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After many teasers, Kia has finally pulled the veil on the next generation Soul crossover at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show. While it seems to be acting from an updated version of the model of second generation, the Korean brand describes the Soul 2020 as a brand new model and uses a new platform. That being said, this third-generation soul still retains the same stylistic clues and iconic square shape of its older siblings.
From a design point of view, the new Soul is much more aggressive, especially its front fascia with a large grille and two-level headlights. The old big round headlights have been replaced by thin and sharp units with an LED daytime running light and are connected by finishing elements to give it a full width design. Meanwhile, the lower and larger lights appear to harbor the fog lights and turn signals.
Moving to the side, you will find that Kia has also equipped the all-new Soul with a "floating roof" by concealing the top of the rear pillar. If you take a closer look, you can even see that the lettering "Soul" has been integrated into the black plastic border. The bright-eyed readers would also have spotted the extra body scuplting found on the doors and on the mudguard.
At the back, the design of the Soul's vertical taillights has been retained. However, he now sports a more elegant "boomerang design" (as described by Kia) that meets at the top of the tailgate. Kia also mentions that the new design of the C pillars was designed to look like an airplane. New dual center-exit exhausts and 18-inch wheels accentuate the new, sportier look of the Soul.
In terms of size, the third-generation soul is now longer but retains the same width and height as the outgoing model. The all-new Soul has a length of 56 mm and a length of 4196 mm. The wheelbase, which now measures 2601 mm, is 30% more efficient than the essential. Thanks to the additional wheelbase, the new Soul offers a better interior legroom of 5 mm at the front, but reduces the clearance for the rear legs by 7 mm. It has however added more cargo space by offering 142 liters of extra space.
Enter and the cabin of the 2020 Soul seems to be identical to that of the previous model. Indeed, the configuration seems to have been preserved, including the pilot-oriented dashboard and the center console. The high-end variants feature a 10.25-inch touch-screen infotainment system, an 8-inch head-up display and a 10-inch Harman Kardon audio system. speakers. But what makes it unique is the new sound and mood lighting system that can change the mood depending on the setting.
Under the hood, the new Soul, if available, features a 2.0-liter engine producing 147 hp and 179 Nm naturally aspirated, or a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine of 201 and 264 Nm. The naturally aspirated engine is paired with a six-speed manual transmission or a continuously variable transmission (CVT), while the supercharged unit is available only with a seven-speed automatic dual-clutch transmission.
In the United States, the 2020 Soul is available in three trim levels: GT-Line (photo in red), X-Line (in green) and EX Designer Collection. If you want something more green, Kia also offers a purely electric variant of their cored crossover called Soul EV. It has the same design, but with a sealed front end, but a 64 kWh battery that can travel 386 km in a single charge. The power comes from electric motors that produce a total power of 201 PS and 395 Nm of torque.
The Soul and Soul EV are expected to go on sale in the first half of 2019.
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