Kia Niro | Video Review | CarsIreland.ie

Published on 28 March, 2017

The Kia Niro is a non-shouty, very practical way to go green

Overview

Overview

The Kia Niro is the latest crossover to hit the market from South Korea.

Now we already know Kia do a great SUV.  There's the hugely successful Sportage, and then the seven seater Sorento for the larger families – so why are they making another one?

Because, they tell us,  the Niro is not your typical crossover - and as well as a normal 1.6 GDI petrol engine, it’s also got an electric motor.

Which makes it two of the most trendy things to be on today’s market: a compact SUV and a Hybrid.

Interior Gallery

It’s also a little bit smaller than the Sportage, and will sit in between it and the cee’d in the range with a shorter, lower, narrower stance, and a design that’s a little more conservative, and perhaps a bit less divisive than the current generation Sportage.

The interior is also quite conservative – in a good way. It’s sleek and modern, with a kind of simple, classy, almost German feel to it. Some Hybrid manufacturers like to go for a bit of a futuristic look in the cabin, but bar a badge here and there and the automatic gearbox, it’s quite an understated affair.

It’s got a nice feeling of space – although there’s not as much of an SUV feel, and you sit a lot lower than you do in the Sportage. However head and leg room are pretty good in both the front and rear, with just enough room for five – although the middle seat is probably best left to kids on longer journeys.

The boot measures in at a healthy 427 litres – again somewhere in between a hatchback and an SUV, and the seats fold completely flat should you need to extend that into the rear.

Aside from its Hybrid power, another area in which the Niro stands out is the level of kit you get on board.

There’s only one trim level to worry about in Ireland at the moment which is the EXL and that comes complete with a very user friendly seven inch touchscreen display complete with SatNav, Android Auto (CarPlay coming soon) and a reversing camera.

Comfort features include full leather upholstery, heated seats and steering wheel, rain sensing window wipers, and dual zone air-conditioning.

On the outside then you’ve got some nice styling details like front and rear LED lights and privacy glass. It's a well-equipped car for the price, which comes in at just under €30,000 on the road.

Lane keep assist is also standard and at the moment you can buy an upgrade pack for €700 that will add more safety features like Additional Pedestrian Protection and Adaptive Cruise Control. This is important because it will also increase its Euro NCAP safety rating from four to five stars.

Another benefit contained in that price is the automatic gearbox necessary to work with the Hybrid technology. Good news for automatic drivers who would normally have to pay a large premium for the convenience.

Being a Hybrid, it’s almost silent on take off and at lower speeds while it works solely off the electric power. But even when the petrol engine does kick in at higher speeds -  it still remains pretty quiet in the cabin.

It’s a relaxing sort of drive that those who haven't tried Hybrid before tend to be pleasantly surprised by. The combined power output of about 140PS makes it feel pretty capable in most situations, and you’d certainly have no qualms about overtaking. That said it's still no performance car but the light steering and well-controlled body do make it feel reasonably engaging to drive.

The real benefits to a Hybrid however are supposed to be the low running costs, and this is where expectations need to be managed. While it will offer better fuel economy than a normal petrol engine, it’s unlikely to reach the claimed figure of 3.8l/100km for the average driver without massive effort on their part.

However, there is still potential to save a lot, particularly on those shorter journeys around town and at lower speeds, where it will be working off the electric power alone.

It’s also cleaner in terms of CO2 emissions, producing less than 90g/km and keeping the annual road tax bill to just €180 –  pretty impressive for a petrol powered car.

The seven year warranty offers great peace of mind, even if you're unlikely to use it. Kia's reputation for reliability is impressive. It's also transferable, which should help your resale value come trade-in time.

As should Kia's ever-improving brand image, and by fusing the compact crossover trend with alternative power, we reckon they might be on to a winner here.

Facts & Figures

Sinead McCann

Sinéad is our resident car tester who has the unenviable (-ok, slightly enviable) task of reviewing all the latest new cars to hit the market. You can follow her on Twitter @smcani and on Instagram @whatshedrives