We waited almost 2 months for our Soul EV. Nothing like the 7 month wait for our Kona EV. We decided to trade in our Plug In Electric C-Max Energi. We were given a rock bottom appraisal on the 2016 Energi with only 34,000 kilometers on it. So today we drove into the valley about 40 kilometers away to a different dealership and got a much better appraisal on the Energi, bought it, and brought it home this afternoon. We got some goodies thrown in as well i.e floor mats, rear bumper protector for dogs climbing in, dealer cost on Michelin Cross/Climate tires including free installation. Which is best in my eyes so far? I have to say the Soul is because we wanted more room especially getting in and out of the car. It is a delight with very spacious entry and head room, and also electric passenger seat. First impressions, are that the Kona seems heavier and more BMW like in the build--maybe a little sportier. The Soul EV is more airy and it puts you into a sitting position more like an SUV i.e. higher with excellent vision. The nav screen in the Soul is bigger and it appears like it is going to be more comprehensive with weather and traffic built in. The suspension in the Kona is much firmer and the Soul is a bit softer over the bumps which is nice. My husband feels the seat backs in the Soul are a bit broader which he likes as he has broad shoulders. There seems to be more info. on the head up display too. It is going to be a world of difference for my dogs too as it has lots of head room for their crates. We were fighting over driving it home so I didn't get as much time on it as I will be getting. So far so good and I am really taken with the Soul EV. Probably my gut reaction is I will like it best. Hubby says he feels the same due to the head room. No losers here though as both are great cars.
Thanks. I think the Ceramic Blue is lovely too--very unusual colour of blue. The Soul space green is rather eye popping, but does go with the funky style of the car and will be like wearing a safety vest. lol
Congratulations, very happy for you. Nice to see you got the car you wanted. I like the "Hulk" version
I agree. The space green is perfect for the Soul Styling! About 20 years ago, I had a 1995 Vette in a similar color as my Kona..
Wow that is one gorgeous car! You're right it is very similar to the Ceramic Blue which is the best Kona EV colour imo.
Congrats on your Soul EV. What’s it like being a two EV car family? How are you going to organize the charging?
Thanks. We got the Charge Point charger through ZoomBC installed in our garage. One EV will be in the garage and one outside. The cord goes under the garage door for the outside door. We brought the Soul home yesterday and it had a 270 kilometer charge on it. I think it was about 220 when we got home, and hubby decided to give it it's first 100% charge. It charged to to 448 k in just under 5 hours. I don't think we will have any problems juggling scheduling.
Looks good! My lady friend has ordered a kona preferred and I keep telling her to look at the Soul, but she wants to have the same car as me so I can set it up for her. She not a technical person. I told her the soul is very similar so that would not be a problem. She ordered the kona on April 18th and still doesn’t know when it will arrive. I’m concerned that it could be next year!!
Congratulation on your new Soul! Your reports on your car(s), hubby, and dogs make us all feel like family. Looking forward to more stories of your life with electric cars.
KonaTom I think she would love the Soul EV and there are lots of preferred and limited models available right now. And the set up is almost identical in the Kona and the Soul. Maybe she would up for a test drive in a Soul EV?
If I'm understanding the Canadian Kia Soul web site properly, the lower class model of the Soul also has a much lower range and battery pack size. But the Hyundai Preferred (lower class Kona EV) has the same range and battery pack as the Ultimate. This makes the Hyundai Preferred a much better and cheaper option for us. If you are only interested in the top-of-the-line models then this is not an issue
Congratulations! The Soul EV is nice and they have definitely improved things from at least paper spec standpoint. I’m sitting here with Solar, my 2018 PHEV Clarity and a 2016 Soul EV+ with the Sun and Fun package. I do need to expand my solar as it is not quite covering my usage now with both cars and the hot weather.
Congratulations on the new Soul. We are also a two EV family. I drive a Kona and my wife drives an Ioniq. It's hard to pick a favourite I love them both. Each has their pros and cons.
CJC - Does the Soul have a scheduled charge override button in the port housing like the Kona? Just curious as I know the Clarity has that function activated by pressing and holding a button on the key fob.
Hi Ed. The Soul does have an override button in the port housing same as Kona. No button on the fob though.