Kia Soul Comes With SSML: Sound Sensitive Mood Lighting System

By now, if reading theKEEA.com regularly, you must have gained plenty of information and knowledge about the new Kia Soul.

By adding dozens of images to the blog and throughout an extensive talk about variety of available accessories that the automaker offers to the customers, we have all come pretty familiar with the Soul crossover.

We also checked inside of the Soul several times and there we found that the ergonomically designed interior houses some accessories that you can hardly find in any other car these days.

One of the “toys” (special features) that needs to be mentioned is the Sound Sensitive Mood Lightning system -SSML.

• Update: 3-generation Kia Soul speaker lights

The SSML system features adjustable LED lighting rings around each of speakers installed to the front doors. By turning the radio unit on, the red-orange speaker LEDs react and start pulsing in time with the rhythm of the music.

The SSML system gives the owner a choice of four settings: On, Mood, Music and Off. In addition to that, the level of red-orange LEDs brightness can be adjusted separately through five different levels.

Let’s take a look at the four possible SSML settings:

1. “On” -the system remains on whenever the audio system is being used
2. “Mood” – repeatedly dimming and brightening every two seconds
3.  “Music” -brightening and dimming will change in time with music volume and beat
4.  “Off” -this mode switches of the

According to John Shim, a member of R&D Planning Team at Kia Motors, the system is unlike any other system currently available in any car. While in other similar systems, the light is emitted from the speaker perimeter, the SSML system used in Soul, emits the light from inside the speaker, enabling it to react sensitively to the music sound and ending with the perfectharmony of sound and lightning. 

Now, since we know in general how the SSML system works in theory, let’s take a look at how it works in real life. Guys at Kia have tapped a special video to show the SSML in action, while set in different modes.

Kia’s Sensitive Mood Lightning System will unfortunately not be a part of standard equipment, but it will be available within the top-of-the-range Kia Souls.

In Europe, the SSML system will come complete with Upgraded Sound System, which has an output of 315 watts and includes a large diameter dash-top centre speaker, external amplifier and a sub-woofer mounted in the trunk. In total, there are eight speakers in the top of the range Kia Soul.