Kia Motors has finally heard Soul owners request and after many leaks and comments about the Soul coming with Turbo, it has now become a reality.
[ads id=”0″ style=”float:left;padding:6px;”]The Kia Soul will steal the stage from the all-new Generation Rio at the Paris Motorshow, showing off the facelift model that is already on sale in Korea but with something new under the hood.
The Soul is a subcompact SUV that has gotten a really wel acceptance at the American Market but sales hasn’t been the best at the European Market.
Lets talk about the facelift Soul
it received some light changes such as a remodelled front and rear bumpers with metallic skid plate. The front has a bi-function HID headlights with LED DRL with the updated Kia “Tiger-Nose” signature grill and at the back the newly-designed fog lamps and reflectors. Kia is giving us three new metallic exterior paint finishes – Mysterious Blue, Russet Brown and Wild Orange – with white contrast roof and door mirror caps available with Mysterious Blue, Russet Brown. for wheels you can choose from the new 10-spoke 16 and 17-inch aluminium allow wheel design.
You can also optionaly customise your Soul with 2 design packages, “Urban Active” and “Red Zone”. Urban Package constains cosmetic enhancements including a gloss black finish to front and rear wheel arches, and body kit for front and rear bumpers and side sills. The Red Zone package includes red highlights to the grill, front and rear bumpers and sills, a red roof, and a small red rear spoiler.
Inside the Soul receives the new unique cloth upholstery, available with a single or two tone-color scheme (black, black and grey, black and brown). A new gloss black and metallic highlights and switchgear are also found at the cabin. Additionally buyers can choose a new Orange design pack which features orange-and-grey upholstery, grey stitching and orange highlights throughtout the cabin.
Now you have the option to choose between 5.0-, 7.0- or 8.0-inch color touchscreen infotainment HMI (human-machine-interface) compatible with Apple Carplay and Android auto for full smartphone integration. The new HMI system has a rear-view parking camera, and a new USB port has been added for the rear passengers to charge their phones. Front Passenger seat is also now available with eight-way power adjustment, and drivers can benefit from new rain-sensing windscreen wipers and , in models equipped with 7DCT, the new Drive Mode Selector.
Lets not forget the new safety feature all new Kia models are receiving and the new Soul is not the exception, Blind Spot Detection with Rear Cross Traffic Alert.
[ads id=”0″ style=”float:left;padding:6px;”]Kia Soul 1.6 T-GDi
As many people has expected, we will see the 1.6 Liter Turbo GDI engine capable of pushing 204 PS (201 Horsepower), found in many Kia models currently. This engine will make fastest Soul Kia has made so far with an accelaration from 0 to 100 KPH (62 MPH) in 7.8 seconds with the top speed of 200 KPH(124MPH). For those worried about the fuel efficiency the Soul will give you 6.9 L/100 km (34 MPG) and if you are concern about the enviroment the CO2 emissions are 156 g/km.
Married to this Gamma engine will be the seven-speed Double-clutch transmission (7DCT) for those fast change gears and along with this transmission the Soul gets Drive Mode Selector changing between Normal, Eco and Sport helping with the level of steering assistance for those fun drive or regular commute.
What changes you can expect on the Soul 1.6 T-GDi model from the other regular Soul? for one the front bumper will have a bolder design with an air intake grille, and at the back you’ll get a twin-exhaust pipes ending on the sides with a new 10-spoke 18-inch alloy wheel design. That’s not all, the T-GDi badge will be found as well as red Soul model logo and red highlights to the front bumper and side sills.
At the Interior the Soul 1.6 T-GDi will also receive some distinctive changes, a cabin color scheme with black cloth and leather upholstery paired with orange stitching. A D-shaped steering wheel and orange highlights throughout the cabin, including orange metal paint on the gearstick giving that sporty look complementing the turbo under the hood.
When it comes to performance, the Soul 1.6 T-GDi will be available with the option of larger brakes, 320mm, compared to the standard Soul, 300mm, at the front but unfortunately the rear disc brakes will remain the same size, 262 mm in diameter.
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Availability
the 2017 Kia Soul and Soul 1.6 T-GDi will be available from Kia’s European dealer network from the beginning of October. There are no official dates for the USA yet but it shouldnt be that far off.
