Kia Soul Booster (SK3)

Kia first launched the Soul in the autumn of 2008 as an ideal answer to Toyota's Corolla Rumion and Nissan's cube and with a decade passed with two generations in the belt, the urban boxy crossover prepares with a third coming with the arrival of its third generation model complete with new look, new features, and a new name; Soul Booster.

2020 Kia Soul

2020 Kia Soul EV

Kia Motors rings in the new year with their new model, the third-generation Soul, and this urban crossover gets a futuristic makeover from top to bottom, just to give first-time buyers a boost in confidence while traveling through the city centers like your basic hipster.

Starting at the design, Kia decides to retain the iconic look that was carried over from the previous two generations but gave it a more futuristic twist. Although the new look is as handsome as Daft Punk's helmet, there's something missing about the new look; the Tiger Nose. With the Tiger Nose out of the equation for the new Soul, could this new model hint at a new design direction for Kia? Only time will tell but in the meantime, let's peek inside for more.

2020 Kia Soul interior

2020 Kia Soul EV interior

The new interior reflects its futuristic nature of this third generation model and while you're not driving, you can toy around with the new interior as long as you want just to get to know about its new dashboard better. From its available 10.25-inch navigation system with UVO and Kakao, HUD, available Krell Premium Surround, smart wireless charging, and sound mood lighting, this thing is like a beat box on wheels. Despite being bigger than the previous model, one thing that will upset your pals is that the new Soul's got a slightly shorter rear legroom which is somewhat a bad mark for the new model but the boot space is now slightly bigger than before, meaning there's more room for your thrift shop hauls that will infuriate your kids when you get back home.

2020 Kia Soul

2020 Kia Soul EV

The Soul Booster's offered with two powertrains; a petrol and an electric. That's it. In the normal petrol variant, the Soul's powered by a 1.6-liter twin-scroll turbocharged I-4 GDI engine mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. This engine produces 204PS of power and 27.0kg-m of torque so that is as nippy as a Nissan Juke with the same turbo engine but more importantly, it's not afraid to eat the Juke for breakfast, lunch, and tea, although unsure about the double clutch gearbox though.

The Soul Booster EV, meanwhile, features a new liquid-cooled li-ion polymer 64kWh battery that promises to last longer and charge faster with the Combined Charging System DC fast-charge to keep the road trip going. The electric motor churns out 204ps(150kW) of power and 40.3kg-m(395Nm) of torque, and at one full charge, it's capable of 386km of driving distance, meaning it's capable of completing the round trip from your home to Cabanatuan and back, theoretically. There are other features to that will keep the Soul Booster EV more enjoyable such as four drive modes, smart regenerative braking, Brake and Hold System, Smart Regen System, and Smart Eco Pedal Guide.

Whichever Soul you're driving, you can expect advanced driver-assistance systems that will keep the trip home safe and secured and with BSW, RCTC, and Parking Distance Warning added, it's even more safer.

Should you buy one? The Kia Soul Booster starts at 19,140,000 Korean Won for the turbocharged variant while the EV starts at 46,000,000 Korean Won. So, there you are. While the new Soul has a slightly shorter rear legroom that will upset the rear occupants, even those demanding to be seated at its "sweet spot", the futuristic nature really is a boost in confidence for Kia's urban crossover fit for the urban lifestyle. Millennials better get ready to have one right now.

Photo: Kia Motors