2015 Kia Soul EV Review and First Drive

2015 Kia Soul EV White Caribbean Blue Front Quarter Left ・ Photo by Christian Wardlaw

Earlier this year, during the same week that I had a Nissan Leaf test car, my family decided to go to Disneyland for the day. Disneyland had recently installed a bank of 20 ChargePort charging stations on the ground floor of the theme park’s main Mickey and Friends parking structure. We planned a very early day, and I thought it would be fun to take the Leaf in order to prove how easy it is to live with an electric car.

The shortest route from my house to Disneyland is 70.5 miles of traffic-clogged Los Angeles freeway. To skirt downtown L.A. would add a minimum of 10 miles to that number. Nissan says the Leaf’s average range is 84 miles. The car could do it, if driven conservatively.

In the end, I vetoed the idea. Too risky. Didn’t want to find myself stranded on the side of Interstate 5 a mile or so from Space Mountain. So we drove some gas-burning thingamajig instead, and it’s a good thing, because when we arrived at the Happiest Place on Earth, the parking structure with all the charging ports was coned off and traffic was getting routed to a distant lot without a place to plug in the Leaf.

I share this story because it illustrates the current limitation of electric vehicles. If you’re faced with any unexpected or out-of-the-ordinary situation, you’ve got a big problem that cannot be solved by pulling into the corner gas station.

As good as the new 2015 Kia Soul EV is, until California commits to an exponential expansion of its current network of 198 DC fast chargers, which can supply the Soul EV with an 80-percent battery charge in just 33 minutes, my recommendation to anyone would be to try a plug-in hybrid vehicle first, or something like a BMW i3 or Chevrolet Volt that offers an onboard gasoline-fired generator to extend a car’s range, in the process eliminating all kinds of anxiety.

Pricing and Tax Credits

With that caution out of the way, if you lead a predictable life and the Soul EV will be a second car, go for it. The price tag is $34,500, including the $800 destination charge, but after you factor in the $7,500 federal tax credit and the $2,500 Clean Vehicle Rebate offered by the state of California, the price dips to $24,500. Some counties and cities may also offer additional incentives.

Alternatively, you could lease the Soul EV for 36 months and 36,000 miles, putting $1,995 down and paying $249 per month plus tax. That’s not a bad deal for what is a roomy, practical, and useful car brimming with personality. These numbers pertain to the well-equipped base model. Upgrade to the Soul EV+, and in exchange for $2,000 Kia will install leather seats, heated front and rear seats, ventilated front seats, front and rear parking assist sensors, and fog lights.

Kia offers the Soul EV in Clear White or in a white-over-Caribbean Blue color combination. Upgrade to the Soul EV+ and the palette expands to include Inferno Red/Shadow Black and Titanium Gray. All versions have a Gray interior and lightweight, aerodynamic 16-inch aluminum wheels wrapped in super low rolling resistance tires.

Photo by Christian Wardlaw

What's Under the Hood

What makes the Soul EV go is an electric motor making 109 horsepower and 210 lb.-ft. of torque, the latter available from the moment your right foot pushes down on the accelerator. A 27 kWh battery supplies the electricity, and recharges in 24 hours via the standard 6.6 kWh charger using a standard household power outlet.

There are two ways to replenish the battery in what might be considered a reasonable amount of time. First, you could plug in to a 240-volt outlet, which recharges a depleted battery in less than five hours. Kia dealers will offer several 240-volt chargers, and the price can be rolled into the lease payment. Installation is extra.

If you live, work, or shop near one of the 198 DC Fast Charger stations that California has built, you can achieve an 80-percent charge in just over half an hour. Notably, the Soul EV comes standard with DC fast-charging capability, unlike some electric vehicles.

The battery also captures kinetic energy that would otherwise be lost through a regenerative braking system. Let your foot off the accelerator, and you can easily feel the system at work. Hit the Eco button to amplify this effect. Shift into B, or engine braking, mode and with advance planning your can bring the Soul EV down to 5 mph before needing to brake to a stop.

Photo by Christian Wardlaw

Driving Impressions

Get into the Soul EV, and you can barely tell the difference between it and a regular Soul in terms of interior space. Kia says the battery intrudes minimally upon the cabin, and it seems that way. As a result, the front and rear seats are comfortable and roomy, and the rather small cargo area easily expands by folding the rear seats down.

Once you’re underway, you can feel the added weight of the electric drivetrain snugged down low in the car’s chassis. It adds extra ride chop, but Kia has done a good job of tuning the suspension to mitigate the effect. In fact, if not for the super low rolling resistance tires, the Soul EV would corner like a slot car.

It accelerates like a slot car, too, and if you’re not careful you’ll spin the front tires. As is true of other electrics, though, the thrust tapers off as the car gains velocity. Kia has done a nice job of tuning the steering and brakes, too, the Soul EV exhibiting refinement in these areas that is sometimes elusive in other electrics.

Photo by Christian Wardlaw

Final Thoughts

Impressively executed, Kia’s electrified Soul is among the best of this breed. While I still find Nissan’s Leaf compelling, in part because it has a giant trunk, and the Chevy Spark EV’s price sure is nice, the 2015 Kia Soul EV possesses undeniable cool factor, class leading range, and the car on which it is based earns top crash-test scores. Put it all together, and it looks like Soul EV is the best of the reasonably priced electric cars.

Kia invited Autobytel to attend a daylong ride-and-drive event

2015 Kia Soul EV photos by Christian Wardlaw

Photo by Christian Wardlaw