Shower Balm: A Detailed Test Of The Kia Soul

Not a cross-hatch, not a car, but a cool little animal. For 11 years of its life, "darling" KiSoul managed to change three generations and prove that it can be sold no worse than the canon hatchback, balanced in all conceivable parameters. And the current Soul seems even more daring than ever: it's brighter, richer and more modern. At the same time, it still refuses to be a full-fledged crossover, stubbornly balancing between classes
Interior
Practicality
Technics
Riding
Equipment
Competitors
Output

Video: Shower Balm: A Detailed Test Of The Kia Soul

Отличия серверных жестких дисков от десктопных — Video: 2017 KIA SOUL POV TEST DRIVE 2023, January

Not a cross-hatch, not a car, but a cool little animal. For 11 years of its life, "darling" KiSoul managed to change three generations and prove that it can be sold no worse than the canon hatchback, balanced in all conceivable parameters. And the current Soul seems even more daring than ever: it's brighter, richer and more modern. At the same time, it still refuses to be a full-fledged crossover, stubbornly balancing between classes

We snatched the most packaged version of the Soul, with a 2.0-liter 150-horsepower engine and the only possible front-wheel drive, to understand why the joke, repeated three times, continues to entertain and attract the audience.

Interior

Architecturally, the Soul salon does not seem to have changed: inside there is still a lot of black, rounded, convex and silver plated. But if you look closely, you notice that every surface and bend is new. The massive panel is solved in a different way, the design of the door cards has become bolder, and a wide central display appeared in the top versions. No one in the class has this yet.

The client is accustomed to the blackness of the salons. Fortunately, both materials and texture enliven the space. For the most part, the finish is pleasant to the touch, but the very tough plastic still looks great

Landing in the Soul is proprietary: high crossover, with bus visibility. The range of adjustments is sufficient, there are no complaints about the shape of the seats: everything is moderately tight and well profiled. Driver's seat lift - already in the database

Inside the Soul there is now more "silver": the edges, massive steering wheel spoke and textured inserts in the doors are painted "under the metal". Looks perky, and also reflects the interior lighting well at night

By the way, about the backlight. The Soul's proprietary LED illumination now has more modes, and the colors and brightness are adjustable through the media menu. There you can also choose to pulsate to the beat of the music or one of eight ready-made themes, such as "Hip-Hop!", "Party" or "Midnight City"

The 10.25-inch touchscreen is available in premium versions. And it is beautiful: the picture is bright, the diagonal is large, the speed, response and drawing are excellent. In the mid-range Luxe and Prestige trim levels, this beauty is replaced by a more modest seven-inch screen. And in the initial Soul will meet a monochrome 3.8 "pager with minimal functionality. Yes, yes, from the previous five inches, the base screen has shrunk to three and eight

The tidy is concise and clear: it is convenient to read the numbers, and there is a central TFT screen for additional information. From Premium versions it is colored

From the vertically oriented barrels, the side speakers / air ducts have mutated into such speakers. It looks rather lush and idle than stylish and cool. However, the taste and color …

In the niche, there is a shelf with the wireless charging of a mobile phone already familiar to Ki

No, we were not mistaken with the photo: the top version of the Soul really knows how to ventilate the front seats

Practicality

The cube shape with a high roof increases the cabin space in a classy way. First of all - in height. To touch the ceiling with the top of the head is problematic even for an NBA player, and over the heads of those whose height does not exceed 185 centimeters, there will be as much space as no traditional hatchback will give.

The new K2 platform from Ceed and Stonic added an extra 3 centimeters to the Soul's wheelbase, although none of them went to those sitting in the back. Miracles of layout? Anyway! The inhabitants of the sofa had enough space before. The view in all directions is almost aquarium, and the trunk with a sheer tailgate has become wider and slightly more spacious. How many plus signs have you counted?

This is a full-fledged sofa for three, and the person sitting in the center will feel comfortable. There is almost no floor tunnel, on the contrary, there is enough legroom, and the sofa profile is not push-out

In the basic versions, there is neither a folding armrest with cup holders, nor a two-stage sofa heating. Where are they? And here is where - in the "pre-top" configuration Prestige for 1.36 million

Our version is the most expensive, Premium + for 1 649 900 ₽. But even in it there is nothing to entertain the rear passengers: no air vents, no adjustable sofa backs. There are only ceiling handles, a lamp and a USB socket for charging the gadget. One gadget

The trunk is familiar to the Soul. A not too deep compartment of 364 liters is hidden behind the lifting door

In the new generation, the volume increased by 10 liters, which hardly made the weather. But the opening itself became lower and wider by 2.5 cm

The backs of the sofa are already folding in the base, 60:40. Placing them on the floor, we get an almost flat surface without a step and 1388 liters of space. For comparison: the old Soul had 1367 liters

The hold is well decorated. There is a shade, hooks for the net, the net itself (now an option), an additional socket (option), a Harman Kardon subwoofer (top option) and two levels of floor installation: higher and lower. A stowaway and a tool are laid underground. There is no full-size spare wheel, as before, but it's a shame for a convenient organizer: before it was

Technics

I would like to start with the news about motors, but nothing new. Moreover, with the change of generations, the Russian power range has even simplified: out of the four previously available engines, three remain. The popular 132-horsepower 1.6-liter GammGDI "four" with direct injection fell out of the cage. As a result, the step between the base engine (1.6 l, 123 hp) and the middle one (2 l, 150 hp) has become larger (both atmospheric), and at the top there is a 1.6-liter "turbo", which is now called GT Line, not GT, and develops 200 strength, not 204, as before.

Our Soul is equipped with a top-end naturally aspirated "four" with a capacity of 150 horses and an automatic six-speed transmission. The box was slightly refreshed: the software was finalized and … a beautiful knob was added to the selector!

The Soul has three gearboxes. In addition to the familiar six-speed automatic and the equally familiar six-speed mechanics, there is a robot with two clutches. It is put only by the turbocharged 200-horsepower version of the GT Line and … also familiar from the Ceed family

Despite the platform change, the new Soul is a product of a smooth evolution. As before, there is a MacPherson strut in the front, and a semi-independent torsion beam in the back, like on the Cerato. Despite the fact that the "Sid" suspension is completely independent

The ground clearance of the "Russian" Soul is 18 cm: three more than it was before, but quite average by the standards of crossovers. Why Russian? Cars for our market received an extra centimeter of clearance, different springs and reconfigured shock absorbers

The body of the Soul has become a quarter torsional stiffer. High-strength steel and glue were added to the design. The total length of the glue line is 112 meters. A striking but useless fact

Riding

Actually, transferring the model to a new platform is a very serious step, which cannot but affect the manageability. So it was with Ceed, a sister of "Soul": having received a fresh K2 cart, he really went: lively, interestingly, collected. Did the metamorphosis affect Soul?

Uh … no. Reseeding from the old model to the new one, we can only note the increased attentiveness to cornering. As if the Soul had acquired not a modernized chassis with a rail shortened to 2.5 revolutions, but a mentor-mentor who oversees the execution of a single exercise.

150 forces of a two-liter engine are enough for the eyes in the city, but at high speeds it seems only "sufficient": road overtaking is no longer given to him as easily as city starts. The machine works smoothly, which also does not add excitement

Questions about smoothness, or rather even excessive rigidity of the ride, remained: if at low speeds the Soul demonstrates softness and even some semblance of swaying, then when driving fast, a strangely tuned chassis reveals its ambiguous character. On the move, the car is still embarrassed to be soft and pliable, but it also does not give a feeling of excitement. This is not very cool even for a passenger car, and even for a crossover, which Soul considers itself to be, a dislike for high-frequency vibrations of wheels on irregularities and broadcasting road trifles to the salon on the highway are completely alien things.

The new Soul cannot be called uncomfortable - at low speeds it generally seems surprisingly comfortable. However, as the acceleration progresses, it becomes more difficult for the suspension to control the fast movements of large and heavy wheels, which is why too many vibrations penetrate into the cabin, even on a smooth (at first glance) road — The new Soul cannot be called uncomfortable - at low speeds it generally seems surprisingly comfortable.However, as the acceleration progresses, it becomes more difficult for the suspension to control the fast movements of large and heavy wheels, which is why too many vibrations penetrate into the cabin, even on a smooth (at first glance) road.

With these introductory introductions, buyers will have to get out of it. For example, looking for an option with more modest 17-inch rims and puffier tires, although this is a detriment to style. The very thing that is a priority for Soul. In a word, thanks for the extra centimeters of clearance, but otherwise the new platform has hardly changed the car. As before, for this Ki, the best roads are good and the best pace is urban.

Equipment

The Soul has experienced not only a generational change, but also a change in equipment priorities. For example, front seat ventilation and the Drive Wise active safety complex with systems such as lane hold, emergency braking, active cruise control and driver fatigue monitoring have been added to the configurator. At the same time, the panoramic roof and the SPAS electronic parking lot have disappeared. According to the manufacturer, the demand for these options was low, and they were abandoned. Absolutely.

The basic Soul is a three-pedal version of the Classic for RUR 1,029,900. For this money, the client will receive 123 power, a fabric interior, halogen headlights with a light sensor, a Flex Steer multi-mode power steering and a media complex with a 3.8-inch screen and MP3 support. In this case, there will be no seat heating, no alloy wheels (16 inches), or, for example, separate climate control. The surcharge for the machine will be 60 thousand rubles, and along with it the Drive Mode Select selector will appear

Prices for the 150-horsepower versions of the Soul start at RUR 1,259,900. Here, from the doorstep, the buyer will be greeted with an automatic transmission, multimedia with a color touchscreen, a rear camera, an additional interior heater, a 17-inch "molding" and the ability to choose a two-tone color with a roof that does not match the body (the painting itself will require another 10,000 rubles). It's funny that the heated sofa and windshield are still not available for this version (Luxe)

For an amount of RUB 1,629,900, the most audacious GT Line variation with a 200-horsepower turbo engine, stylish body kit and sporty chassis settings is at your service.In the table of ranks, this version is not the most expensive, but there are no miracles here: the fastest Soul (7.8 seconds to a hundred) is not so coolly packed. From among the top-end options, it will not have a sunroof, no seat ventilation, or the very Drive Wise complex. Even the rear armrest in the GT Line is something out of the reach

At the top of the line, the Premium + version is the most packaged and expensive. It costs 1,649,900 rubles and is equipped with full LED optics, 18-inch wheels, a sunroof, roof rails, leather trim, a top 10.25-inch screen with navigation, widgets and support for Android and Apple applications, Harman Kardon music with a subwoofer, decorative lighting, luggage net and ventilated front seats. The box is full!

Competitors

The new Soul deftly balances at the junction of the two most inhabited classes, therefore it competes with both crossovers and hatchbacks at once. In order not to list all competitors more or less close to him, let us dwell on those that come to mind first. Both to us and to customers.

Hyundai Creta

Монстр, лидер, бестселлер и ролевая модель класса. Из 13 предложенных комплектаций восемь - с передним приводом, как у Soul. Базовая Cretс 123-сильным мотором и механической коробкой стоит 957 000 ₽. Наиболее упакованная переднеприводная версия оснащена двухлитровым движком в 150 сил и предлагается за 1 255 000 ₽. Цены за полноприводные «Креты» доходят до отметки в 1 335 000 рублей, что на 300 тысяч дешевле самого дорогого Soul " style="width: 823px; margin-right: 8px;">

Hyundai Cret is a monster, leader, best-selling and role-playing model of the class. Of the 13 proposed trim levels, eight are front-wheel drive, like the Soul. The base Cret with a 123-horsepower engine and a manual gearbox costs 957,000 rubles. The most packed front-wheel drive version is equipped with a two-liter engine of 150 forces and is offered for 1,255,000 rubles. Prices for all-wheel drive "Cretas" reach 1,335,000 rubles, which is 300,000 cheaper than the most expensive Soul

Renault Kaptur

Симпатичный собрат «Дастера» тоже встречается в моноприводном исполнении. Самая доступная 114-сильная версия Life на «механике» стоит 945 000 ₽. Топовый «передний привод» той же мощности, с вариатором оценён в 1 219 990 ₽. Самый дорогой Kaptur - уже с четырьмя ведущими, 143-сильным двухлитровым мотором и ценником в 1 354 990 рублей. " style="width: 823px; margin-right: 8px;">

Nissan Juke

Малыш и одновременно старичок Juke куда теснее соперничает с «Соулом»: он и стильный, и дорогой, и переднеприводный. Минимальный ценник на 117-сильный кроссовер с вариатором равен 1 150 000 рублей. Максимальный - с теми же агрегатами, но в богатой версии - составляет 1 319 000 ₽" style="width: 823px; margin-right: 8px;">

ToyotC-HR

Стильная новинка от Toyotтоже из рода кроссоверов. Потому в соперники «Соулу» годятся две из трёх комплектаций. Переднеприводные C-HR оценены минимум в 1 367 000 ₽ (1,2 л, 115 л.c.) и максимум - в 1 756 000 ₽ (2 л, 148 л.с.). Дальше - только полный привод и неприличный ценник в два миллиона и 169 тысяч! " style="width: 823px; margin-right: 8px;">

Citroen C3 Aircross

Французский кросс-хэтч доступен только с передним приводом. Правда, можно выбирать из трёх моторов, одним из которых будет 92-сильный дизель! Совсем слабенькая 82-сильная базовая версия стоит в России приличные 1 227 000 ₽, зато топовый 110-сильный C3 Aircross меньше оторван от реальности: 1 565 000 ₽ " style="width: 823px; margin-right: 8px;">

Suzuki Vitara

В четвёртом поколении японский кроссовер стал чисто городским. В России доступны как моноприводные модели, так и варианты с полным приводом. Базовая Vitarсо 117-сильным 1,6-литровым мотором и механической коробкой доступна за 1 199 000 ₽. Наиболее мощная переднеприводная версия со 140-сильным турбомотором и «автоматом» стоит 1 629 000 ₽. Полноприводные «Витары» в зависимости от версии можно приобрести за 1 479 000 – 1 729 000 ₽" style="width: 823px; margin-right: 8px;">

Suzuki Vitar In the fourth generation, the Japanese crossover has become purely urban. In Russia, both mono-drive models and options with all-wheel drive are available. The basic Vitar with a 117-horsepower 1.6-liter engine and a manual transmission is available for 1,199,000 rubles. The most powerful front-wheel drive version with a 140-horsepower turbo engine and "automatic" costs 1,629,000 rubles. Four-wheel drive "Vitara", depending on the version, can be purchased for 1,479,000 - 1,729,000 rubles

Output

From a cool and very niche toy, Soul has turned for Ki into an almost totemic creature. In the third generation, the cross-hatch has turned out to be especially fashionable, generously packaged and modern in terms of technology and safety. Fans of the previous model will be disappointed with the novelty only by a slight confusion in equipment and inevitably more expensive versions.

But for those who were expecting a solution to the "suspension" problem from the new platform, there is little good news. Soul has remained the same lover of good asphalt. Stock up on high-quality tracks - and then everything will be sincere.