Test drive of 2017 Soul EV+

[charlesm1950]

Kia of Round Rock received a 2017 Soul EV+ and I got to drive it today. This was my first time to drive any EV. There was plenty of pickup for getting on the freeway and overall I liked the car, but I could not find any change in specs from the 2016 model other than Apple Carplay and the equivalent for Android. I was surprised that with all the other tech it was missing key elements of any car today with a $30K+ MSRP. The heated and cooled driver seat is still manually adjusted and if it had a lumbar adjustment I didn't find it. I guess with a 93 mile range (again no change from 2016) I shouldn't worry about a nicer,, more comfortable seat? Not! It also lacks any of the safety features of other contemporary cars; most notably there is no blind spot detection and warning. Our $24K Hyundai Sonata has that and a power passenger seat. I am interested in hearing how other owners feel about the short comings on comfort and tech. It makes me wonder if the rumored Niro EV might be worth the wait. i certainly wouldn't by this version, but I am seriously interest in the 39 month lease.

 

[SmoothJ]

I just picked up the car December 2016 (~2 months ago), and I have enjoyed it. I came from a Kia Cadenza, which has all those missing amenities and more as you described.

I did a lot of research at the time since I wanted a pure BEV and not a ICE. IMHO the built quality is pretty good and I was able to look over any shortcomings from the car. Not to mention the rebates if you happen to live in certain parts of the world that pertain to any BEV/PHEV car.

 

[vanillagorilla]

Manually adjusted seats are common on EVs to save weight. There are certainly oddities for efficiency like no dual zone climate control, no sunroof on volt and leaf, etc.

 

[vanillagorilla]

BTW I wouldn't expect power seats in the Niro EV either, Chevy Bolt doesn't have then even with the huge battery.

My last car had power seats and dual climate, turns out I didn't miss them as much as I expected.

 

[charlesm1950]

Thanks. I have found that another dealer about 50 miles away has another EV+. I texted them and they seemed anxious to work a deal. Maybe because its a 2016. So now that I'm getting some buy in, I have another question. Where did you get your Type 2 charger and how much did it cost to get it installed? Thanks.

 

[SmoothJ]

Thanks. I have found that another dealer about 50 miles away has another EV+. I texted them and they seemed anxious to work a deal. Maybe because its a 2016. So now that I'm getting some buy in, I have another question. Where did you get your Type 2 charger and how much did it cost to get it installed? Thanks.

I didn't get mine yet as I am waiting to see how much I am going to get for my taxes, however I am planning to go for a OpenEVSE hopefully in the next month. I need to upgrade my panel from 100A to 200A, and install a sub panel/NEMA 14-50 in the garage.

 

[vanillagorilla]

GE duraststion is just $399 with an 18 foot cable, 7.2 kW output, and a 3 year warranty. However my selection was also somewhat limited by the power utility rebate approved list.

I got quoted $400-600 for install.

 

[SmoothJ]

No rebates over in NJ USA. There was one that I could have gotten 30% off the whole install from my taxes, but I missed that boat.

 

[mysoulev]

Thanks. I have found that another dealer about 50 miles away has another EV+. I texted them and they seemed anxious to work a deal. Maybe because its a 2016. So now that I'm getting some buy in, I have another question. Where did you get your Type 2 charger and how much did it cost to get it installed? Thanks.

I received a free Bosch L2 charger with the purchase of my SoulEV, just paid taxes and shipping.
installation cost varies quite a bit depending on the location of your breaker, if you have a breaker or an existing 240V feed in your garage, you could probably do it yourself.

 

[bridgehook]

Regarding the EVSE, I ordered one of these: http://jadaniell.ecrater.com/p/25375494/ev-level-2-car-charging-station, but I haven't received/installed it yet.

Regarding dealers being eager to sell 2016 models, Kia Motors Finance is offering nearly $15,000 in "lease cash" to dealers on the remains 2016 inventory, so there are some great deals at the moment, if leasing works for your situation.

 

[charlesm1950]

I'm going down to their dealership (about 60 miles south) this weekend. The lease deal sounds too good to be true. I hope I can work out a deal from one of the nearby dealers in the next couple of weekends.

 

[schnort]

FWIW, I just leased a 2016 EV+ for $266/mo, 39 months, all included(no money down except first month's payment) from that dealership.

HOWEVER, my car has an annoying high pitched whine that they're looking at. Another on the lot didn't seem to have the exact same issue, but something similar.

 

[charlesm1950]

I just leased a white 2017 Soul EV+ at World Car KIA in New Braunfels (between Austin and San Antonio). The dealer gave $1000 off MSRP and KIA kicked in $14750 off. This is offer is available until the end of February and is for leases only. So you can get a very low lease rate. $219 a month with $999 down and you pay Texas' sales tax up front. I paid more but there was no sales tax or down, just my first month payment of well under $300 a month.
The residual value after 39 months is a little over $12000 so at the end I can walk away and get something with newer technology or buy it. I really liked the dealer. No nonsense. I tried another dealer near Austin and got a first offer for a lease over $400.