Quick Drive: 2019 Kia Optima SX

But we don't really need 600 mile EVs.  What we need are EV's that replace the 100 kWh battery with a lighter, cheaper 75 kWh battery and get the same range.  

Was out and about in my neighborhood this afternoon and saw not one but two Cadillac ELRs within a couple blocks…a dark red one and a pearl white one.   Also saw two CT6s (dark gray and black) and a CT4 V series in bright blue.  

Keep in Mind that Mercedes came to the party late. Kia/Hyundai/Genesis were the first investor with Factorial Energy for Solid state and then a year later Mercedes joined the investors party. Both have prototype assembly lines that come online this spring to actually product production grade battery packs. Right now, both are using hand-built versions and have pretty much the same range. Genesis RV90 EV SUV is supposed to have the first battery packs from the Hyundai Assembly line in them when they go on sale next year. That would put them ahead of Mercedes. Bigger part is when both companies push it through out their whole product portfolio to maximize the performance while minimizing cost. I can imagine the G90 Long wheelbase sedan above having this battery pack and being in the 600 mile plus range. We are in exciting times, and it will be interesting to watch how Mercedes and Kia/Hyundai/Genesis maximize these solid-state battery packs.

Warren Buffett was the lead investor in BYD and as a financial requirement made BYD review and apply all of Demming and Drucker's approach to manufacturing like they did for Toyota and most of Japan when the U.S. Auto industry ignored them. BYD is in many ways ahead of many other auto companies world wide in quality as well as technology. Excellent read: Deming versus Drucker. Management Titans Clash Like Rivals in… | by Paul Daoust | SCIO Asset Management Inc. | Medium

I remember when the Kia Soul hit the market, together with its jingle about a “little bit of soul.”  I still think the name is clever. Yet, it has taken me this long to actually drive one.  It was because of a situation where the rental agency had run out of compact sedans. The Kia Soul doesn’t look like anything else.  It’s quirky and even an ugly sort of cute.  When it was first released, its cartoon-like front grille “expressed” sadness.  It has been minimally changed during its run and, currently, the front grille looks a little “angry” … and with an underbite.  The side profile is largely unchanged.  Now, the rear door and surface are vertical and its rear taillamp assembly has morphed to wrapping around the edge of that entire surface. In being so vertical, getting into and out of the Soul is easy.  That feeling of verticality extends to the interior of the cabin.  The front of the cabin is spacious enough, the rear of the cabin is sufficiently spacious, and the rear storage space, without the rear seat folded down, is not exactly generous.  To get the full benefit, the rear seat needs to be folded down.  Clearly, a person who buys one has penciled out their needs and has figured that the Kia Soul might work for them.  Some reviewers have said that the dashboard is a throwback to another era.  I believe they were addressing how rounded the different volumes were.  I’d agree that roundedness was very popular in past automotive design, but this dash set-up is unique to the Soul.  The interesting thing is the illumination at night, which seems to change colors – without adjustments I was aware of, the colors were shades of purple and pink.  Having clusters of instruments grouped in these rounded clusters was easy to work with.  The steering wheel in this model was a urethane one, and, anymore, this always gives a vehicle an entry-level feel.   On the main pod, the speedometer is to the left and the tachometer (where one needs to multiply the digital number x 1,000) is on the right.  Fuel and temperature gauges are included and worked in around the edges of the above.  There is an information dialogue box between them where you can see tire pressure and other readouts as you toggle through them. The Soul’s center stack dash pods are very sensible.  This includes both infotainment screen and the climate control panel.  The console is also simply laid out. The Soul’s engine has a subdued rhythmic note, but it’s not hushed when pushed.  This is an economical Kia vehicle.  The engine is a 2.0-liter 4 cylinder unit and it is not turbocharged.  Thus, it makes 147 horses.  Power comes from a CVT, as Hyundai has left the geared automatics behind several years ago, when even Rios (and Accents) had 6 speed automatic transmissions. The Soul is conventional in its mechanics, seeming like a vehicle somewhere between a Kia Rio and a Kia Forte that has been raised up.  That explains its ride and handling, which is probably closer to that of the Forte than to that of the Rio.  This means that, while not premium grade, it is nimble and smooth enough.  Sometimes, it’s the go-kart effect as you slalom around city traffic that “imparts” more agility than would be experienced on two-lane highways or freeways. With its powertrain, it has what it needs for everyday driving and even sprinting away from a light or onto a freeway ramp.  In so doing, the CVT will begin to spool up the rpms, but it doesn’t give the sensation of “sticking” at those higher rpms the way some CVTs did in the mid-2010s.  As for passing up a steep grade or at high speed, this would be more challenging and would need to be “studied.” The seating is upholstered in tougher fabric, which is firm and reasonably comfortable. It is intended to do the job without trying to exhibit uptown workmanship.  If wanting to look over your shoulder to change lanes or pass, the unusual slanted window in the rear sail panel and the thick rear pillar might be slightly intrusive.  The Soul’s greenhouse is not a big glassy one. The Soul is very predictable and easy to live with, though not exactly awe inspiring.  For this sort of packaging, the pricing is in the respectable $22K to $27K MSRP range.  Also, many of the advanced safety electronics are included.  That said, it’s a little brainy, but, while it’s not the brainiest of vehicles, it has more brains than it does looks.  So, if you’re a little quirky, or want to be, choosing this vehicle could be a logical extension of that. The Kia Soul has been on the market for a long time, sales crested a few model years ago, sales have dwindled with each successive year after that, and, at this juncture, it is still available. - - - - - PHOTOS FORTHCOMING