Youngman Snatches Up Saab's Phoenix Platform

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  

Toronto Transit is starting to use BYD electric buses in 2025.  There is a factory in Ontario building them. Thanx for the links.  I am intrigued by BYD.  I am not opposed to BYD EVs as much as I thought I would be and t has nothing to do with the political climate we are experiencing right now.  I didnt think Chinese automanufacturing would be as advanced as it is.  BYD is impressive. And I feel like I did a massive arrogant error in thinking that Chinese vehicles would be sooooo inferior to Western automobiles.  Part of the mis-information that our Western media and thought processes go, I guess.   My daughter is taking an Oriental history class in university this semester. The course is focused on Korea, China and Japan. I am helping her with several essays that she needs to write for the class.  Yeah, I am reading her material in detail as if I was taking the course. LOL.   I am fathoming a guess that this would be the primary reason as to why I have switched my focus to BYD automobiles lately.      

We'll see if Toyota is first, Mercedes already has solid state on the road in prototype form.  I would imagine they want that ready for the next generation S-class EV that replaces the EQS.  And usually the S-class gets the technology first.  E-class EV is due out in 2027, I don't know if they would be ready that fast, and even if so, is this expensive tech that starts on S-class and 10 years later ends up on a regular car. From their media release: Safer, lighter, more efficient and 25 percent longer range in the first vehicle: solid-state cell chemistry delivers higher energy density and weight reduction, with improved driving efficiency and cell safety  Mercedes-Benz, together with Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains (HPP) based in Brixworth UK, developed and patented new innovative solid-state battery pack  Mercedes-Benz integrated solid-state battery, with cells from U.S.-based solid-state battery leader Factorial Energy, into slightly modified EQS Sedan  Road tests with new solid-state battery in "621 mile" EQS development car started in February 2025

I suspect with Hyundai having their solid-state battery plant started for testing of the battery packs that Toyota is going to have to really spend money to catch up to the Koreans. Hyundai to launch all-solid-state EV battery pilot line next month Hyundai Set to Launch All-Solid-State Battery Production - Batteries Daily Hyundai Solid-State Battery Pilot Line Starts Production In March Hyundai starts solid-state battery production in March Lots of stories covering it, 

Hard to get the actual Chinese press release here, but this is their global site. News Center-BYD