Mazda MX-30 vs Kia Soul EV

The Mazda’s small battery holds it back in this company – it’s best considered as a shorter-distance runabout rather than a fully-fledged family SUV. This will suit plenty of buyers, however – especially those who have good access to chargers at either end of their typical journeys. It looks amazing, drives smoothly, and has a very attractive interior – but the Soul EV is the more flexible car

The Kia has a bigger battery, as a result, a longer range than its Mazda rival. It also has faster charging, great efficiency, and a more comprehensive warranty. It’s a bit pricier to buy like-for-like, but it is hard not to recommend – especially if you require a small family SUV rather than an urban runabout. It’s not as stylish, nor as much fun to drive, as the Mazda, but you’re unlikely to be disappointed with the Soul EV.

The MX-30’s relationship to the Mazda 3 hatchback and the CX-30 is obvious because it drives just as smoothly as its siblings. The steering is exactly the right speed and weight – it has some of the greatest steerings you’ve probably going to try in any EV.

Despite the somewhat heavy curb weight, the Mazda’s body control is good and it feels comely well tied down in corners, without too much lank. It’s much more involving than the Kia. Both have an elegant feeling to the way they deal with speed bumps in town, as well as the usual road rubbish you find in urban areas. On country lanes and motorways it’s enjoyable, too.

Advantage of electric motor

The advantage of an electric motor is that, even with a comparatively reasonable 143bhp and 271Nm of torque compared with Kia’s higher output, it’s delivered evenly when you ask for it. Performance is satisfactory and better than a likewise rated ICE car.
The 0-62mph sprint takes 9.7 seconds, which is more moderate than the Kia, granted, but it’s from 0-30mph where the MX-30 is best nevertheless. On the motorway, it’s still polished, but use the performance or travel at more accelerated speeds, and range is exhausted quickly.

The Kia isn’t actually as fun to drive as the Mazda, but it’s faster. The 0-60mph sprint takes 7.6 seconds, but what you need to know is that with more horsepower and torque, the Soul EV is more active to respond when hauling away and going for an overtake. There’s more performance, and with a more prominent prophesied range, you can use it more an extended time without fear of draining the battery as much or as instantly.
The instant torque makes it a good town car, too, while the ride backs this up. It doesn’t seem quite as taut or as well established as the Mazda, but the suspension has an insignificantly more supple edge, so the Kia also reacts to bumps in town with a delicate touch.

Stability

This isn’t at the expense of stability through faster bends, because it feels secure here and on the motorway. Like its test rival, a lack of engine sonance means purification is good, but the Soul EV just borders the MX-30 when it comes to wind and road noise.

You don’t state the same attachment with the car as you do in the Mazda, but arguably consumers purchasing cars like these are less annoyed about this and want something comfortable to drive, efficient, and can cover plenty of miles on a charge. At least one of the advantages of Kia’s more graceful steering is that it’s easy to maneuver.

The MX-30 is large than the Kia, with a greater wheelbase, too. While there are 341 liters of boot space with the seats up (26 liters more than in the Kia), the Mazda is enormously more negotiated for the room in the rear of the cabin.

Those beautifully superintended rear doors are quite small, and open in the opposite direction to normal, while the opening to get into the back is tight. There’s an ordinary amount of room in the rear, but the seat base isn’t that long and the tapering roofline means headroom isn’t as good as in the boxier Kia.

Much better clarity is an advantage when manoeuvering, too. While the Mazda has rear-hinged doors with little windows that restrict over-the-shoulder visibility, there’s no such problem with the Kia. But the Soul EV also has front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera to help in any circumstance.

It’s somewhat down on boot space matched with the Mazda, offering only 314 liters, but this is just enough for a family’s luggage. The boxy boot and flat tailgate also mean the Kia should be easy to pack.