The Kia Niro has been tipped for numerous awards already, including the Women’s World Car of the Year title for 2023. Frankly, we’re not surprised, and it just may be that Niro replaces the Sportage for the preferred choice of Kia product as we move towards greener motoring.
See, one of the considerations we believe led to the Niro’s award(s), since there are likely more that we haven’t heard about yet, is that for all there are 10 models in the range, none of them has a conventional powertrain.
There are four hybrid electrics, four plug-in hybrids and two pure electric vehicles in the range and prices range from the $44,900 mark up to $75,990 with the appropriate level of clean car discount ($3418.28 through to $5750 all to the $8625 for the EVs), making the Niro one of the better priced non-ICE vehicles available.
The Niro – now in its second generation – has a number of environmentally considerate features making it very attractive to those looking to extend their green credentials through vehicle selection.
Examples? The ceiling liner is made from recycled material, non-toxic water-based paints are used and the leather seats? Apparently, these are made from a Vegan bio-artificial material, making the Niro environmentally considerate in its manufacture as well as fuel efficient.
Kia NZ claims a 4.4 litres per 100km, we saw a 4.2 reading.
The current model uses the combination of a 1.6 gasoline direct injection petrol engine mated to a 32kW/170Nm permanent magnet synchronous motor with a 1.32kWh Lithium-Ion polymer battery and because this is a hybrid model, it has a near-conventional six-speed dual clutch transmission – ensuring rapid and smooth shifts between gears.
‘Rapid and smooth’ pretty much sums up the Niro’s performance overall, with an emphasis on ‘smooth’. The shift between petrol and hybrid mode is all but imperceptible, and the Niro’s pliable suspension makes long distance trips a breeze.
One aspect which really sold us on the Niro was how normal it is and feels when driving. In terms of controls and switches, everything exactly where you’d expect to find it and all information – driver and infotainment – is clearly readable thanks to Kia’s two screens into one apparent display.
The interior is very clean, very contemporary and remarkably elegant, though possibly a little light on air-conditioning vents up front. That’s OK though, the C-pillar now has a vent for rear seat passengers, which kind of makes up for it.
Actually, the rear seat occupants get a pretty good deal when it comes to legroom and headspace, helped not inconsiderably by the fully opening sunroof.
The roominess doesn’t seem to play havoc with Niro’s cargo carrying ability either. The road march configuration allows for 451 litres, with seat down expansion up to 1445 litres.
Outboard riders also gain heated seats, just as you find for front seat occupants, and since we are talking about nice things to have, the Niro is a package of surprise and delight features.
These include wireless phone charging,a very clear and clean heads-up display, satellite navigation, a heated steering wheel and paddle shifters to better effect Niro’s three-stage braking regeneration ability.
Niro is of course, a five-star ANCAP rated vehicle, sporting an extremely comprehensive list of safety equipment and features, most notably an advanced forward collision avoidance system, a sophisticated lane-keep assistance system, a multi-collision braking system, blind spot avoidance with rear cross traffic avoidance assist, and the usual array of expected features.
The advanced features; well considered and expanded dimensions and of course, it’s ultra-low fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, Niro is an excellent demonstration of the direction Kia is taking.
