Kia UK lists the towing weights thusly: 550kg without brakes, 1300kg with brakes (on the trailer). That's for a 1.6 liter engine, gas or diesel, they don't sell a 2.0 liter model in the UK. There is at least one report on this board of someone towing a lightweight tent trailer with a 2014 Soul. I suggest you search for it, it was quite positive regarding the Soul's towing abilities.

 

Before you say it, I did do a search and there's just a lot of results most of which pertaining to the first gen so to save myself an hour I figured I'd just ask.

Does anyone know what the towing capacity of the 2nd gen Soul's is? The manual just says it's not recommended for towing but I seen a lot of people on here towing some sizable trailer so not sure why they copped out on the towing in the manual. Searching the web I've seen anywhere between 1500 and 2000 which I personally feel is a bit too much, they are probably just going by the hitch ratings.

Also, since the manual says that it's not recommended to towing, will installing a trailer hitch void the power train warranty?
My wife and I really enjoy camping and were hoping to be able to tow a tent trailer or small hard body trailer at some point, we asked the dealer if it could handle it when we were buying the car and they said "sure it can!" but after doing some car shopping this year I have concluded that 90% of dealers know nothing about the cars they sell.
Lastly, for those that have towed things, particularly tent and other camping trailers, how does the Soul do? Does it handle the trailer well or does the trailer pull it around? Does it accelerate, particularly up hills, well or does it struggle with the weight?

I've answered questions about towing at least a dozen times, but now I'm curious....what are you calling a 2nd Gen Soul?
Same body, basically and same engine, basically, so what's the big difference, and why do the thousands of words and many pictures we've already wasted on this topic, no longer apply?

Just curious......

 

2009(Japan, China, Korea) and 2010(NA) - 2013 is the first generation of the vehicle, it got a minor update in 2012 with a powertrain and suspension update (GDI engine, 6 spped tranny etc), 2014-15 is considered second gen, power train is the same as 2012 and 2013 but the body and interior has changed, I'm sure there's other differences too.

 

I s'pose.

But the cosmetic differences mean nothing to the ability of the car to "TOW" something.
It's just a matter of horsepower and how efficiently it can be put to the road.

For my money, I'll stick with my little 1.6L and 6-speed AT. I've owned several cars with 4cyl engines and none can compare to my Gertrude.

At least one 2.0L Soul was Dyno Tested and produced 110 BHP, with an SSD CAI.
My little 1.6L Soul, with AT and stock intake, produced 111.1 BHP.

I get enough power to the road to bark the tires on every fast start.
If it can roll, I'll tow it. Heck, I pull things that don't roll. rofl

Happy Holidays!

 

At least one 2.0L Soul was Dyno Tested and produced 110 BHP, with an SSD CAI.

You say this all the time Techno ,

^^ You mind providing your reference on this ? I think you are confused .... Here is a link to a dyno pull that ACTUALLY happened http://www.kiasoulforums.com/28-aftermarket-modifications/11587-ssd-warm-air-intake-dyno-tested.html , not a figment of ones imagination SSD Warm Air Intake dyno tested!
And it pulled 133 hp with the SSD intake .

There is a 1.6 owner here that put hers on a dyno http://www.kiasoulforums.com/2-soul-general-discussion/24186-dyno-day-little-devil.html and pulled 110 hp , and she has the intake .... As a matter of fact hers is a 2011 , which has the weaker 1.6 ( 122 hp ) compared to the 2012s (138 hp ) .... And yours pulled 111 hp , hers 110 hp .... Even though yours is rated 14 MORE hp .....Techno, Sounds like yours may be a little sick ! EH ?

 

Well it's not entierly just a matter of horsepower, there's also torque and suspension that plays a large role in towing.

As per 1.6 vs 2.0, we test drove both and there was a noticeable difference, the 2.0 was much peppier then the 1.6, the 1.6 was definitely still a good driving car but the 2.0 really made the Soul feel like a gem to drive.

I just wanted to find out how these cars do towing and weather there are any warranty concerns since they are labeled as 'not recommended for towing' here in NA for whatever reason.

 

Ok, I know we get a bit ticked with TecknoMage about his fanboyism with Gertrude (The original Gertrude must have been quite a gal, got any photos of your German ex-girlfriend, Techno?) But could we keep this thread on track? And I'm with TechnoMage on this one. Most of the changes have been cosmetic. The powertrain's the same as the later Gen 1s, the car is better bolted together, the brakes are reported to be noticably better, the only slight downside is the car's a bit heavier. It should be as least as good as the old model, which won a UK towing award for it's weight class. So there should be no reason what so ever why the new model shouldn't be AT LEAST as good as as the old one, and the brakes should make it better! So your question is................?

 

No one really goes into any detail on how well it handles with a trailer(at least not from the posts I've read), being able to pull one and actually being able to competently drive with one are two different things. Also there is the question of the warranty, since the NA model's manual states not to tow with it will installing a hitch void the power train warranty?

 

Yes , it would be nice if Techno would keep things on topic .....

I'm just here to clean up the manure

 

And, these cars are seldom, if ever, bought as towing vehicles. People buy them for a variety of reasons, and some might hope it can tow.
My 2014 EX+ has a Curt hitch with the euro ball and the Curt wiring kit for LED lights from Canadianhitches.ca Trailer Hitches Online, who I was pleased to deal with. I installed everything myself, and spent all day underneath the car working. I've towed a utility trailer a few km, and a boat trailer weighing about 400kg a couple of km. It seemed fine, but I won't really know until next summer. That's the problem, the car is new, not used much for towing, so there's not a lot of information out there. If I was buying a "tow vehicle" I'd buy a Ford F150 with a big six, but I'm not. I bought a small town and country runabout that's easy on a creaky old pharts frame, and I hope to tow a small home-made tent trailer next year. (after I sell the boat, motor and trailer)

You're fishing for information in a very small pond.
And as far as warranty is concerned, it'll depend on what breaks, when, and what your dealers mood is that day. As Conwepic says, use (un)common sense.

P.S. Conwelpic, the towing limits I posted are for both petrol (gas) and diesel engines. Diesels have lots of torque, but not a lot of horsepower, they can't rev high enough.

 

Times are changing, most people don't want a giant gas guzzling pickup they wan't something fuel efficient and smart. I don't expect this to tow around a 5'th wheel or anything but I think a lot of people do want the ability to tow small trailers and camping trailers, why else would the Caravan Club even bother having a competition of these?

So if 550gk is the limit in the UK book that makes it right around 1200lbs, I'm guessing that's mostly based on vehicle weight and breaking capabilities so in reality the 2nd gen should be able to tow slightly more then the 1st though only just.

Thanks for the info, I'll have to see what KIA Canada has to say about the warranty, I typically don't deal with dealrs/stores you never get anywhere that way, you want results you go right to the source.