Now we pretty much know what was hiding underneath that camouflage applied by Kia on a Soul prototype it was testing last month in the Death Valley. The front and rear bumpers have been slightly revised and we also notice new HID headlamps with different LED daytime running lights. At the back, the LED taillight graphics have also gone through a minor revision, as did the bumper which has received a light nip and tuck. Rounding off the exterior tweaks are the two fresh sets of 18-inch alloy wheels along with an optional Style Up package to spice things up.
There’s not much going on inside the cabin, but we do know Kia will extend the array of trim options and will offer the KDM-spec Soul with a new two-tone brown finish, although we’d go for livelier colors to match the car’s funkiness.
The same array of exterior and interior updates should be carried over on the 2017MY Soul in U.S. specification. Kia Motors America has already announced the crossover will be turbocharged this winter and it will likely get the 1.6-liter from the Forte5 with 201 horsepower (150 kilowatts) and 195 pound-feet (264 Newton-meters) of torque.
More details about the Korean Soul will be disclosed tomorrow when hopefully we’ll learn more about the other changes planned for the model’s facelift. Meanwhile, Kia South Korea has uploaded on its YouTube account a not-so-revealing promo video for the updated Soul.
Look for the U.S. version’s debut to take place in November at the Los Angeles Auto Show, with sales to kick off before the year’s end or early 2017.
Source: Kia, motorgraph.com
Gallery: 2017 Kia Soul KDM Spec
