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Kia Trail’ster concept unveiled at 2015 Chicago Auto Show

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Kia Trail'ster concept
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Do you remember the first-generation Kia Sportage?

Neither does anyone else. That initial four-wheel drive Kia belonged to an era when small SUVs were kind of hard to take seriously.

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Now, though, tiny SUVs are big business, but with the Sportage all grown up Kia is looking to cash in with something a little different.

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Debuting in appropriately wintery conditions at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show, the Kia Trail’ster concept is a Soul with buffer styling and electric all-wheel drive.

The Trail’ster retains the production Soul’s boxy profile, but adds a new front bumper imitating a skid plate, lots of extra LED lighting, chunky red-accented wheels, and a rollback canvas roof. It also sits about 2.5 inches higher than a Soul.

On the inside, the Trail’ster is trimmed in brown leather and features macho touches like a bulky shift lever, all-wheel drive controls, and a big red ignition button.

Helping the Trail’ster live up to this rough-and-ready bravado is an “e-AWD” system that uses a conventional gasoline engine to power the front wheels, and an electric motor to power the rear wheels, making the vehicle a hybrid.

Power primarily comes from a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which produces 185 horsepower and 185 pound-feet of torque, and is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

Kia Trail'ster concept
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Under certain conditions, a rear-mounted electric motor fed by a 1.2-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack kicks in, bringing total output to 220 hp and 285 lb-ft of torque.

Increased power and traction come with increased fuel economy, according to Kia.

Thanks to the hybrid system, as well as engine start-stop and an electric air conditioning compressor, the carmaker expects fuel-economy improvements of 25 to 30 percent in highway driving and 5 to 10 percent in city driving compared to a 2.0-liter 2015 Soul.

Kia won’t discuss production plans, but with its clever all-wheel drive system and the Soul’s already distinctive looks, the Trail’ster seems like it would do well against the likes of the 2015 Jeep Renegade, 2016 Mazda CX-3, and Nissan Juke.

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Stephen Edelstein
Stephen Edelstein
Contributing Editor
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
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