My Hopes Were Dashed - Kia Niro EV

The Kia Niro EV is based on the hybrid Kia Niro of the same name. Is that a good thing? In some areas, yes, and in others, no. Alex is here to walk you through what's good and not so good.

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CHAPTERS
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0:00 Intro
0:10 Exterior impressions
2:26 Interior impressions
5:01 Seasonic!
5:31 Driving impressions
8:30 Speaker impressions
9:10 C'mon Kia
10:17 Pricing
10:49 Outro

[MeltedForest]

I'm glad that we reached a point where normal door handles and a glove box are now a thing worth mentioning on cars.

[mrmuds]

Honestly, why do these guys think everything needs to handle like a sports car? Majority of people just want something thats comfortable, spacious and economical. Not something that can go around corners as quick as an F1 car with rock hard suspension.

[Korterra]

Why is a cheap car being reviewed in the same way as the more expensive electric cars? Nitpicking at performance, 0-60, turning, steering, when the price and amenities and mpg/range is waht cheaper EVs and HEVs are about.

[pepperthekobold]

At the risk of being "some guy in the YouTube comments", this video makes Alex sound extremely jaded when it comes to vehicle performance.
0-60 in under 10 is more than fast enough for day to day use; it may be slow compared to other EVs but that's more down to other EVs being all wheel drive and unnecessarily 'overpowered'.
Equally, a limited slip diff isn't needed unless you're flogging a car around corners.

[minisammich]

I'd love to see Alex review a Minivan. The look of disappointment he would get after taking a corner would make my day!

[Lebon]

Two steps closer to a Kona EV review:
1. a Kia EV reviewed!
2. a Kona EV mention!
I'll take these steps.

[NineTO]

If you want to start reviewing cheap cars, then start reviewing them at the price point that they’re at. Don’t compare and critique them like a much more expensive vehicle

[mikejszekely]

In the previous round, it seemed like you guys liked the Hyundai Ioniq 5 a bit better than the Kia EV6. (We actually bought the Ioniq 5 ourselves after). Now I'm curious how the Hyundai Kona EV stacks up to the Niro EV.

BTW, these EV reviews are quickly becoming my favorite Short Circuit videos. Keep up the good work!

[Erdie]

Props for making an EV that doesn't pretend to be a spaceship. I guess I expected poorer 0-60 numbers than 7.1s for one to complain so much about its speed, but that's another story. That piano black though, that's literally a dealbreaker. I don't understand Kia's new obsession with having so many surfaces that are going to show age brutally, greatly exacerbated by kids. Use fabric, or use that soft touch pleather that Nissan has been using all over the dash and doors. Doesn't scratch, looks fine, wipes down. It's a much better choice, guys. No more gloss.

[evancycles]

I own this car and these are my thoughts on it.
- Seats: Comfort is subjective, but I find the seats very comfortable.
- Tires: The car performs better with normal tires, so the review should take that into account.
- Sport mode: The car becomes snappier when I switch to sport mode, as others have mentioned.
- Handling: The handling is decent, but not amazing. I have had three BMWs and this car does not handle as well as any of them. But it's not terrible either.
- Tech: The car has ample tech features for the price, which is amazing. I especially like the HUD (head-up display), and the blind spot tech is helpful. HUD included only some versions.
- Range: I can drive about 260-270 miles on a full charge. I charge mostly at home. The car's range is rarely a concern.
-201hp, 188 lbs of Torque, 0-60 in just under 8 seconds. Alex is driving on high-friction winter tires in the summer, and I bet in eco mode. Sport mode Alex, sport mode! And normal tires! You will see improvements.
-I don't like the piano-black finish... But that can be solved by keeping a microfiber cloth handy and giving a quick wipe-down every other day. Not a dealbreaker for me.
-The sound system is good, and the cabin is not noisy. Also, Rear Visibility, I found it a little lacking, but blind-spot tech has you covered, so no real concern there.

In conclusion, I think Kia has made a good EV offering for the price. Some U.S. states also offer EV credits. The Niro is not a high-performance EV. The Niro it's not as fast as Tesla, but the Niro will be fast enough for most people. I have a child car seat in mine, so FAST isn't what I am looking for as a primary feature. The Niro driven with proper tires is a peppy little crossover, that should satisfy lots of people. If I were to consider an alternative (that could cost more), I would go with the Tesla Model Y. But, so far, I am pleased with the Kia Niro. It's doing all that I ask of it. It's also got a rather good warranty, better than Tesla. I would bet that repairing a Tesla is going to cost you more than a Kia. Something to consider.

[cman]

I liked the speaker impressions part, highly underrated detail most people ignore

[mrburnz]

I like the editing of Alex being around the drivers side popping the bonnet and then teleporting to the front to lift the bonnet.

[DigitMason]

0:37 Did they just casually throw in a clone edit cut into this car review!?

[realzyxtomatic]

Love the audio system analysis graphs you supplied. As a car audio guy, that's always something I want in reviews, but no one ever does.

[Lockerz]

These are not slow. I moved from a new BMW M135i to a Kia Niro EV due to work and I can say I don’t think the Niro is slow at all, in fact put it in Sports mode and you will embarrass a lot of your local boy racers.

[mr.guillotine]

My friend had one of these in a really cool blue color. It was an older model, so I think it was a hybrid, not a full EV. I got to drive it, and the seats weren't all that bad IMO...but as a poor person, I don't really have the luxury to be too picky on any of the details of a vehicle (I buy used and my current car will need to last me for several more years). It feels like they did better with this vehicle before they went full EV with it for some reason, but a few companies seem to have that problem. If you already have a good vehicle, you don't need to make a ton of changes to what is already good just to make it an EV, but they all seem to want to do that.

[nicccccccccVODS]

Really enjoying these Canadian Top Gear episodes of ShortCircuit, keep 'em coming! : )

[diogovale]

I actually tested this car last week and, I was impressed, not by anything in special but by the hole package, its not a super car it's a daily driver, has everything you'd need for it nothing more and nothing less no gimmicks and no poor judgment, what you touch feels nice and its nicelly thought and desgined (yeah its has a bit of piano black but you'll only touch it on the stearing wheel and the button feel good). In my opinion I think this car (and kia lattely) have been doing it the best way, simple good cars with no bs. I only wish they had the full panoramic roof option on the niro, other then that I don't think there's a better option for a daily driver nowadays. Great package!

[meta]

Correction at 1:04. The Niro EV peak DC charge rate is ~84kW, not 350kW. The Niro EV is a 400V class vehicle (unlike the EV6 and EV9, which is 800V). I don't think the Niro can handle that high of a current draw if it charged at 350kW 😂

[MrBallerLife]

Ummm mid 6 to low 7 seconds for a soccer mum car is HEAPS decent. Everything that you described is how a car like this should be (except the seats and piano black). The price is a bit on the high end for a car like this BUT that's the EV premium atm. This car should be really celebrated as its one of the very few EVs that's basically a normal car under $50k-$60k.