Kia e-Soul 64 kWh, EXPERIENCE. Oh, how much I would give her to stay in the editorial office forever. Ideal in its segment!

Thanks to the provision of the Polish branch of Kii, we ran the Kii e-Soul 64 kWh test over several days. First impressions? If someone doesn't have a Tesla budget and needs a car in which they can fit their family (or move a closet), then they should be interested in e-Soul. I would give a lot to keep this car in the editorial office forever.

This article records emotions and first impressions of a few days of using the car. This can be considered a test done by the heart without trying to be objective. The real test of Kii e-Soul will take place in the coming weeks, we already have all the materials.

Kia e-Soul 64 kWh, Specifications:

segment: B-SUVs,

drive: front (FWD, 1 + 0),

power: 150 kW (204 HP)

battery capacity: 64 (~ 69) kWh,

reception: 452 pcs. WLTP, 386 kilometers in real mixed mode [www.elektrowoz.pl calculations, compare with meter photo]

PRICE: from 139 PLN for the 900 kWh version, but we definitely recommend the 39 kWh version, from PLN 64 with UVO Connect,

configurator: HERE,

competition: Hyundai Kona Electric, Peugeot e-2008, somewhat Kia e-Niro 64 kWh (C-SUV) or Lexus UX 300e (C-SUV)

Kia e-Soul 64 kWh as a family B-SUV, the only car in the house. Actually: a family business. Indeed: the only car in the house

Took my kia in Nadazhin, she met me with the declared mileage of 387 kilometers. Lush yellow-green on the outside and unusual, with characteristic curves on the inside. This model from category love-hate... Either you find its shapes and your wife accepts them and then you think about buying it, or you find the car ugly and never look at it again. We ... were passionate about:

Already during the first trip, returning from Nadarzyn to Warsaw, We managed to intrigue at least one person, the driver of the Porsche Cayenne.... As we overtook the rest of the traffic within the set speed, it appeared just outside the back door and started flashing lights. I hit the accelerator pedal hard and jumped back. We found a gap in the alley on the right side, turned off. The Porsche Cayenne caught up with us, the electric Kia slowed down at a height, and its driver seemed to be looking at the car with obvious approval. I don't think he expected what kind of devil he was dealing with.

Yes, e-Soul is fast. Too fast, given the front-wheel drive. With 150kW of power, breaking traction is no problem – both at 40km/h and 120km/h. Luckily, there's nothing wrong with someone who drives normally. This car won't go crazy if the driver doesn't want to.

The car was not joking about the estimated range. After driving 35 kilometers (first a high-speed lane with numerous dynamics tests), then Warsaw with traffic jams, the predicted flight range dropped to 365 kilometers. We were confident that we would cover this distance. What bothered me the most was something else: Will a family of 2 + 3 fit into the car, will they have time to take everything that is needed for a week-long trip? Recall that we are talking about a B-SUV, the car was, was not a city car.

Kia e-Soul: luggage compartment and interior space

Surprisingly, it worked! Kii e-Soul trunk volume according to VDA it is 315 liters. “Almost nothing,” I'd like to say, but remember that the VDA lists the most useful and smallest parts available. The flat roof gives the e-Soul an odd shape, but allows the car to be packed not only to the level of the backrests, but even to the headrests, which adds about 1/5 to the official capacity. In addition, there is still enough in the car plenty of space under the boot floor (I packed three soft bags there), which the VDA procedure also does not take into account - again + 1/3 of the capacity. As a result You have 450-480 liters of luggage space at your disposal.... I guarantee that's enough:

There was also ample space in the back seat, although the largest child (9 years old) rode without a seat under conditions permitted by law. It was located, she did not complain, but I must admit that during the trip she unknowingly made it clear that she was more comfortable in a minivan with three separate seats in the back. It is impossible to hide: with three separate seats THIS is more comfortable, so the Kia e-Soul is ideal for a 2 + 2 family. But with 2 + 3 it worked out too.

Kia e-Soul 64 kWh - range

However, the most reassuring thing was before my eyes: reach... We have several test loops, one of them, about 600 kilometers long, leads along the route Warsaw-> A2-> Lowicz-> A1-> Wloclawek-> Inowroclaw-> Znin-> to Snin and back. This allows us to check energy consumption on highways (as well as when commuting) and on national and provincial highways. Now look plot mainly consisting of motorways:

• we start near the house range forecast 365 km at 18.17,
• we connect to Wloclawek, where the charger does not start, so we move on (after 29 minutes, during which we went shopping),
• at 21.22: 9,23 we do a quick charge in a restaurant in Stary Jablonki (5,9 minutes, + XNUMX kWh), because we know that the last few tens of kilometers of the route will be desert for charging, and this is a test circle, you will have come back.

On Google Maps we had to travel 203 kilometers, on the counter 200 kilometers, our range decreased by 210 kilometers. According to Google Maps, the road should take about 2:26 h (depending on the traffic it is 2: 20–2: 45), we drove 2:36 h. We drove along the highway quite normally, sometimes 120 km / h, then 130 km / h, depending on the workload.... The faster ride was uneven (fast overtaking plus a concession to others with 140+ km / h meters), we didn't even think about a slower one. Just great!

The conditions, of course, were also ideal, but even in winter we should succeed. At worst, let's loosen up the accelerator a little. we will make a stop for the toilet and shopping with a working chargerbecause you shouldn't come empty-handed. After 2,5-3 hours of driving, the moment of rest is excellent. I didn't need anything else, they sold me: The e-Soul 64 kWh may be the only vehicle in the family.... I realized this after several hours of communication with the machine, one test cycle (above, you see only a third).

For a while, I hoped to convince the publisher to buy this car. Finally even in the Electric Locomotive, we had the opportunity to do it: a 64 kWh demo version is available for about PLN 135 XNUMX.... Inexpensive for a car with an excellent range (in the city and its environs: 400+ kilometers), spacious enough, and at the same time convenient for parking (length 4,195 meters, width 1,8 meters).

Unfortunately, the publisher was not convinced. So I only have this memorable photo from the Baikonur cosmodrome (actually: Barcin) ...:

Editor's note www.elektrowoz.pl: soon, according to your wishes, we will prepare and publish such materials for a longer test with video material. The Kia e-Soul forum can be found at the link, the car has been driving the Sierek since April 2021, and he also shared his first impressions of using the 64 kWh e-Soul.

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