For those who have been keeping an eye on the trends in the automotive industry, they must have well noticed that KIA has actually teased its upcoming Trail’ster vehicle model a couple of times ever since rumors about the model surfaced. Now, the South Korean automaker has officially taken the veil off the aforementioned vehicle model at this year’s Chicago Auto Show event. The car is being shown in its concept version and it is based on the company’s Soul vehicle model.
The vehicle concept reportedly previews the company’s upcoming production version of the Soul AWD. The car looks highly distinctive, thanks to its exterior Polar Pearl Snowdrift paint hue. In addition to that, the contrasting Terra Bronze Metallic paint job on the roof as well as on the body cladding makes the car look all the more attractive. Keen buyers of the vehicle will also be eligible for such components as 19-inch anodized alloy wheels with red accents, a weatherproof canvas roof that is fully retractable, aluminum skid plates, and also Pirelli Winter Carving snow tires.
The front fascia of the KIA Trail’ster concept sports projector headlamps with LED bulbs. The headlamps are inspired by the ones applied on the KIA K900. In addition to that, this upcoming crossover model from KIA also has a rugged appearance reflected by its massive fog lamps. The LED technology is used not only for the headlamps but also the taillights of the vehicle.
Stepping into the cabin, the vehicle features a lot of components also found on a standard Soul variant. However, the Trail’ster has also been equipped with an ignition switch colored in red, a number of AWD controls, a thickset gear shifter, brown leather seats and floor mats made of aluminum inlays.
Under the hood, the car packs a turbocharged 1.6L 4-cylinder engine that spits out 188 hp and 251 Nm of power and torque. This engine works in conjunction with a 6-speed automatic transmission and an FWD drivetrain. There is also an electric motor at the rear end of the vehicle, with a total power of 36 hp. This electric motor is powered by a 1.2kWh lithium-ion polymer battery. This electric motor sends power to the rear axle of the car, giving it an electric AWD drivetrain.
KIA claims that the electric motor will be activated when the car enters an off-road driving condition and also whenever more power and torque are required. The motor can also recover kinetic energy from coasting or braking. Additionally, the South Korean company claims that the Trail’ster concept consumes fuel more efficiently by some 25 to 30 percent (city) and 5 to 10 percent (highway) than a standard variant of the 2015 KIA Soul.
