The new Kia Soul, on sale in the UK at the beginning of March 2009, is the first Kia to have been developed specifically with UK roads and drivers in mind.
Detailed work to create a bespoke ride and handling package was completed by Lotus, the renowned automotive consultancy, based in Norfolk, East Anglia.
Kia Soul has been secretly on test in the UK during late 2008 and the constant evaluation has been fed back to the factory in Korea as well as the research and development teams in Europe.
The work undertaken by Lotus on the ride and handing package has resulted in changes to the overall suspension settings and bump stops. These changes have allowed the Soul to become more compliant with UK roads, adding a touch more refinement to the ride, yet allowing the dampers to do more ‘work’ under the chassis.
The result is that the Kia Soul is now one of the most complete cars Kia has ever produced as it is available with specific suspension packages for Europe, the US and UK.
Paul Philpott, Managing Director, Kia Motors UK, said: “Soul is a very exciting product for Kia and for our customers. It has a unique look and style and will bring something fresh to the UK market with several innovations. We firmly believe that customers who have never considered a Kia before will look at Soul and see it as a viable option when it comes to buying a new car.”
He also added; “The result of our partnership with Lotus is a more composed ride which we think is much more suitable to what our roads can throw at Soul, and additionally, it is also a more exciting car to drive.”
January 19th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
I wish I could feel the difference between European and UK’s suspension set up. I have heared UKs version drives a lot better than others, so why not Kia bringing Lotus reengineered suspension to all international markets?
-
I’m sure everyone would want to have the best possible package for the money spent.
January 20th, 2009 at 12:45 am
Perhaps the “best” isn’t the same, dependent on the country? I’m no engineer, but I’m sure the roads are different in each location. UK and Europe might have similar roads though. Actually, North America would probably need multiple versions, depending on where the person is driving. The desert, mountains, snowy/ cold with lots of pot holes, urban, etc. Is this the first time Kia and Lotus have worked together since Kia (pre-Hyundai takeover) built a version of the Lotus Elan? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kia_Elan The Tesla Roadster and Dodge EV both use a Lotus chassis- perhaps Kia could do something similar and have it’s own “sports car”? I know there’s the KOUP and KEE, but what if it was based on the Cee’d, but modified through Lotus? The Cee’devil or something? It would obviously have to be an electric vehicle if it were to be compared with the Dodge EV and Tesla Roadster…
January 20th, 2009 at 12:54 am
I know, but a friend of mine – from UK has driven the “European tuned” Soul and now, this one, and he assured the Lotus-tuned Soul drives really good and a lot nicer than “European” one!
-
We have read about rubish ride in the UK magazines, and he said that that’s been sorted out and that rubish ride has gone.
-
We shall soon see how great the improvements really are. Kia UK is going to issue another test-drive event for the UK media and then we should hear a direct comparisson to the both set-ups.
January 20th, 2009 at 3:01 am
It would be a really nice “test drive” to have 3 identical Souls available at the same location, with the 3 different chassis tunings. That would allow people to decide which of the three they prefer. Since the Soul already has “160+” (I think?) accessories available, why not offer purchaser’s choice suspension? I imagine this could be cost prohibitive, but at least worth a mention? Where I live there is a Land Rover dealer that has an off road terrain set up so you can actually test all the features the vehicles are equipped with. Having different suspension pieces available to the public shouldn’t be too tough to accomplish.
January 20th, 2009 at 10:16 am
Yesterday we get our first Soul. Its a really fascinating car.
January 20th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Great to hear that SLGER!! Did you take it for a spin already?
January 20th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Naturally I took it for a spin yesterday. I drove 25 kilometers at home and back to the company today in the morning…really nice and sporty suspension.
January 20th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
How do you feel about it’s interior? Do you get bothered with so much rock-hard plastics inside at all?
January 20th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
I’m sure they aren’t rock hard.. ??? :/
January 20th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
People at the auto show were complimenting the interior materials, even the red and sand interiors.