We Like: Impressive fuel efficiency, useful interior room, value price.
We Don’t Like: Lack of torque, sharp ride.
Although Toyota’s egregiously weird Prius Prime shrieks “Hybrid!” Kia’s vanilla Niro whispers “small, practical family wagon.” The Niro’s design is utterly conventional and oddly nondescript for a Peter Schreyer–era Kia. The badges are the only clue it rolls on a dedicated hybrid platform shared with Hyundai’s Ioniq hatchback.
Interior room is the Niro’s strong suit. The tall roofline really helps the interior package, allowing plenty of rear-seat leg- and headroom. As with the exterior, the interior execution is pragmatic, especially in the entry-level EX model. “Lots of relentless hard-grain plastic almost everywhere I touch,” Markus said. The load space is wide but shallow.
The drive experience falls short of that of the Ioniq. “It’s adequately powered, but passing power just isn’t there,” Seabaugh said. Rechtin noted the suspension transmitted a lot of sharp upward impacts into the cabin. But Markus said the Niro deserves plaudits for making a six-speed dual-clutch transmission work well with a hybrid powertrain and a usefully configured family wagon that delivers an impressive 51 mpg on the EPA city cycle, all for less than $30,000.
Kia is betting there is white space in the market for a family-friendly, high-efficiency vehicle without the wacky futurist styling of a Prius and that there are buyers who will appreciate the low-key Niro’s unique combination of fuel economy and interior room at an affordable price. “It just feels so normal,” Loh said. “Like a regular car but with amazing efficiency.”
| 2017 Kia Niro EX EcoHybrid | 2017 Kia Niro Touring EcoHybrid | |
| BASE PRICE | $26,595 | $30,545 |
| PRICE AS TESTED | $28,895 | $32,445 |
| VEHICLE LAYOUT | Front-engine, FWD, 5-pass, 4-door hatchback | Front-engine, FWD, 5-pass, 4-door hatchback |
| ENGINE | 1.6L/104-hp/109-lb-ft plus 43-hp/125-lb-ft front electric motor; 139-hp/195-lb-ft combined | 1.6L/104-hp/109-lb-ft plus 43-hp/125-lb-ft front electric motor; 139-hp/195-lb-ft combined |
| TRANSMISSION | 6-speed twin-clutch auto | 6-speed twin-clutch auto |
| CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) | 3,200 lb (60/40%) | 3,271 lb (60/40%) |
| WHEELBASE | 106.3 in | 106.3 in |
| LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT | 171.5 x 71.1 x 60.8 in | 171.5 x 71.1 x 60.8 in |
| 0-60 MPH | 8.9 sec | 9.9 sec |
| QUARTER MILE | 16.8 sec @ 83.0 mph | 17.4 sec @ 80.3 mph |
| BRAKING, 60-0 MPH | 138 ft | 122 ft |
| LATERAL ACCELERATION | 0.78 g (avg) | 0.82 g (avg) |
| MT FIGURE EIGHT | 28.6 sec @ 0.58 g (avg) | 28.3 sec @ 0.58 g (avg) |
| EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON | 51/46/49 mpg | 46/40/43 mpg |
| ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY | 66/73 kW-hrs/100 miles | 73/84 kW-hrs/100 miles |
| CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB | 0.40 lb/mile | 0.45 lb/mile |
The post Kia Niro: 2018 Motor Trend Car of the Year Contender appeared first on Motor Trend.
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