2012 Kia Soul + Cloth Automatic We Finance on 2040-cars

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Kia Soul to get AWD?

The funky Kia Soul is one of the three affordable, efficient and style-first boxes on sale today (along with the Scion xB and Nissan Cube). Like its competition, it sits atop a front-drive platform with a longitudinally mounted four-cylinder engine.
It's a dandy car in this setup, but it sounds like Kia may be looking to differentiate the Soul from the herd by offering an optional all-wheel-drive system in the future. According to the report filed by Kia World, the popularity of the small, stylish crossover segment is expected to expand considerably over the coming years, especially overseas.
Citing the optional all-wheel drive on the Renault Captur, Ford Ecosport and Opel Mokka (Buick Encore in the US), along with the eventual arrival of a sub-Tiguan Volkswagen, called the Taigun, an all-wheel-drive Soul seems to make a lot of sense for these foreign markets. In the American market, meanwhile, AWD would open the Soul up to a new segment of buyers that like its looks but want all-wheel ability. Kia World is claiming the Soul AWD could hit markets in 2016 wearing a ruggedized version of the sheetmetal shown on the 2014 Soul that debuted in earlier this year in New York. Expect a bit of extra ground clearance to accompany the new drivetrain. Finally, all-wheel drive would likely only be available on the mid-range Soul + and top-spec Soul !.

Kia HabaNiro concept is an AWD electric wonder car for everyone

Kia filled its press release for the HabaNiro concept with so much bombast hoisted aloft by adjectives and acronyms that we don't know what to make of the actual concept. Conceived and designed at the Kia Design Center America (KDCA) in California, the HabaNiro's labeled "a whole new category of mobility – 'The Everything Car' or ECEV." The "fully-electric, all-wheel drive, four-seat wonder car" goes more than 300 miles between charges, has butterfly wing doors and Level 5 autonomy. On the other hand, considering this is a concept, the boasts and technology could be considered humble. The idea is that the compact four-door crossover is ready and intended to go anywhere, from urban errands to winding roads to "off-roading with confidence to remote wilderness adventures." The concept is 1.5 inches shorter than the production Kia Niro, six inches wider, three inches taller, on a wheelbase that's 5.2 inches longer. The butch exterior belies the close dimensional relationship, the HabaNiro clad in Snowdrift Pearl White paint set off by Satin Metallic Granite Grey cladding in front and an anodized Lava Red aero panel in back. The 20-inch wheels wear 265/50 tires, rubber just a fraction shorter than the BFG All-Terrains on the Mercedes-Benz Concept GLB. A satin aluminum skidplate, billet aluminum tow hooks, anodized Lava Red aluminum accents, and LED DRLs that pulse like a heartbeat ensure no one underestimates the conceptual attitude. The undisclosed battery powers two electric motors, one on each axle for e-AWD. Opening the butterfly doors uncovers a Lava Red interior. Unlike the electric Kia concept in Geneva reveling in its bouquet of screens, the HabaNiro cabin omits rectangular screens, knobs, and buttons. A full-width heads-up display on the windshield provides all the necessary info, projected from an instrument panel that doubles as a touchpad with "Sensory Light Feedback." That, along with the ability to project movies on the screen, sounds great during Level 5 operation. But when a human needs to drive... well, we need to see it in action. You can also sign us up for demos of the "Perimeter Ventilation System," which "quietly and evenly blows curtain of air throughout the cabin" and sounds like what you get on a Greyhound. And the patterned floor is lit with changeable mood lighting that "reflects onto surfaces within the cabin," which sounds like what you get in the club.

Kia compact crossover caught completely uncovered, and it's called Seltos

Kia has been teasing a new, global small crossover with some sketches the past couple of weeks. Now we get to see the actual crossover — called the Kia Seltos — completely unveiled well before the actual reveal. It seems to be sized between the Kia Soul and the Kia Sportage. The photos also show that the drawings Kia released were clearly of the production car. Everything looks nearly identical. It also leans on many current design trends such as a black or contrasting-color roof separated by metallic trim, faux metallic skid plates on the bumpers, and a rising window line at the back. The car has more lines and creases than most of Kia's relatively organic designs of late. The headlights and taillights do have lots of nice detailing, though this is probably a high-level model, and those details may be lost on lower trims. We don't get a look at the interior, but if it's as faithful to the teaser images as the exterior, it should look fairly typical for a Kia. It will have a fairly low, horizontal dash with a large screen protruding from the middle. It looks as though a newer widescreen will be available, which we've seen in the Kia Telluride and K900. Considering the size of the Seltos, it would seem plausible for it to share the naturally aspirated 2.0-liter and turbocharged 1.6-liter engines from the Kia Soul and Forte. The naturally aspirated engine makes 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, and the turbo engine makes 201 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. As in those other Kias, the 2.0-liter engine would probably get a CVT while the 1.6-liter engine would likely get a dual-clutch transmission. All-wheel drive is also probably on the table, though we'll have to wait to see if it's offered on every trim and powertrain combination. Kia said the reveal will be this summer, so we may be waiting a couple more months for all those details.