Kia revealed its secret inner soul
to the world, with the unveiling of the Kia Soul, a
sporty, bold crossover car that combines the fun and
style of a four wheel drive with the practicality of
a people mover at the recent North American International
Auto Show in Detroit.
The Kia Soul concept debuts a new vehicle class, the
crossover utility vehicle (CUT) with a sporty, bold
look that builds on design cues from the Kia Mesa
concept vehicle introduced at the 2005 NAIAS.
“The Soul really was a collaborative effort between
our design studio in California and our design studio
in Korea,” said Tom Kearns, chief designer for
KMA. “We went so far as to send one of our
California designers to Korea for a month and half
during the project.”
Even the concept vehicle’s name alludes to the
collaboration between the two design studios. “We
wanted to inject some living, breathing life into
this car’s design -- give it a soul, if you
will, and the word ‘Soul’ is a homophone
for the home city of Kia Motors Corporation headquarters,
Seoul, South Korea,” said Kearns.
Exterior Design with Attitude;
The Soul has a stylish, compact SUV body that looks
equally at home charging up a hill to a secluded mountain
biking trail or deftly navigating traffic on narrow
metropolitan streets.
“It’s important to give the customer flexibility,
function and utility but not lose the car’s
distinct attitude and character,” Kearns noted.
The architecture of the Soul’s stance and wide
track is reflective of its sporting, confident-handling
character. A wrap-around windshield, muscular wheel
flares, stylish front headlamps and a sloped roofline
help convey Soul’s athletic appearance, which
is geared toward satisfying customers with an active
lifestyle. The Soul’s exterior exudes an athletic
presence, while several design cues lend a svelte,
edgy look indicative of urban attitude.
Atop the sloped roofline is an automatic panoramic
sun/moon roof. The front section of the panoramic
roof slides backward and fits over of the rear section
allowing for open-air driving with unobstructed views
for both front and rear passengers. Also up top are
roof racks integrated into the Soul’s design
with rails for sliding objects forward and backward.
Stylish Yet Functional Touches
A symmetrical combination headlight design builds on
previous touches from the Mesa concept and incorporates
the headlamps and grille opening in a functional layout.
The front brush guard with integrated fog lamps is
functional and helps convey the Soul’s SUV toughness.
Side vents add some character while helping to cool
the engine compartment.
The Soul’s side panel construction was designed
with safety in mind and is strong enough to allow “freestyle”
passenger doors (rear-hinged in back) that, when opened,
reveal the lack of a B pillar, which makes for easier
ingress and egress. High taillight placement lends
to a contemporary look but also to better visibility
and safety for occupants.
A rear brush guard smoothly envelopes the license plate
underneath a power lift gate activated by the key
fob. And the rear lift gate includes a unique backpack
compartment that can be configured to accommodate
an individual’s
active lifestyle needs; it folds out like a mail slot
for wet or muddy items such as a wetsuit and hiking
shoes, or even a skateboard depending on its configuration.
Looking Deep into the Soul
The Soul’s interior was inspired by high-quality
audio equipment. In fact, “The dash area was
designed around the front audio speakers rather than
the other way around,” said Kearns. Soul’s
premium audio system will please music lovers and
the speakers are strategically located at the best
positions to maximize audio performance and sound
quality.
Furthering the multimedia entertainment system is a
notebook computer with a multi-purpose video game
monitor housed in the glove compartment area. The
notebook sits on a tray that swings outward and becomes
accessible to either the passenger or driver seating
positions. The multimedia system includes Blue-tooth
and MP3 technology as well as multiple USB ports,
Wi-Fi and telematics.
Video monitors that fold up
and out airline style from the center console, which
runs the length of the cabin, are available for rear
seat passengers’ entertainment. Cabin ambiance is accentuated by upscale interior lighting.
Instead of a typical dome light there is a lighting
element surrounding each panoramic sun/moon roof. The same lighting technique is used in the door trim
and is reminiscent of limousine interior lighting,
adding to the Soul’s urban, social feel.
Soul’s shape promises lots of interior space
relative to its footprint; though small on the outside,
Soul is big inside with practical interior room and
a reconfigurable cargo space. Two semi-bucket seats
in front comfort the driver and front passenger, while
flat-folding rear seats create even more storage space
when desired.
“The Kia Soul proves that you don’t have
to sacrifice style to have an extremely flexible vehicle
that can meet the demands of an active and engaged
lifestyle,”
said Len Hunt, executive vice president and COO of
KMA.
“It’s sporty but useful, exciting and enabling.”
The front-drive Soul is powered by a 2.0-liter, inline
four-cylinder gasoline engine. The powerplant is mated
to a five-speed automatic transmission with manual
shift capability and adaptive cruise control for active
driver control and convenience.
Opened in early-2003, the Hyundai Kia Motors Design
& Technical Center is a 90,000 square foot state-of-the-art
facility that houses more than 100 auto designers,
engineers, model makers and technicians in Irvine,
Calif.
Kia Soul Features & Specifications
Exterior Dimensions
• Length: 159.06 in. (4040mm)
• Width: 72.84 in. (1850mm)
• Height: 64 in. (1620mm)
• Wheel base: 100.39 in. (2550mm)
Wheels & Tires
• Wheels: 20-inch polished aluminum
• Tires: 245/45R20
Exterior Features
• Wrap-around “one-piece” windshield
and windows
• Automatic panoramic split-section sun/moon
roof
• Roof racks with rails
• Front brush guard with integrated fog lamps
• Side vents for cooling the engine compartment
• Freestyle passenger doors, rear-hinged in back
• Rear brush guard with integrated license plate
Interior Features
• Premium audio system with speakers strategically
located at the best positions to maximize audio performance
and sound quality
• Multimedia entertainment system
o Notebook computer with a multi-purpose video game
monitor housed in the glove compartment area
o Rear video monitors that fold up and out airline
style from the center console
o Blue-tooth and MP3 technology as well as multiple
USB ports, Wi-Fi and telematics
• Upscale, limousine-style interior lighting
surrounds both sun/moon roofs and door panels
• Practical interior room and a reconfigurable
cargo space with fold-flat rear seats
Driving Functions
• 2.0-liter, four-cylinder gasoline engine
• Front wheel drive (FWD)
• Five-speed automatic transmission with manual
shift capability
• Adaptive cruise control
Safety Features
• High taillight placement leads to a contemporary
look and safer visibility
• Virtual B pillar created when freestyle doors
close and interlock with roof and floor panels
Convenience Features
• Power lift gate activated by the key fob
The Rear lift gate includes a unique backpack compartment
with a custom configuration option. It folds out like
a mail slot for wet or muddy items such as a wetsuit
or hiking shoes, or even a skateboard depending on
its configuration. |