A lot of electric vehicle attention at Kia has gone to its e-Niro and its Chevrolet Bolt-busting range, giving those shying away from an all-electric one less reason to get anxious about range. But the 2020 Kia Soul EV has the benefit of sharing the e-Niro’s tech while wrapped in one of the most popular small hatchback/crossover styles of the last decade.
In a largely positive first drive, Autocar found the new Soul EV to be a more grown-up vehicle than the model it replaces. The second-generation Soul, unveiled in November at the Los Angeles Auto Show, gets more powerful innards to go along with evolutionary design changes in line with its internal combustion engined brethren. The liquid-cooled 64-kWh battery and standard rapid charging give it a practical range (280 miles for the EU, while Kia’s U.S. branch is targeting around 230 miles from the EPA). Its 201 horsepower and 291 lb.-ft. of torque give it prompt acceleration in spite of its weight.Sure, Autocar bemoans the new Soul’s slightly smoothed-out lines and the fact that its increased external footprint isn’t really backed up by more meaningful space inside. And at around £32,000 ($41,685) to start in the U.K., it certainly isn’t cheap – although when the 2020 Soul EV lands in the U.S. later this year, it should be priced closer to the $34,945 of the outgoing car (and before relevant incentives). But based on early reviews, the Soul EV has graduated to the mainstream EV big leagues, and could make life harder for the likes of the Bolt and Nissan Leaf.
