Kia Niro Hybrid Review 2017

This is our Kia Niro Hybrid review 2017. The Niro (not de niro!) is KIA's first hybrid car or SUV (Kia call this SUV a "CUV"). It seems that it's a wise move by Kia Motors Global to finally get behind hybrid technology as sure shift is going in the direction of hybrid and electric technology (of course hydrogen cell vehicles is also part of the car-buying shift - but there's not enough of them yet).

As hybrid cars go, the Kia Niro is a real grower. My first impressions of this vehicle when I first met it at the Ireland launch here in Ireland was that this car did not stand out from the SUV crowd. However, now that Car Buyers Guide are spending a longer period with the auto, we can start to appreciate the finer things about this car. It's appearance is much like the Sportage and it holds the same Tiger-nose grille that you can see entering the entire KIA line-up.

The infotainment system is simple, easy to use and informative - it shows very clearly whether you are using the 1.6 GDi engine on it's own, on hybrid, or if you're just running off the battery. While KIA's official stats may say that this car returns an average fuel economy of 3.8 l/100km, the cbg team has been trying to drive as economically as possible and we are returning 5.8 l/100km - which is actually excellent for an SUV.

Soon, we will also post an infotainment review that Daragh Ó Tuama presented within the vehicle while he had the car for test drive. The infotainment system is not the only stand-out interior aspect of this car. The whole set-up is presented excellently. There is an abundance of legroom to the rear, and the boot is a good-for-its-segment, 427 litres.

All-in, it's hard not to be impressed by KIA's first hybrid vehicle.

Music: "Calm Dub" by Kai Nobuko

[Phrancis]

Yesterday I test drove a Kia Niro LX and while the design, fit/finish weren't nearly as nice as economy cars from other brands, the driving dynamics were pretty nice for a hybrid - at least in sport mode. Otherwise throttle response was very sluggish. Brakes didn't feel regenerative and overall it didn't look and drive like a Prius. Handling and noise isolation weren't as good as I wanted, but given the space and cheap price for a hybrid, it wasn't a dealbreaker. Though it's styled to look like a fwd crossover, it's really just a tall wagon/hatchback and smaller in person than expected. Ergonomics, comfort, and sightlines were still good overall. One big turnoff though... The Kia dealer flat out lied to us when we asked what month the PHEV version would arrive and he said Kia wasn't building one - when even the Kia website said it would absolutely coming later this year. He also said you couldn't add a "tech package" to the LX trim when the website clearly let you build one. He was just trying to sell what was on the lot that day.