Kia has renewed its most important car for the Netherlands. This is the completely new Kia Niro, a crossover that, in addition to hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions, also includes a fully electric new e-Niro. The new Kia Niro will be for sale in the Netherlands from mid-2022.
Although the EV6 is currently Kia’s showcase for the qualities it has in terms of electric cars, it is the e-Niro that is the absolute EV king of the brand in the Netherlands. Together with the well-selling Niro Hybrid, the electric e-Niro earned the model the title of ‘best-selling car of 2020’ and this year too, the Niro is heading for the highest position on the podium in the Netherlands. During the Seoul Mobility Show in the South Korean capital, Kia unveiled the brand new second Niro.
With the new Niro, Kia is proving that it’s not just about dedicated and therefore purely as an electric model developed cars, such as the EV6. Such models are on the E-GMP platform specially intended for EVs and are attached by Kia to the EV label, which you can compare with the i-line of BMW and the EQ label of Mercedes-Benz.
Technic
The new Kia Niro will also be available as a Hybrid, as a Plug-in Hybrid and as an electric e-Niro. Unfortunately, at the time of writing there is nothing to say about the technology of the Niro, because Kia does not say a word about the powertrains and even keeps the dimensions of the car under wraps. In terms of technology and efficiency, the new Niro will in any case not be inferior to the current model. The current electric e-Niro is available with a 136 hp electric motor and a 39.2 kWh battery and will cover 289 kilometers in this form. In addition, there is a 204 hp top version with a 64 kWh battery and a range of 455 kilometers. The Niro Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid have a 105 hp 1.6 GDI petrol engine, which in the Hybrid is linked to a 44 hp electric motor and which in the PHEV version is supported by a 61 hp unit. The system power of both hybrid Niro’s is 141 hp and 265 Nm. The plug-in hybrid Niro squeezes up to 49 kilometers from its 8.9 kWh battery pack.
Whether the new electric e-Niro will have a much greater range than the current model, remains to be seen. The EV6 with the longest range, the 229 hp strong rear-wheel drive version with the 77.4 kWh battery, has a range of 528 kilometers. Not even crazy much more than the 455 kilometers that the most capable e-Niro scores behind his name. In terms of charging speed, there is still room for improvement, as the e-Niro can quickly charge a maximum of 77 kW.
Kia reports that it is introducing the Greenzone Drive Mode on the plug-in hybrid Kia Niro, a mode that automatically switches the Niro into EV mode based on, among other things, navigation data to comply with environmental zones. As a driver, you can also indicate certain ‘green zones’ in which the Niro PHEV automatically switches to electrical power if possible.
design
A book could be written about the design of the new Kia Niro. It is in fact completely different from that of the model you have known for years. The Niro is like cars like the EV6 according to the Oppositions United-philosophy and that has guaranteed extravagant design to this day. The design of the Niro is derived from that of the Habaniro Concept that Kia presented in 2019.
The new Kia Niro looks a lot bolder from every angle. At the front, the stubbornly designed LED daytime running lights are striking, which seem to come straight from its conceptual harbinger. The crossover has a strong C-pillar in contrasting color and a rear that also breaks with the design of the current model. The taillights placed under the rear window give way to high-positioned vertical taillights that sit directly next to the rear window. In addition, the license plate moves one floor up, from the rear bumper to the tailgate.
Interior
Kia has also enthusiastically picked up the brush of innovation for the design of the interior of the Niro. The clear but fairly conventional looking dashboard of the Niro presented in 2016 is exchanged for an interior in which two optically more or less fused displays form the greatest visual attraction. The screen placed behind the steering wheel acts as an instrument panel, the screen next to it in turn belongs to the infotainment system. Striking is the mood lighting with which Kia fills the space between the infotainment screen and the right outlet opening. The electric e-Niro already had a round selection button for choosing the direction of travel, from now on the Niro Hybrid and Niro Plug-in Hybrid also have a round selection button for the automatic transmission.
No new model without a passage about ‘sustainable’ and ‘environmentally friendly materials’ and so Kia also uses such stuff in the Niro. For example, the headliner is made from recycled wallpaper and for the seats, tencel, a fabric obtained from eucalyptus leaves, has been used.
availabilty
The new Kia Niro will be on the market in the Netherlands in the middle of next year, both as a Hybrid, Plug-in Hybrid and as an electric e-Niro.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl