The new Kia Niro, already more than functionality (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
Price: NIS 185,000
We liked:
driver's environment, accessories, rear seat, human engineering, fuel consumption
We didn't like:
noise isolation, quality of materials in the back, price
grade:
8
A look at the current Kia Niro compared to the outgoing Kia Niro, or at least the earlier incarnations of the Niro The exit is best told the way that Kia has done in the last 6-7 years.
Kia of the beginning of the previous Niro was busy establishing its status "within the family" between itself and Hyundai and also externally positioning itself as a company that offers not only an urban Picanto and a Sportage for the masses.
Since the previous Niro, Kia has put some interesting and highly regarded cars in its showroom.
The Stinger GT, the Carnival, the Telluride abroad and recently the EV6 as examples. Even in models that are not exactly a big celebration at the product level like the Stonic and Seltos, it managed to attract enough customers based on the design and the brand.
The new Niro should take it one step further and offer the same customer base looking for the useful compact crossover the same answer, this time with a little more rest.
Its front has a small taste of the many current Kia models, but not a copy (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
Design:
The exterior design leaves no trace of the rounded look of the outgoing generation, angular lines and cuts replace them.
It manages to differentiate itself in appearance from the other models of the manufacturer and still be one that you will recognize at a glance.
Even in the unflattering black of the test car it managed to stand out mainly with the play of the differently colored rear C-beam and the metallic stripes on the front and tail.
Passenger cabin:
The passenger cabin has the latest appearance of Kia, with a combination of many surfaces and textures for an interesting look, where the most prominent components are the steering wheel with two spokes, the multimedia screen that is in one panel with the dashboard (nice and informative, but quite simple in terms of graphics) and the successful patent of a dual control row that switches between multimedia control and climate control control at the push of a button.
This allows her, for example, to leave only two physical dials that actually fulfill 4 functions (audio volume and station orientation in multimedia mode and temperature control in climate control mode).
The rest of the cabin also offers smart usability with a good amount of storage compartments, although we liked the location of the cup holders less, USB and USB C sockets along with a 12V socket and a wireless charging surface generate more than enough energy sources.
The quality of the materials, at least in the driver's area, is good, and it diminishes as you go down in the height of the cabin and go back to the seats in the second row.
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A successful and well-made driver's environment (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
With the exception of the very simple and stiff plastic in the doors, the rear row of the Niro receives mostly compliments.
The structure of the seat itself is comfortable and deep enough, with a wheelbase of 272 cm, the legroom is very good, there are air conditioning ports and two USB C sockets located on the side of the front seats, so that it eliminated the order of tangled cables when getting in and out of the car. By the way, getting in and out, this is done easily thanks to An almost flat floor and a rear door with an opening angle of 90 degrees. As in the Sportage, the back of the front seats can also be used as a coat rack. The use of a plastic seat back will be appreciated by all parents who discover shoe marks on the back of the seats with a damp cloth and the business is as good as new. Yes, always You can tell the children to take off their shoes or handcuff them, but I discovered that the problem starts when you drive your friends' children, it turns out that not everyone sees this as a reasonable solution
.
The fifth trunk door makes access to it very convenient, but it is really not a strong point of this vehicle with a volume of 348 liters, the height of the loading threshold is a little too high and a rather shallow structure.
Worthy of mention is the very successful patent of the trunk shelf made of thick fabric which, on the one hand, allows you to place light things on it, but on the other hand, it can be folded into a dedicated bag and hidden under the floor of the trunk to utilize the full size of the compartment without getting involved with its storage.
Very good space in the back seat, the quality of the materials is less impressive (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
Equipment:
The equipment in the Niro definitely matches its price tag.
We mentioned the 10.25-inch multimedia screen, the wireless charging and that also means wireless Apple and Android connectivity, split climate control, electric driver's seat, smart key and upholstery in a combination of leather and fabric, sun window and more.
In the area of safety, for a score of 5 stars in the European crash test, the Niro adds automatic braking, including turning left at an intersection and reversing, lane departure correction, vehicle detection in a "dead zone" with active lane departure prevention, a system to prevent children from being forgotten in the back seat, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition and more.
The trunk is quite small, the patent for the flexible shelf is excellent (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
Performance:
In the plug-in version, the Nero gets a drive system that combines a 1.6-liter gasoline engine with an electric motor and a rechargeable battery, which move the front wheels through a 6-speed double-clutch gearbox for gasoline and a direct ratio box for electricity.
In terms of the components, this is also what was in the outgoing generation.
Only here the total power increases to 183 hp and 27 kgm compared to 141 hp and the same torque figure in the outgoing generation. The electric battery capacity is 11.1 kWh with a battery filling rate of 3.5 hours.
The manufacturer's statement about 61 electric kilometers is achievable, we recorded 50 kilometers, but on a route that included a highway and climbs.
Either way, it's a nice range and suitable for regular day-to-day use.
When both engines work together, you get a nimble car in terms of response to pressing the pedal, although it is not hair-raising performance.
The surprise awaited us when we contained the energy from the battery and expected a dramatic drop in performance - well we were happy to be disappointed and find that as long as we did not bring it to an extreme point of a prolonged increase after the end of the battery - the Niro Plug-in has no trace of the limp and weak nature of hybrid or plug-in cars that switch to gasoline-only propulsion after draining the battery.
The different coloring in beam C adds an interesting twist to the design (photo: Keinan Cohen)
Fuel consumption:
Here comes the huge bonus of the Nero, its fuel consumption made me double check my account.
At the end of the test days, which included administrative daily driving conditions and also some clearly unfair ones, the consumption stood at 20.3 km per liter along almost 500 km of test driving.
This is not only a fantastic figure for a hybrid, it is also a number that, if used "correctly" including charging before trips, can be significantly improved.
Comfort and behavior:
When it comes to ride comfort, the Niro presents a mixed result.
The comfort of the ride itself in terms of damping and dealing with bumps is good except for small disruptions and better than the outgoing generation.
But whoever puts an 18-inch rim in a 45-section for a family crossover can only make claims for himself.
It also provides good comfort for those sitting in the back as a result of a comfortable seat and good suspension calibration.
Its bigger problem is the isolation of road noise that is present at almost any speed and on any type of asphalt.
Here, too, part of the blame falls on the low cut of the tires and part probably on the choice of a fabric shelf rather than a plastic one.
The road behavior is calibrated to the solid and distinctly safe side.
There is a lot of grip and in general, it is difficult to shake the Nero from its composure.
Here, too, there is an improvement compared to the previous generation, which was less restrained in turns, especially its rear part, maintaining the same suspension configuration (MacPherson in the front, multi-link in the back) focuses the difference in the result on the extension of the wheel spacers and the rearward location of the batteries (at the expense of the trunk) .
Driving pleasure is still a distant concept.
The big surprise: excellent fuel consumption even after the battery is drained when it becomes a normal hybrid (Photo: Walla! System, Kenan Cohen)
The bottom line
Usually, when a new model arrives, the expectation is to replace the outgoing generation.
In the case of the new Nero - this is not the case.
The success and demand for the outgoing generation, especially in the useful "plus" configuration and the fact that, according to rumors in the industry, the importer managed to lock in its supply for at least the next two years, allowed it to make a very interesting move with this generation.
This mostly freed her from the need to push it to the price tag of the outgoing generation and allowed her to put it below the Sportage which itself became more expensive in terms of its price range.
And all this introduction comes to explain why a compact crossover has a price tag of NIS 185,000 and this is also where the question of value for money comes into play.
To the question of whether it is worth this amount, the answer is "to whom?"
For those looking for the ratio of maximum tin to the shekel, the MG EHS may wink more.
For those who want the impression, the Sportage will do the job better.
For those who do not intend to use their plug-in capabilities according to the book, it is better to go for a normal hybrid and save a lot of money.
So at this price and in this drive configuration, the Nero may find itself with a lot of advantages and very little target audience to appeal to.
Will be sold alongside the Nero Plus from the outgoing model (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
On the technical side: Kia Niro Plug-in
Engine, drive:
gasoline, electric, front
Power/torque:
27/183
Gearbox:
double clutch, 6 gears
Dimensions:
Length (m):
4.4
Width (m):
1.8
Height (m):
1.5
Wheelbase ( m):
272
Trunk (liters):
348
Performance:
Acceleration 0-100 (seconds):
9.8
Maximum speed (km/h):
161
Fuel consumption (test):
20.3 km per liter
Safety:
European crash test score:
5 stars
active safety:
automatic braking including junctions and reversing, lane deviation correction, sign recognition, reminder to prevent children from forgetting, adaptive cruise control, vehicle warning in "dead zone" including correction
Air pollution:
1/15
Warranty:
3 years unlimited km
Competitors:
MG EHS
vehicle
Vehicle tests
Tags
Kia
Nero
Kia Niro
Crossover
Plug in