By: Jason Woosey
Chicago Auto Show - The new Trail'ster Concept shows that Kia wants to take its funky Soul out of its urban comfort zone and into the wild, at some point in the future.
In Kia's own words, this design study is a “near-future look at how the production Kia Soul would logically evolve into an AWD-capable version that's built to escape the city streets and roam into the mountain wilderness”.
Sure, it would need a bit more wheel well room but hey, this is a concept so let's cut it some creative-licence slack here. Kia's California design studio has infused an outdoorsy vibe into just about every design detail; even the Polar Pearl Snowdrift and Terra Bronze Metallic exterior paint combination is meant to make you think of snow and mud. It creates an “earthy” vibe, they say, as does the cabin with its brown leather finish.
The concept also opens up the sky with a full-length roll-back canvas roof that will probably feature on future Soul models and given that we're venturing off the beaten track here, the vehicle also has aluminium skid plates all round.
HYBRID OFF-ROADER
Of course, all of this and the more rugged styling features would be pointless without an appropriate all-wheel drive system and while it's not pretending to be a true rugged-roader, the Trail'ster concept does come to the bush boma with an advanced hybrid AWD system.
It works like this: at the front end you have a conventional 1.6-litre turbopetrol engine, and at the back axle there's a small electric motor. The two are not mechanically connected in any way, they only meet on the road and their movements are perfectly synced to provide all-wheel drive traction and, when required, a total system output of 164kW.
The rear electric motor also allows for a lag-free pull-off and if you're really light on the throttle, it might also save you some fuel by hauling you for up to 5km on electric power alone.
Look, we can't see Kia ever giving up on the urban jungle-bred, front-wheel drive Soul that we already know; instead this concept points towards a more rugged addition to the range. Yet will Kia also go as far as launching it with an advanced hybrid drivetrain? Watch this space.