In the end of September 2016 in terms of Paris Motor Show the South Korean company Kia held a debut show of the “charged” compact crossover Soul «GT», which has received several “sporty” finishing touches in the design and got a powerful turbo engine. The car sales in the countries of the Old World began almost immediately after the international premiere.
Outside the “hot temper” of Kia Soul GT is expressed with modified bumpers, which design publicly declares sports ambitions of the new SUV; “shotgun” of exhaust system, 18-inch wheels of the original decoration, decorative red stripe on the perimeter of the body and a “Soul” label of similar color on the trunk lid.
The “Charged” crossover entirely repeats the standard “brother” by size: its length, height and width fit into the 4140 mm, 1605 mm and 1800 mm respectively. Distance between the wheel pairs of the five-door SUV stretches to 2570 mm and its road clearance reaches 150 mm.
Sports spirit in the interior of Kia Soul GT is expressed in a steering wheel with flattened bottom section of the rim, combined finishing of leather and fabric with a contrasting orange stitching along with a “smart” instrument cluster.
Interior decoration of the “charged” crossover is identical to the conventional model – modern design, quality performance and a five-seat layout. The trunk also remained unchanged – its volume is still 354 liters (1,367 liters with folded rear sofa).
The “heart” the GT-version of “Kia Soul” is a 1.6 T-GDI gasoline engine, belonging to the “Gamma” family, with aluminum head and crankcase, turbocharger combined with the exhaust manifold, multiple injection and the phase shifters in the production and release. Its capacity reaches 204 “horses” at 6000 rev/ min and 265 Nm of torque rods at 1750-4500 rev / min.
The entire power supply is directed to the front wheels via a 7-band pre-selective 7DCT “robot” with two clutches.
On a hard surface Kia Soul GT feels more than confident: the “charged” SUV accelerates to the maximum of 200 km / h, reaching its first “hundred” in 7.8 seconds. In the mixed driving conditions the vehicle “eats” 7.4 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers.
From the constructional point of view, GT-modification of “Kia Soul” hardly differs from the basic “brother” – at its core lies FWD “truck” with independent suspension of McPherson type in front and semi-independent architecture with flexible beam in the rear.
The vehicle is equipped with disc brakes on the front and rear wheels (ventilated in the first case) and modern “assistants” and electric power steering. Among the improvements – more durable and large front brake “pancakes”.
In Europe, the “charged” crossover is sold at a price of 28 390 euro. By default, Kia Soul GT has six airbags, high-quality “music”, multimedia complex, ESP, dual-zone “climate”, 18-inch wheels, combined interior trimming, navigation system, ABS, bi-xenon headlamps, heated front and rear seats, assist system at starting off uphill, rear view camera and other equipment.