Kia Niro hybrid: Korean hybrid SUV rivals Toyota

If there is a model that hid its game well, it is the Kia Niro. Because this crossover with wise lines gave the kick off the electrification of the Korean brand, available in hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric. Unprecedented in world production then… Except for the cousin Hyundai Ioniq. The Korean crossover for the first time offered real opposition to Toyota. Smooth to drive, functional and habitable, it has established itself on the market. He really only needed a dose of charm to stand out.

In pictures: Kia Niro Hybrid

Charm is precisely what the designers have endeavored to give to this second generation. The philosophy which currently presides in the center of style of Kia, it is “the alliance of the opposites”. Mean by this that the creatives rack their brains to give a harmonious general aspect to elements which, taken separately, do not give the best associations a priori. With its thin nose and high-pitched rear, the electric EV6 demonstrated a few months ago that the result could at the very least be spectacular. Compared to the latter, the second generation Niro is a little wiser in its silhouette, which remains at halfway between compact sedan and SUV. The treatment of details, with a frowning look reminiscent of the beating of an oscilloscope, brings a welcome breath of fresh air. The monolithic rear, with vertical lights pushed back to the ends, is distinguished by a modernity radically opposed to the agreed stern of the previous generation.

A more original Kia Niro hybrid, but still functional

All the same, in neutral colors, this new Niro will not turn heads, even if it turns out to be pleasant. This is why the designers have concocted a two-tone bodywork, with contrasting quarter pillar. What give a real boost to the silhouette. In France, only black and gray are offered, while the palette is wider elsewhere. But the subsidiary does not rule out offering more daring combinations in the future, for example for limited series. In short, by changing generation, the Kia Niro has offered a capital seduction.

If there is a model that hid its game well, it is the Kia Niro. Because this crossover with wise lines gave the kick off the electrification of the Korean brand, available in hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric. Unprecedented in world production then… Except for the cousin Hyundai Ioniq. The Korean crossover for the first time offered real opposition to Toyota. Smooth to drive, functional and habitable, it has established itself on the market. He really only needed a dose of charm to stand out.

Charm is precisely what the designers have endeavored to give to this second generation. The philosophy which currently presides in the center of style of Kia, it is “the alliance of the opposites”. Mean by this that the creatives rack their brains to give a harmonious general aspect to elements which, taken separately, do not give the best associations a priori. With its thin nose and high-pitched rear, the electric EV6 demonstrated a few months ago that the result could at the very least be spectacular. Compared to the latter, the second generation Niro is a little wiser in its silhouette, which remains at halfway between compact sedan and SUV. The treatment of details, with a frowning look reminiscent of the beating of an oscilloscope, brings a welcome breath of fresh air. The monolithic rear, with vertical lights pushed back to the ends, is distinguished by a modernity radically opposed to the agreed stern of the previous generation.

Read also900 km during the day in an electric Kia EV6, almost as easy as gasoline

A more original Kia Niro hybrid, but still functional

All the same, in neutral colors, this new Niro will not turn heads, even if it turns out to be pleasant. This is why the designers have concocted a two-tone bodywork, with contrasting quarter pillar. What give a real boost to the silhouette. In France, only black and gray are offered, while the palette is wider elsewhere. But the subsidiary does not rule out offering more daring combinations in the future, for example for limited series. In short, by changing generation, the Kia Niro has offered a capital seduction.

Beneath these revised exteriors, the Kia Niro also adopts a new platform, called K3, and for the moment only shared with the Hyundai Elantra sold in particular in North America. The dimensions are up: with a total length of 4.42 m, the Niro grows by 6 cm compared to its predecessor. 2 cm benefit the wheelbase, and therefore the rear legroom, quite generous for a model of this size. The width is fixed at 1.82 m and the height at 1.53 m. Dimensions ultimately very suitable for the European market, while the trunk volume of 451 liters appears just average.

Inside especially, we will retain a completely new environment. The older generation, too, lacked fantasy and the new one corrects the situation. The dashboard with diagonal lines appears a bit futuristic, in the vein of that of the EV6. The passenger is faced with ambient lighting reminiscent of the design of an electronic printed circuit. And the materials are not lacking in originality, between a headlining made of recycled wallpaper, marbled plastic on the door panels and upholstery in synthetic material which has the good taste not to try to imitate leather. The presentation of the screens displays a nicely colored graphics: there is hardly the GPS which is a bit dated, but it will be replaced in a few months by a new generation, which should perform online route calculations via a cloud for more efficiency. We also regret that the French market is, inexplicably, not entitled to certain equipment such as the head-up display…

Consumption still falling

We have chosen, for this first test, to focus on the hybrid version, which should be the second best-selling in the range after the electric. And it is at this level that we note the only status quo of this new generation, which takes up the mechanics of the previous one. It still relies on a 1.6-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine, with direct injection and Atkinson cycle, from the Gamma family. Capable of delivering up to 105 hp, it is associated with a 43 hp electric motor sandwiched between it and the gearbox. In total, the cumulative power remains unchanged, at 141 hp. If there is something new, it is to be found on the gearbox side. It’s still a six-speed dual-clutch unit, but this one ditches its reverse gear, to gain 2.3kg. Now, reversing maneuvers are done by reversing the current in the electric motor, while the first is engaged.

On paper, therefore, one could assume that the mechanical approval is hardly different from that of the previous generation. However, if the ingredients are the same, the recipe has changed. Engineers have indeed seriously reworked the management of the hybrid system, to erase the congenital lack of responsiveness of the transmission, which affected the old Kia Niro hybrid. From now on, the flexibility is coupled with an interesting liveliness, even if one cannot speak of sportsmanship on this model of 1.474 kg, with the relatively modest power. The unpleasant lag time when pressing the accelerator is just a bad memory. The only grievance concerns, in the climbs, a slightly too high speed, the transmission refusing to pass the higher gear. The good news concerns consumption, which is not suffering from this growing liveliness, since we have noted an average of around 5.5 l/100 km on the roadquite equivalent to that of a Toyota C-HR, segment benchmark.

Road behavior that sets the benchmark

On the previous generation, Kia had made a strange choice concerning the chassis settings: the versions fitted with 18-inch tires were equipped with firmer damping… Completely out of step with the placid mechanics of the car. Now consistency is key. The filtering quality of the suspension, in clear progress, does not suffer criticism. And yet, road holding has not been degraded in any way: eye-catching and reassuring, this hybrid SUV also benefits from slightly more direct steering than before, to the benefit of agility. Question road qualities, we would reach the flawless if the direction was not a little sticky. But this slight reservation is insufficient not to consider the Kia Niro hybrid as a reference.

This test drive of the Kia Niro hybrid reveals that the transformation has been successful. The Korean brand has been able to correct the few rare flaws of the very rational first generation, and add a good dose of seduction to it. It is hard to see what could hinder its success, especially since the price, starting at €31,790 (€33,990 in the fairly generously equipped mid-range Active) is not excessive in the category.