The Soul lacks a tailpipe and glides nearly silently when in motion. The exception is when reversing, when the EV emits a subtle chirp to warn nearby peds to stay clear.
Almost visually identical to the gasoline-powered original, the Soul EV didn't attract a lot of attention. Electric car enthusiasts, however, spotted the "Eco Electric" badges and ran over to chat.
Only the information you need when rolling is displayed. On the left is an eco-driving gauge, the battery level, and the estimated range. On the right is the speedometer.
The Soul's steering wheel feels nice enough for a car in this price range, but the steering feel can be quite good. Drivers have the choice between comfort, normal and sport power steering-assistance settings.
The Uvo system grants the driver access to much more electric powertrain and battery information, as well as digital media controls and a smooth operating navigation system.
It just wouldn't be an EV if the driving gauges didn't show you growing some sort of digital tree. Fortunately, the Soul hides this silliness in its Uvo system.
The Soul EV only has a single-speed gearbox between its electric motor and the front wheels. However, it has two settings. Drive is the standard driving and coasting mode, but "B" adds extra braking regeneration to the mix. I found that the B option was weird at first but grew to prefer it.
Additionally, an Active Eco mode can be activated. I didn't find it necessary to reach the Soul EV's stated range, but heavy-footed drivers or those who make extensive use of the climate controls may find it useful.
The Soul EV does lose a bit of rear legroom and hatch space to its 27kWh battery pack. However, the Soul is pretty spacious to begin with, so you'll hardly notice.
The "plus" trim level also adds front and rear parking sensors the the standard feature mix. They help this already city-friendly EV squeeze into even tighter spots.
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