compete with other personal vehicles on an equal footing, as overtaking is fast, and the car is very bouncy at the driver's request.
Pedestrians will hear him coming
In addition to the aforementioned fast charging but you will be able to of your electric soul fillers also via a home socket, where the full capacity of the batteries will be needed somewhere in this case five hours, if you are going to charge the soul at a fast charger and with such a charger it will be just 25 minutes is enough. The batteries are also charged while driving with the help of recuperation. There are also some changes in the bodywork and construction, as it is bodywork according to the new almost a third more rigid, the suspension is also more advanced, which more easily carries additional weight and contributes to better driving dynamics, handling and more stable driving.
It also presents a special feature virtual engine sound system (VESS), which at speeds below 20 km/h and when the vehicle is in reverse, imitates the sound of an engine and thus to ourselves warns passers-by.
Prices should start under 30 thousand euros, and more about it in the next two weeks, when the importer will actually officially present the model.
More information:
www.kia.si/soul_ev
