Kia has revealed specifications, and opened bookings for the 2023 model of Soul EV line-up, which will start selling from £32,795, with first deliveries expected in the fourth quarter of 2022.
The two-model lineup comprises the Urban and Explore specifications. The upgraded models arrive alongside a new ‘medium-range’ battery, available for the first time with the Soul EV.
The starting price of the Urban variant with medium range battery pack is £32,795, while that of the Explore fitted with the long range battery pack will be £38,995.
The lineup comes with a pair of powertrains options. The company is offering the 39.2kWh medium-range battery pack for the Urban specification, with a maximum (WLTP Combined) range of 171 miles, or up to 252 miles in a city setting. It can take just 54 minutes to recharge the battery pack from 0-80% using an 80kW rapid charger, while a 7.2kW home charger will replenish the battery from 0-100% in 6 hours and 10 minutes, the company said. A domestic plug socket can recharge the vehicle from 0-100% in 18 hours.
The car is powered by a 100kW (134bhp) electric motor, producing a maximum torque of 395Nm, the company said. The Urban model is mated to a single-speed automatic transmission and can achieve a top speed of 97mph, with a 0-62mph acceleration figure of 9.9 seconds.
The 64kWh ‘Explore’ grade features SUV-inspired design cues and comes with a (WLTP combined) driving range of 280 miles, the company said, noting a range of up to 402 miles is possible when driven in the city.
Using an 80kW rapid charger, the Explore model can be recharged 0-80% in the same 54 minutes as the Urban model, despite the battery being 63% larger, the company said. When at home, a 7.2kW charger can replenish the battery from 0-100% in 9 hours and 35 minutes, while a domestic granny charger will take 29 hours to recharge 0-100%. This grade is powered by a 150kW (201bhp) electric motor with a maximum torque of 395Nm, enabling a top speed of 104mph, with a 7.9 second acceleration dash from 0-62mph.
The Urban grade has the following specifications:
- 17-inch alloy wheels
- Dual full LED headlamps
- 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment with Android Auto™ and Apple CarPlay™, and 7.0-inch OLED colour driver instrument cluster
- All-round electric windows with front auto up-and-down function
- Electrically folding, adjustable and heated door mirrors with LED indicators
- Automatic headlight control
- Reversing camera system
- USB-A sockets in the front cabin, and two USB-C sockets in the rear
- Engine Start/Stop button with Smart Entry System
- Automatic air conditioning
- Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) with city, pedestrian, cyclist recognition and junction turning
- Seven airbags
- ISOFIX Child Seat Top Tethers and Anchor Fixings
- Lane Keep Assist System (LKAS) and Lane Follow Assist (LFA)
- High Beam Assist (HBA)
- Hill-start Assist Control (HAC)
- Driver Attention Warning (DAW)
- Drive Mode Select – three settings
- Cloth upholstery
- 60:40 split-folding rear seats
- Adaptive Smart Cruise Control Function (SCC)
The Explore grade has the following specifications:
- 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment and navigation system
- Free seven-year Kia Connect connectivity services
- Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
- Rear parking sensors
- Black leather upholstery
- Heated front seats and steering wheel
- Power driver seat adjustment
- Leather steering wheel
- Satin chrome interior door handles
- Privacy glass
- Rain sensing front wipers
- SUV pack
- Roof rails
- Blind-spot Collision Warning (BCW)
- Safe Exit Warning (SEW)
- Rear-Cross Traffic Avoidance Assist (RCCA)
- Highway Driving Assist (HDA)