Kia Niro Electric is one of the most interesting electric vehicles (EVs) that we have driven.
It offers decent range for a reasonable price and we were excited to learn earlier this year that a new one was on the way.
An all-new Niro has just been released and promises to be even better than the first one, but unfortunately offers just five more kilometres of extra driving range.
Available in hybrid and fully electric versions, it has been designed from the ground up and influenced heavily by the 2019 HabaNiro concept (pictured).
New Niro is a much sexier looking piece of machinery, that’s for sure, with two-tone paint work and optional contrasting C-Pillar — like the concept.
Inside, recycled materials have been used to reduce the environmental footprint.
The headlining is made from recycled PET materials, the seats are made from Bio PU with Tencel from eucalyptus tree fibres and BTX-free paint (without benzene, toluene, and xylene) is used on the door panels — to minimise environmental impact.
Striking ‘heartbeat’ DRLs add to the unique look, while a skid plate and cladding are designed to give the car a more rugged appearance.
In electric form, new Niro is 45mm longer and 20mm wider, with a 20mm longer wheelbase.
The 5km increase could come from its more aerodynamic shape or a slight increase in battery size, from 64 to 64.8kWh.
2019 HabaNiro concept
New Niro has combined outputs of 150kW and 255Nm (previous model produced 395Nm of torque).
It has a top speed of 167km/h and a respectable time for the dash from 0-100km/h of 7.8 seconds.
A lowish drag coefficient of 0.29 ensures minimum air resistance and maximum energy efficiency.
AC and DC charging times have improved over the outgoing model, with 10-80 per cent taking 43 minutes with a 100kW DC rapid charger — or nine hours and 25 minutes with a 7kW home-installed wall box.
It has a Type 2 charging port.
Smart regenerative braking enables drivers to choose from a series of regeneration levels to easily slow the car and recuperate kinetic energy to maximise driving range.
The system can calculate the amount of regeneration required using radar and road gradient information.
It allows the car to harvest the maximum amount of energy from its brakes while bringing the vehicle to a gentle halt.
Braked towing capacity is up from 300 to 750kg for the electric version.
Niro also features Vehicle 2 Load (V2L) which means it can be used to power external appliances.
Prices start at $44,380 for the Hybrid Niro, or $65,300 for the fully electric Niro.
CHECKOUT: Kia Sportage: The price is right
CHECKOUT: Kia EV6: A charge of pace