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Hello, Niko.
From me we can start.
Yes, from me too.
But where is our test car?
He's waiting for a sign from me.
Look out.
There comes the car, remote controlled, almost like in the children's room.
At the push of a button here on the ignition key.
This function is called Remote Smart Parking Assistance, and it helps to automatically maneuver the car into or out of tight parking spaces from the outside.
Or just in front of your camera.
We're doing a lap with the Kia Niro EV today.
And so that we can have a good look at the car from all sides, let's drive out of the underground car park.
The Niru is a compact SUV from the South Korean manufacturer Kia.
The first generation came onto the market in 2016.
The second generation has been available for a few months.
The car is available with hybrid drives,
Plug-in hybrid drives and with a purely electric drive.
This variant, the Niro EV, drive like today.
The front end, which Kia calls "Tiger Face", and conspicuous features are, for example, this continuous decorative strip, then the jagged LED daytime running lights and this charging connection placed in the middle at the front.
The Niro EV is therefore a so-called nose loader.
On the side, these color-contrasting decorative elements, which are subject to a surcharge, catch the eye, here for example around the front wheel arches, then at the bottom of the two doors.
In addition, this color-contrasting C-pillar with the long integrated LED taillights.
This C-pillar is not only an optical feature, but also an aerodynamic one.
Air can flow behind it.
I have a folding rule with me so you can take a look.
And this is where the air flows through.
This should improve air resistance.
The cW value of the car is 0.29, that of the approximately comparable sized VW Golf at 0.27.
So the aerodynamic effect cannot be too great.
To classify a few dimensions: The five-door and five-seater is 4.42 meters long, 1.83 meters wide and 1.57 meters high.
So much from the outside.
Now let's take a look inside.
Niko, take a look from here today, you'll be sitting over there in a moment.
OK.
The Niro EV is only available in the top specification called »Inspiration«.
And the first impression is: clear, tidy and modern.
The central element are these two 10.25-inch screens, which form a monitor bar.
They are summarized, once here the digital cockpit and then the touchscreen for all infotainment functions.
Here on the steering wheel we also have a lot of buttons and controls, for example for the cruise control, for example for the cockpit display or voice control.
And what is special here in the middle is the so-called multimode operating system.
There are two of those, so to speak, once here with all the function buttons for the infotainment system.
And if you press here, then it switches to the climate control.
For example, you can adjust the temperature using the rotary controls.
And as soon as you switch back, the transmission frequency is adjusted with this rotary control and the volume with this rotary control.
At least at the beginning you sometimes make a mistake.
So this takes a little getting used to.
What else is in here?
For example sustainable materials.
That faux leather on the seats
eucalyptus leaves are worked into these, for example, and recycled wallpaper is used in the headlining.
There are also plenty of assistance systems, such as a head-up display, lane departure warning or automatic parking.
And there's a bunch of USB ports, here at the front for example.
There are also USB ports on the backrests of the front seats and there is also a 230-volt socket in the rear footwell.
So, and now we're finally going for a spin.
Niko, you have to get in over there now.
I'll do it.
Compact shape, familiar driving experience, that's how the car can be summed up.
The Kia Niro is a kind of remake.
You already know a lot in one way or another, but here it is implemented in a refreshing and modern way.
Here in the middle on the center console, this big round knob,
with which the single-speed automatic transmission is controlled.
On the steering wheel, on the other hand, there are these two rockers with which recuperation, i.e. energy recovery, can be regulated to a greater or lesser extent.
And there is also a drive mode button on the steering wheel, down here, which can be used to select different modes.
You can then see this in the on-board instrument: Normal, Sport or Eco - and by pressing and holding the button, you can also see the Snow winter function.
We'll take care of the electric drive next.
But we're looking for a parking space.
OK.
The Kia Niro EV is available with only one drive configuration, and it consists of an electric motor that sits here at the front and drives the front wheels with an output of 150 KW.
That corresponds to 204 hp.
The maximum torque is 255 Newton meters,
the possible top speed at 167 km/h and the average consumption at 16.2 kilowatt hours per 100 kilometers.
At the moment, with temperatures well below zero, we consume between 20 and 22 kilowatt hours per 100 kilometers.
The energy for driving comes from a lithium-ion polymer battery that sits in the underbody.
The battery weighs 443 kilograms and has a storage capacity of 64.8 kilowatt hours.
Under optimal conditions, this energy is sufficient for a range of 460 kilometers.
Currently, with these sub-zero temperatures, it's maybe 250 kilometers.
The battery can be charged with up to eleven kilowatts of alternating current or up to 72 kilowatts of direct current.
These are not special values.
Other electric cars offer higher charging capacities.
But the Kia Niru EV can charge everything bidirectionally
and that means that this socket here at the front, as we have already seen, can not only be used to supply energy, but also to take it off.
And up to three kilowatts.
So, and here at the front, very practical, there is also a small frunk, that is, a front trunk, loading volume of 20 liters.
And that's just right to house the charging cable.
You always have it to hand.
There is, of course, a larger hold, and we're going to look at that now.
So, another look under the rear flap, which opens and closes electrically.
This is the trunk, which holds 475 liters.
If you fold down the rear seat backs, the maximum storage volume is 1392 liters, and there is also a basement compartment here, also for charging cables or other small items.
That's it from the back of the car, now we're going to sit back in and do a lap.
Sitting position, space, handling.
The Kia Niro is an electric car that is easy to get along with.
However, you have to get used to the somewhat idiosyncratic multimode operation and the rather wide C-pillars, which limit the view to the rear in combination with the rear window.
Plus points of the Kia Niro are the good equipment of the electric variant, the decent range and the seven-year guarantee from Kia, which also applies to the battery.
Minus points are the sometimes, at least initially, unfamiliar multimode operation here, then the low charging power and the restricted view to the rear through those wide C-pillars, which then don't even really affect the aerodynamics.
And how much does the boy cost?
The Kia Niro EV is available from €47,590.
And our version with a few extras costs €53,450.
But then there is also the remote-controlled parking and exiting.
On the one hand a gimmick, of course, on the other hand an effect that turns an average compact SUV into a show car at least from time to time.
It's correct.
