The Pride of Kia! Forgettable 1990s Korean mini gets memorable electromod reinvention
Proving no car no matter how ordinary is immune from EV restomodding, Kia has created a one-off all-electric Pride hatchback.
This tiny 1990s five-door has retained its original five-speed manual gearbox and drive shafts, immediately making it a more engaging drive than many modern EVs.
Ditching the Pride’s 1.3-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine for a front-mount electric motor transforms one of history’s dullest vehicles into something fascinating.
READ MORE: Sacre bleu! Retro Renault 17 Electric is proof the French brand is cooking up fast, fun and stylish EVs
READ MORE: https://evcentral.com.au/hyundai-adds-another-electrified-resto-mod/
READ MORE: Electric Renault 4 powered by transparent solar panels
No doubt the Kia UK team had this in mind when choosing the rather unloved Pride as the restomod base, created to celebrate the Korean brand’s 80th anniversary.
It enlisted help from British EV powertrain and conversion specialists Electrogenic for the transplant, and to fit a battery pack over each axle for best weight distribution.
The packs total just 20kWh, so range is described as urban specific. But these relatively lightweight batteries mean our Pride EV weighs a svelte 870kg; only 20kg over the original petrol version.
Kia UK pulled a 1996 Pride 1.3 LX from its heritage fleet to serve as donor vehicle. Out went the lazy donk, petrol tank, fuel lines and filler neck, replaced by the compact electric motor and charging socket beneath the fuel filler flap.
The performance difference is stark. The petrol version had an asthmatic 45kW and 118Nm, but as an EV restomod it’s good for 80kW and 235Nm.
It’s registered and fully road legal, boasting a power-to weight ratio similar to a 1980s hot hatch, with 100km/h seen in eight seconds.
Kudos for retaining the manual shifter. It’s been matched with a new performance-orientated clutch kit to handle the 78 percent power jump and 99 percent leap in torque, while the Pride’s old mechanical linkage has been ditched for a drive-by-wire system.
The front-drive EV has three drive modes, with Eco offering up to 200km range, although power and torque is reduced.
Its 3.3kW on-board charger means the little batteries – one under the bonnet and one beneath the raised boot floor – go from empty to full in around six hours using a domestic powerpoint.
There’s regenerative braking, but it’s minimal to retain the experience of in-gear engine braking of a traditional petrol car.
Kia ditched the car’s blue paint in favour of a white pearl finish (as seen on Kia’s EV9 and Niro EVs), upgraded the front and rear lights, but retained the titchy 12-inch steel wheels with plastic covers.
The charmingly dull grey cloth seats have been sexed up with lime green piping, while the same Kia EV hue adorns the floor mats.
Thankfully, the original instrument binnacle remains, albeit modified so the fuel level gauge now shows the battery’s current state of charge.
Showing Kia UK has a welcome sense of humour, it describes the Pride EV’s Sport mode as: “Ideal for overtaking in the right conditions, or lunching the car’s front tyres in the wrong ones.
“Neither of these capabilities will be remotely familiar to anyone who has ever driven an original Kia Pride, the latter being briefly shocking and enormous fun.”
For those concerned about the butchering of such a classic vehicle (there’ll be someone out there), rest assured nothing was cut in the creation of this electromod, and all modifications are entirely reversible.
