Kia E-Soul: Patience Is Required

2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 05:39

After the Niro, Kia is now launching its second electric car, the Soul. But if you are interested in e-soul, you have to be patient.

And a lot of patience in this case means very, very much patience. Because the delivery time for the Koreans e-model is currently forecast at 12 (!) Months. Kia Germany boss Steffen Cost is not happy about it himself. But his hands are tied in view of the insufficient battery capacity.

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At the start of sales of the Kia e-Soul, Cost will have just 250 vehicles available - but they will go to 250 of the total of 400 dealers across Germany. Cost expects another 150 vehicles from Korea in the next few weeks. In view of the delivery bottlenecks for batteries, nobody knows how many e-souls will be available to him this year. With a little luck it can get a little more, Cost is optimistic.

3000 units of Niro and Soul were planned

How many more? “I don't know,” Cost admits honestly. Overall, the Germany boss had expected 3000 units for the e-Niro and the e-Soul this year. But given the current state of affairs, there are likely to be significantly fewer. 1,600 units of the e-Niro have now been sold, so the electric SUV is also sold out. Now you keep your fingers crossed in the European headquarters of Kia in Frankfurt that the battery situation is relaxed. Because if it were up to customer demand, Cost could “easily sell 9,000 units of both vehicles this year”.

But Kia is no exception with such long delivery times: Audi just had to shut down production of the e-tron. The reason here too: a lack of battery capacity. For Kia as an importer and its Germany boss Cost, the long waiting times mean nothing other than that potential customers are lost. The only consolation for Cost is that other manufacturers, if they can offer e-cars at all, are not doing any better.

e-Soul with two battery sizes

The fact that the vehicle is not available is particularly regrettable because, after the e-Niro, Kia is already presenting the second convincing electric car with the e-Soul. Both vehicles are offered with the same battery sizes with 39.2 kWh (136 hp / range 276 kilometers) and 64 kWh (204 hp / 452 kilometers), but apart from the battery pack, they are fundamentally different. While the Niro comes as a compact SUV, the Soul still drives up with its polarizing box shape.

You definitely have to like the exterior of the e-Niro - but with it you stand out. Especially when you silently pass other cars with it. A maximum torque of 395 Nm is an announcement for the 1.7-ton vehicle with a larger battery. The same goes for the sprint time of 7.9 seconds. The top speed is limited to 167 km / h. More doesn’t make sense if you don’t like to watch the battery capacity decrease at top speed on the autobahn.

Almost an hour charging time from 0 to 80 percent

But if at some point it is time to drive to the charging station, charging the batteries from 0 to 80 percent at a fast charging station with 100 kW output takes 54 minutes, if you can find such a station. Kia states the consumption of the e-Soul with a large battery as 15.7 kWh per 100 kilometers, while the small battery consumes only slightly more with 15.6 kWh. The driver can influence consumption accordingly through the various driving modes (Eco +, Eco, Sport, Comfort). The same applies to recuperation, the strength of which can be adjusted in four stages using the paddles on the steering wheel.

That's a fine thing. Once you have got used to it, it is even possible to bring the e-Soul to a standstill using the so-called “one-pedal mode”, almost without having to use the brake. Another great thing is the space available on the almost 4.20 meter long Kia e-Soul. At the front and back, even tall fellow travelers will find enough space to comfortably survive long distances. But the trunk is rather small with 315 liters.

New telematics system

In addition to the familiar driver assistance systems such as adaptive speed control, pedestrian detection, a lane departure warning system and a cross traffic warning system, the new e-Soul also features the new telematics system UVO Connect. With it, various functions can be operated remotely via app, such as controlling the charge level or controlling the air conditioning function.

And what does the price look like? The Kia Soul with a small battery starts in the Edition 7 equipment variant at 33,990 euros. The e-Soul with a large battery costs 37,790 euros. For these prices you get a well-equipped car in front of the door. Provided, of course, that you have the patience to wait for a Kia e-Soul.