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Vehicle tests
Road test: Kia Niro EV
On the one hand Kia Niro is one of the most impressive trams we have encountered recently in terms of performance level, capabilities and especially its range in the real world, on the other hand at its price it is hard to recommend it
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Kia
Talkar
Kia Nero
Nero
Crossover
electric car
electric car
Keenan Cohen
Monday, 23 August 2021, 08:15 Updated: 08:28
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The automotive industry has been in a very accelerated maturation process in recent years when it comes to propulsion systems.
The traditional manufacturers, whose electrical development has been lazy for years, accelerated their steps only when the forceps movement of air pollution standards on the one hand, the marking of the electric vehicle market as the breakthrough point of the Chinese manufacturers on the other and also Tesla's hysterical success proved to them that all stories about "challenges Technological "- it will already be difficult to sell.
And from the manufacturers' point of view, the link between the traditional models they have become accustomed to producing and the dedicated electric cars are all those cars that use several propulsion methods based on the same model.
For the Chinese, too, this is the story, at least in the first wave of models seen from there.
For Kia, this role of "connecting model" has been assigned, among other things, to the Kia Niro (and to a lesser extent to the Kia Soul male charity).
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Sealed front and charging socket (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
Similar-different
In its electric blue, opaque grille with its charging opening on the front and its blue-metallic trim, the Kia Niro EV looks different only at second or third glance.
Its prevalence in every corner becomes its appearance not to stand out, certainly not like the appearance of dedicated trams already circling here.
The cabin is already striving to provide a "technological" stay and ride experience, with a digital dashboard, glossy finishes, dial-shaped gear selector and a nice instrumentation list that includes wireless charging, front parking sensors, electric direction for the driver's seat and more. The hybrid Nero and charging socket such as Android and Apple coupling, 8-inch screen, leather and fabric upholstery for seats and more.
What's more, it gives up on split climate control.
The rest of the cell is the same familiar Nero, with simple and understandable human engineering, large buttons for operating the various systems and not really exciting plastics.
Less we flew on the black panel and the giant piano across the cabin, it's very impressive in the showroom - but if you do not have someone in the house who goes through it every two hours with a clean microfiber cloth - it will look awful.
The look is reminiscent of that of a regular Nero, but different with the gear dial and other equipment (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
In addition to the battery known from its siblings (adaptive cruise control, lane departure correction, automatic braking), the electric Nero also receives a cross-rear traffic alert, a "dead zone" vehicle alert and a reminder to check a rear seat when leaving the vehicle.
Its square configuration allows for a convenient solution for seating two adults in the back.
The third will already be complaining, but at least he is sitting in front of the air vents and a limited-size driveway.
In the absence of a fuel tank and the possibility of placing the batteries at the bottom of the body, the electric version of the Nero wins the largest trunk of the versions with 451 liters (324 liters in the plug-in and 401 in the hybrid).
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Large trunk, but without charging socket or smart storage solutions (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
taking off
His two brothers who flood the leasing parking lots and use an electrically amplified gasoline engine produce only 141 reasonable horses.
But the electric Nero is already building muscle with 204 electric horses. You are not in ECO mode or God forbid in ECO Plus mode which is really meant for the Kilwatt skiers.
This feeling comes not only from the power and the same 40.3 kg as from the instantness with which they erupt with the press of the pedal.
Convenient entry and exit, relatively low drive channel (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
Within its three general driving modes SPORT, NORMAL and ECO there are a host of other configuration options of the electrical systems, from regenerative charging to using the front camera to automatically control the gentle braking in favor of conservation and energy charging.
In the maximum regeneration mode and after an adjustment period, it can be driven exactly with the "one pedal" technique, while maximizing its electrical capabilities.
204 hp from the electrical unit compensates for the weight gain (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
Except for a slight bounce on hostile urban fractures, with an out-of-town exit a very good suspension calibration is revealed, one that supports and restrains the vehicle despite the extra weight.
Unlike such conversions of regular cars to electric, the Kia did not cover the story of suspension calibration, kept the center of gravity low and in the middle of the car, a peek under the hood reveals a propulsion unit that sits relatively low and all of these steering at a faster ratio and torque steering system.
So the bottom line is we were very surprised by its dynamic capabilities.
This is not to say that it is fun to drive, by no means is there anything to do with the steering wheel, chassis, brakes - anything.
But no one buys it and no Nero sells it.
Noise isolation, always a challenge in a car where the engine sound does not mask the road noise gets a very good score here as well.
Except for the color, it is very similar to any other Nero in the parking lot (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
Niro's energy storage that comes to us is of the 64 kWh batteries (abroad there is also a smaller version), the declared range is 455 km. In our two separate measurements he recorded real world data ranging from 371 km Heartless driving includes dynamic sections.
In the re-measurement, this time in a moderate and daily driving mode the figure was 403 km, which means that one way or another, even without trying at all he crosses the 350 km mark which becomes an electric substitute an acceptable substitute.
With a little more discipline on the right foot it is already possible to produce an excellent range here on any scale for a non-dedicated electric vehicle.
It will be able to charge a standard household outlet or 11.5 kilowatts (about 9 and 7 hours for a full charge, respectively) and you will be able to charge from a fast position of 100 kilowatts and reach from 20 to 80 percent in about 40 minutes, which is more or less what is measured on the trip The test.
One of the more successful conversions to electricity we encountered (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
Summary
So the Nero EV gets very good scores in terms of usability, spacing, ride comfort, instrumentation, safety, performance, behavior and even its energy efficiency.
In fact, alongside the Volvo XC40 electric, this is one of the better electric conversions I have had to drive and think it is no longer young at all and we met it back in 2019.
And yet, I can in no way recommend buying it.
At a price of 180,000 shekels, it is simply not a good deal.
Good and simple human engineering, but the age is considerable (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
When out there a tool that may be a little less polished like U5 aiways but that I eat it without salt in terms of space and usability and less money, or electric models inferior to it in terms of performance and range, but significantly cheaper like buying an EV and Citroen C4e on the other hand for a little more money can enter the world of Ionic 5 Ultra-modern and scratch the threshold for entering Tesla - what added value does it have to offer?
Kia also knows this and their "correct" electric car is generally the EV6 on the way here.
It is no better at the level of the 30,000 shekels that separate it from the plug-in version, that in the price gap between the two you will refuel it and take care of it for many years until you offset the gap and without the slightest fear of a range problem.
In short - a great car - not at this price.
New logo, get used to it (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
On the technical side: Kia Niro EV
Engine, propulsion:
electric, front
Engine:
electric, 150KW
Power / rpm (hp):
3,800 / 204
torque / rpm (40 kg):
40.3
Transmission:
automatic, single gear
Dimensions:
length (h
Mm
:
438
Width (cm):
181
Height (cm):
156
Wheelbase (cm):
270
Trunk (liters):
451
Performance:
Acceleration 0-100:
7.8 seconds
Maximum speed:
167
Combined consumption
per km
(test):
6 km per
competing
kWh
:
Aiways U5
Price:
NIS 180,000
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