The new Kia Soul - which was recently crowned with the World Car Award in the Urban category - is on test for the next 6 months in the CarPervert household. Sadly it arrived just a fortnight before lockdown, so in this part 1 there is a 200-mile round trip being made for the first time. This was an excuse for Jonny to visit his friend Simon, who is building his old V8 1964 Chevrolet Impala SS lowrider project. Besides dozens of vintage and classic wedding cars, Simon and his family also coincidentally run a 2018 Kia Soul EV.

Having experienced the car being unveiled in LA (2018) and driven it at launch (2019) Jonny already knew the 280-mile 64kWh BEV was going to be a decent all-rounder. In this first real world review installment both Jonny and his wife Chops dissect what they like (and what they don't) about the Victorian hat/Stormtrooper helmet on wheels. Spoiler alert: Boot is smaller than its peers, passenger seat doesn't adjust enough, but it is deceivingly fast and agile, with one of the best audio systems out there. And then there's the glorious 64kWh lithium-ion battery pack which is the envy of Volkswagen, Renault, Peugeot, Citroen, Seat and perhaps even Tesla.

2020 Soul EV 'First Edition'
Price: £34,295 (after £3000 gov grant)
Range: 280 miles (450km) WLTP
Voltage: 356v
Battery: 64kWh (294 cells, 200Wh/kg density)
Battery pack weight: 457 kg
Motor power: 150kW / 201hp permanent magnet AC synchronous
Torque: 291lbft / 395nm
0-62mph: 7.8 secs
Top Speed: 104 mph
Charge time: 31hrs on 3-pin plug, 9hr 35 min on 7.2kw wall box,
1hr 15 min 0-80% @ 50kW, 54 mins 0-80% rapid charge @ 100kW DC
Colours: Neptune blue/black roof, Clear white/red roof, Quartz black/red roof

Dimensions:
4220mm long, 1800mm wide, 2600mm wheelbase, 1605mm high,
Boot space: 315 litres (1339 litres with seats down)
kerb weight: 1757kg

Do you own a new 2020 Soul or are you waiting to receive yours on order? Please let us know in the comments.

Thanks to Arrow Vintage Wedding Cars: https://www.arrowvintagecars.co.uk/

Do you want to be a CarPervert Patreon supporter? Please go here:   / carpervert  

**********
Thank you for watching. If you haven't already, SUBSCRIBE to CarPervert for a broad-church of automotive appreciation spanning EV, classic, modified and future tech.

Click the bell icon to alert you when the next CarPervert video lands.

Edited by: Ink Shark Studios   / inksharkman  
Thumbnail by: Matt Tarrant Design https://matttarrantdesign.com

****************
Jonny Smith
Creative content maker, car presenter & car pervert for hire since '98
*
Website: http://www.carpervert.com
*
Instagram:   / jonnycarpervert  
*
Twitter:   / carpervert