In search of the secret of Niro success
The new Kia Niro appeared on the market in 2022. We have already tested all three variants: the Hybrid, the Plug-in Hybrid and the Electric. But to understand the secret behind his success, we think it is important to ride the Korean longer. We chose the ‘normal’ hybrid.
For the recent endurance test with the Kia Sportage, the approach was whether that SUV still has a right to exist due to the arrival of the Niro. Both were renewed last year and after the endurance test with the Sportage (with first the HEV and later the PHEV) we concluded that the right to exist is definitely there. But now we want to understand the secret of his success in the Netherlands. When it arrived in 2016, we weren’t quite sure what to make of the size of the crossover that was only available with electrified powertrains. The buyer knew it, because the first Niro became a great success and even became the best-selling car in the Netherlands. The new generation took over last year.
Executive Line
We have a Hybrid in combination with the ExecutiveLine decoration. That means that there is €41,890 worth of Kia in the garage. That is immediately the most complete version. You can see that in the 18-inch wheels, in the contrasting color of the C-pillar (with our white Niro it is gray) and on the inside you can see it in the richly scattered buttons on the center console. Around the switch with which you operate the machine are buttons for seat heating, seat ventilation and steering wheel heating. For a comparison test we bring in a Suzuki S-Cross and a Mitsubishi ASX, both with a hybrid powertrain. During the test period we put a Niro Electric next to our Hybrid. We take it to Kia’s European headquarters in Germany and investigate the success of the Niro in the Netherlands. We do that in an interview with the highest boss in the Netherlands and with a Niro driver.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl