Users about discontinued Niro alternative
The electric Kia Niro is quite a well-known appearance. It is much less known that he also has a brother, named e-Soul. The car can no longer be ordered new and is only available from stock, while the new Niro EV has already been on the road for a while. How do users experience the alternative?
Kia itself did not publicize the disappearance of the Soul, but the ever-observant forum member Rutger DC discovered that the model has been removed from the website. The current generation made its debut in 2019 and has now disappeared. Unlike its predecessor, we can now safely use the names Soul and e-Soul interchangeably. In other markets, the second generation was also available with combustion engines, but the Dutch importer only had the electric variant. A second-generation Dutch Soul is therefore by definition electric.
Practical ease of use Kia e-Soul
Although the Kia Soul uses the same EV technology as the previous generation Niro, the model is 18 centimeters shorter. The wheelbase is 10 centimeters smaller, but the carriage is in turn 3.5 centimeters higher than that of its big brother.
What does this result in? “The car is nice and spacious, has a reasonably high entry and the rear seat folds down easily with a flat loading floor, without having to remove headrests and the like. It may be less spacious than the Niro in terms of liters, but it is spacious enough and very practical,” says the owner of an e-Soul 64 kWh ExecutiveLine from 2020.
“The interior space for the driver and passengers is surprisingly spacious, because it is such a square block,” experiences another driver who has a similar version. “You can sit really well in the back, even though the car is only 4.20 meters long.” So no complaints? “The luggage compartment is not very large and that takes some getting used to, mainly coming from stations with more than 500 and 600 liters of luggage space.” This rider was able to alleviate that suffering himself. “In Austria I ordered a ‘frunk’ of 55 liters. Safety vests, charging cables and some more stuff are now under the hood.”
The next rider also installed such a luggage box in the front himself. And although he mentioned that the trunk was limited earlier in his review, in practice it does not lack space. “Two weekend bags, a crate of food, a shoe bag, four pairs of boots, warm coats etc., it all fit in with the parcel shelf in place. Of course I have the small frunk where the charging cable is located, but I can take more than enough luggage with me for one or two weeks in a house, including 4 people.”
Chairs and seating comfort
So there is no shortage of space, especially when it comes to passengers. But are the chairs still comfortable? This rider thinks so. “Big plus points for the chairs. Of course they could have had a slightly longer seat and they are not as great as the AGR seats of the Astra that I drove for a while, but still more than sufficient.” Another director finds a point of criticism. “I think the headrests are a bit too far forward. Now when I drive over a speed bump my head regularly hits the headrest, while I don’t have that in other cars.” But there is more commentary. The driver of a 2021 Soul says: “It’s a pity that there is no memory mode on the electric front seats. The seat is a bit on the short side, which is a shame that it cannot be adjusted to your liking.”
Driving with the e-Soul
Users are pleased with the handling of their Soul, although several drivers seem to suffer from some kind of luxury problem. “With 204 hp it has quite a reasonable power and the torque of 395 Nm is of course excellent, but in combination with front-wheel drive it is difficult to get that power on the road. You almost have to accelerate with a velvet foot, because before you know it the front wheels are spinning happily,” experiences the driver of an e-Soul in the 64 kWh variant. This version has the large battery pack, which is always linked to the most powerful electric motor. The e-Soul was also available with a 39 kWh battery, which had a significantly less powerful motor with 136 hp.
The next rider also experiences the engine as excessive. “I personally find the ever-present force (395 Nm) too much, which is why I always drive it in Eco mode to drive as comfortably as possible. The Nexen tires were replaced immediately upon delivery with all-season tires from Bridgestone, as these are quieter and have much more traction.” The other driver who finds the power difficult to dose also said goodbye to the standard tires.
Powertrain and range
The most important question with EVs still seems to be how far people can get with them. Fortunately, drivers of the Soul also keep track of how the car performs in that area. “The range in the summer is really great, almost 450 km,” experiences the driver of an e-Soul with a 64 kWh battery. “On average I drive 7 km per kWh (14.2 kWh per 100 km) and that is a score that most EVs do not reach.”
Another rider was curious about the reality of the range meter and put it to the test. “Drove 520 km in two or three days, the car’s display then showed 9 percent residual charge and that I could still drive 46 km.” Sounds good! What were the circumstances? “Of those 520 km, more than 350 km was highway, approximately 97 km/h. The rest 30, 50, 60 and 80 km roads.”
It almost goes without saying that these values are achieved under optimal conditions, because the e-Soul is also not insensitive to lower temperatures. “Consumption in the summer is around 15 kWh/100 km,” notes another driver of another 64 kWh Soul. “Now, in December, it is moving towards 17 to 19 kWh when used in Eco mode, driving on all types of roads up to slightly above the applicable speed limit and using heating.” But perhaps the most telling addition: “In the beginning I was very concerned with the range, but that has completely disappeared for daily rides.” There is one point of attention: the e-Soul from before the 2021 model year can only use one phase when charging. This ensures a relatively long loading time.
Malfunctions, defects and maintenance
Although people are generally satisfied with the e-Soul, not every copy appears to be problem-free. Several users report a discharged 12 V battery, although we see this relatively often in electric cars. More striking is the fact that two riders have received new engines. “There will be a new engine in the car. “I have been annoyed by noises around 100-106 km/h for a long time,” says a rider who was bothered by the old car. After replacement this will be a thing of the past. “On Tuesday I made the first longer trip on the highway and the car is now wonderfully quiet again. The whoosh/hum around 102-110 km/h is gone.”
Then there are the costs for regular maintenance, which one driver provides insight into. “According to the Kia app, a major service costs €125, but to my great surprise I was told that the amount would be almost twice as much. This is because the brake fluid also had to be replaced (after 30,000 km or 2 years) and a new cabin filter had to be installed. Very annoying that this is not mentioned in the app.” About the next major service: “The coolant also needs to be changed during the 60,000 km service, so that service will cost around €450.” On the other hand, minor maintenance is beneficial. “Going to the dealer today for a little service. Price: €81.06. Car returned neatly washed. Fine.”
The Kia Soul may be an outsider, but drivers are quite satisfied with its features. This EV scores with its space for passengers, but users would prefer to see a slightly larger trunk and a standard ‘frunk’. The handling of the 64 kWh Soul is dominated by power, but that much power is a bit too much for some users. Fortunately, the power does not come at the expense of the driving range, because with such an e-Soul you can go very far if you pay a little attention.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl