Walking into Kia Sherbrooke to shop for a new vehicle, Sonia Blais was not in high spirits.The special education teacher from Magog, Quebec had recently become a single mother of two, with a looming divorce sapping her finances, an expensive holiday season at her door and an already harsh winter blowing over her Eastern Townships home.But a new car is what she need, so after weighing her options, she picked out a Kia Soul, a stylish subcompact, delivered, of course, with Quebecs mandatory winter tires. She paid via a roughly $25,000 loan, with financing.The purchase also made Blais, unbeknownst to her, Kia Canadas one millionth customer, a milestone that coincidentally lined up with the Korean brands 20th anniversary in this country.Even more coincidentally, Kia Sherbrooke was among the brands first concessionnaires here, selling more than a handful of the first 1,417 Sportage and Sephias to hit Canadian shores back in 1999.When Kia head office rang dealership owner Daniel Beaucage, from Groupe Beaucage, over Blais new purchase, he assumed it was over a problem with the order. Not quite, it turns outBlais was invited back to the dealership with her millionième Kia for a little ceremony this past Thursday, hosted by the new VP and COO of Kia Canada, Elias El-Achhab.She figured out from that she was in for some sort of surprise. Beaucage and co-owner Tommy Morissette started off by announcing a list of $2,000 worth of options they wanted to gift her like a remote start to keep her warm, and a bike rack, since shes a frequent rider.Then El-Achhab interrupted the declaration: C’est nous qui payons votre Kia Soul, or We are going to pay your Kia Soul.Blais croaked out a Really? before starting to cry. Kia means it when it says its cars have the power to surprise.Morissette told Driving.ca that Blais really touched its sales representatives, and everybody at the dealership was so happy luck befell her in particular.She moved us with the work shes been doing for the past 22 years with learning disabilities kids, he said. She said she never won anything in her whole life, but now shes driving one of our vehicles her second Kia were going to take very good care of her, and her Soul.For those wondering if a million vehicles is a big milestone, consider that, these days, about two million new vehicles are sold in Canada every year.When Honda Canada celebrated its 50th anniversary March 2019, the manufacturer of Canadas best-selling car, the Civic, claimed just over four million vehicles
Origin: Kia Canada sells its 1 millionth vehicle in Quebec – and this customer gets her Kia Soul for free
Soul
Car Review: 2020 Kia Soul
2020 Kia SoulBrian Harper / Driving OVERVIEW Front-wheel-drive, subcompact hatchback PROSVery well contented, surprisingly roomy, distinctive CONSOptional AWD would help sales, fuel economy just OK, mood lighting is a thing? VALUE FOR MONEYGood WHAT TO CHANGE?Bring back the turbo 1.6L and DCT HOW TO SPEC IT?EX Limited As far as practical transportation goes, Kias quirky Soul has not only made it to its third generation thereby surviving the box-on-wheels fad that resulted in mobile Tupperware containers such as the Honda Element, Nissan Cube, and Scion xB it has lost little of its previous two predecessors fun and funky personalities.However, Kia is continuing to focus too much on the youth market with the new 2020 model, while discounting the fact the proclaimed urban runabout actually appeals to a fairly broad cross-section of buyers. Though its a sample size of just one family, I can honestly say my millennial-age daughter wouldnt give the squared-off Soul a second look she absolutely despised the Elements styling while wife and I love the subcompacts sightlines and its nimbleness in traffic.Yet, if you buy into the companys description of the redesigned cabin, Kias proudest accomplishment with the front-wheel-drive hatchback would seem to be its close tie-in with music, what the company says is an overarching theme for Soul since its inception. So, drawing inspiration from the emotional visualization of sound, the Souls interior space is adorned with shapes and textures that reflect acoustic inspired elements to create a full sensory experience.Maybe youre more conversant in corporate hyperbole than I am, but that description just makes me go, Huh? Maybe it has something to do with the cars available sound mood lighting, which emits soft light from the centre door panels, complete with the ability to synchronize to the beat of the music playing through the audio system. Yes, you too can turn your car into a mobile jukebox, tailoring the interior ambiance according to a variety of selectable moods, including Hey! Yo!, Party Time, Traveling, Romance, Midnight City, and Caf. If Im showing my age by saying big whoop, then Im good with that. Look, the cabin, especially the top-drawer GT-Line, is extremely well contented, but there is also a lot of black plastic of varying hardness throughout not a complete surprise, considering the Soul starts at a very affordable $21,195, topping out at a little less than $30K as-tested. But Id happily forego the rainbow of customizable lighting which, thankfully, can be turned off for a cheerier interior shade than black. Years ago, Kia offered something called the Retro trim level on what was then the Soul 4U with the 2.0-litre engine. Its key feature was tartan-like door and seat trim that went with the two-tone beige-on-black dash area. It was a refreshing alternative to dark monotony, one Id like to see return.Thats subjective, though. What isnt is the fact that Kia Canada dropped the 1.6-litre turbo-four from the Souls powertrain lineup its still offered in the U.S. leaving only the yeoman 2.0-litre inline-four, with 147 horsepower, for propulsion. Its not as though the turbo engines 201 horses turned the Soul into a track terror, but it and the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission it was bolted to certainly gave the runabout added jump when rolling through traffic. Thanks to the cars light weight, just 1,393 kilograms, the 2.0L is by no means stressed, and notably around town, has more than enough low-end zip to easily keep up with the cut-and-thrust of daily traffic.Still, the fun quotient of what is a playful little rig has been diminished by the one engine/transmission pairing. As for the Souls in-house-built intelligent variable transmission otherwise known as a CVT it goes about its business unobtrusively and efficiently, with a feel much like that of a conventional automatic. Fuel economy is good overall, though not particularly outstanding for a small car. I averaged 8.7 L/100 kilometres for the week, with about a 50/50 mix of city and highway commuting.Despite this third-generation version being all new, only the most ardent fans of the Kia brand are likely to pick out the revisions to the Souls boxy shape I actually parked next to an older model to get a sense of the changes. The exterior highlights include a larger grille with a two-tone treatment, wraparound boomerang-shaped taillights, slimmer daytime running lights, and reworked front fenders and C-pillars, the latter designed to resemble airplane wings. A particular bold shade of red called Inferno and decently fat P235/45R18 rubber with a nice set of alloy rims accentuates the testers jaunty personality, offsetting its pragmatic nature. Said pragmatism, seen in the surprising amount of cargo space and passenger room offered given the Souls compact size, is accentuated for 2020 courtesy of a slight increase in the cars dimensions, notably
Origin: Car Review: 2020 Kia Soul
Order books open for new Kia Soul EV
Order books open for new Kia Soul EV The second generation model has a range of 280 miles Kia has announced pricing details for its new Soul EV, with the second-generation model set to cost £33,795 for the First Edition model available at launch. The new Soul EV features the same 64 kWh battery as found in the Kia e-Niro, which is good for a range of 280 miles on a single charge. It’s powered by a 150 kW electric motor, providing a 0-62mph time of 7.9 seconds. To charge, the Kia has fitted a 7.2 kW on-board charger for fast home and public charge points, and the Soul EV can accept up to 100 kW on CCS rapid chargers. The stylish crossover will come highly equipped in the First Edition specification, with 17-inch alloys, LED headlights, 10-speaker Harman/Kardon sound system, wireless phone charging, reversing camera, rear parking sensors, and 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with sat-nav, DAB, Bluetooth, USB, and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto compatibility. Kia is rolling out its new connected car app – UVO Connect – on the Soul EV, allowing buyers to access and control charging timers, check on statuses, and pre-condition the car. Leather trim, electric driver’s seat, and heated front seats & steering wheel are also standard, as is a comprehensive driver assist suite of safety systems, and smart brake energy recuperation system. The new Soul EV has an OTR cost of £37,295, reduced to £33,795 after the UK Government’s Plug-in Car Grant has been applied. Orders are being taken now, with deliveries expected early in 2020. Click the button below to find out what we think of the new Kia Soul EV from our First Drive review.
Origin: Order books open for new Kia Soul EV
First Drive: 2020 Kia Soul
Remember the days when SUVs and crossovers didn’t dominate our roads? It wasn’t that long ago when automakers still sold more regular cars than utility vehicles — and what a time it was, when not every other vehicle on the road was a jacked-up blob-on-wheels wearing body cladding. Instead, we had boxes on wheels. Forget the G-Wagen for a second — just a decade ago, boxes on wheels were in fashion. Nissan had the Cube, Toyota the Scion xB, and the Honda Element still had about two years before peacing-out. The timing couldn’t have been any better for Kia, having just released the Soul, a funky little thing that was a little difficult to define. Is it a hatchback? A crossover? Both? Who knows! Fast forward to 2019, and most boxes-on-wheels are a fading memory — but certainly not the Kia Soul. This year, it enters its third-generation as a 2020 model, an impressive enough feat considering the Honda Element, Nissan Cube and Scion xB are distant memories. It’s easy to see the Soul’s charm: Incredible interior space, respectable driving dynamics, funky styling inside and out, and a bold colour palette — yes, the Soul comes in actual colours. Kia has carved itself a nice little niche with one of the last boxes-on-wheels. In Canada, the Soul comes in one flavour, and one flavour only — a 2.0-litre normally aspirated four-cylinder sends 147 horsepower and 132 lb.-ft. of torque to the front wheels via a continuously — ahem, Intelligent Variable Transmission, as Kia calls it. Spoiler alert: It’s actually a CVT, and one of the better ones, at that. It operates smoothly and invisibly, delivering virtually none of that drone associated with some CVTs. The engine, on the other hand, is a bit of a mixed bag. It’s largely a carryover from the previous-generation, but now running on the Atkinson cycle, it delivers better fuel economy — 8.6 L/100 kilometres in the city and 7.1 on the highway, to be exact. It’s a perfectly fine commuter car, but those seeking more kick are out of luck — stepping up to the 1.6L turbo-four is no longer an option for Canadians, although it lives on in the U.S. It’s your fault: Kia cites a five-per-cent take rate as its main reason in axing the turbo in Canada, but make enough noise and Kia might consider bringing it back. The rest of the Soul’s package is impressive, though. The platform is also carried over from last year, but it’s improved with a bit of extra high-strength steel here and there. Driving manners are absolutely on point — the Soul soaks up bumps and rough pavement incredibly well for such a short wheelbase, and road and wind noise are virtually non-existent on the highway. Hell, it can even take a tight highway on-ramp reasonably well. In the city, getting around in the Soul is a piece of cake — you sit reasonably high, and with the boxy shape translating to more glass, visibility is excellent. Coupled with the light but communicative steering, the Soul is easy to live with all-around. Unfortunately, all-wheel-drive still isn’t an option, despite the Soul’s crossover-ish personality and appearance. Where the 2020 Soul truly excels, though, is inside. It’s a bit longer than the outgoing model, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to more passenger space — there’s a bit more headroom up front, and rear-seat legroom is actually down a touch. But the cargo area sees the most significant growth, as well as a nifty party trick: You can lower the floor. Keep the seats up and set the floor to its top position, and you have 530 litres of cargo space. Lower the floor, and that grows to 663 litres. Fold down the rear seats, and you’re working with a whopping 1,758 litres. It can’t quite touch the Honda HR-V, but that nonetheless blows most subcompact crossovers — say, the Ford EcoSport, Hyundai Kona, and Mazda CX-3, and even in-betweeners like the Subaru Crosstrek — out of the water, let alone hatchbacks like the Honda Civic and Mazda3. See? It’s hip to be square. Of course, the space and flexibility aren’t the only impressive aspects of the Soul’s cabin. In typical Kia fashion, the layout is foolproof — all the controls are exactly where they should be, and mercifully, they’re tactile buttons and knobs. The infotainment system, operated by either a seven- or 10.25-inch touchscreen depending on the trim, is marvellously intuitive and includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The gauges are well-marked, and although the interior itself is certainly less shouty than the exterior, you don’t have to look hard to find some of the Soul’s trademark quirkiness — optional, configurable mood lighting is a big plus; it can be set to illuminate steadily or pulsate in sync with the music. Nifty! Fit and finish is mostly on point. There’s a fair bit of soft-touch surfaces and the seats are comfortable, but there are a few cheap-ish areas and the all-black colour scheme is dreary. Some colour-matched trim bits, much like the Hyundai Kona, would go a long way. The Soul also gains a new
Origin: First Drive: 2020 Kia Soul
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