Niro isn’t that Niro. I mean, given that Niro means black, and Niro happens to be a hybrid, it isn’t a car shrouded in mystery or intrigue. It is as straightforward and regular as a car gets. But then hybrids are supposed to look pretty regular – even electric cars try not to put on an alien face for fear of alienating an enthusiastic customer wanting an uncomplicated flight into the future. So, behind its friendly smile, Kia Niro is a car that believes what really matters is how far does a car take you – quite literally indeed!
THE DIMENSIONS:L x W x H 4355 x 1805 x 1535 Wheelbase 2700 mm
THE SPECS:1.6 L engine and electric motor – combined output of 170 hp, 6-speed automatic gearbox
THE FEATURES:Wireless charger, rear view camera and sensors
THE PRICE:AED 90,,000
UPSIDE:Excellent fuel economy, space and practicality, price
FLIPSIDE:Little to wow, price-saver style elements
The Design
The frontage looks appealing but is devoid of any glitz, if you overlook the LED glitter around the yellow lights and the foglamps within the ‘boomerang’ frame. Below black, textured plastic wheel arches, the wheels are 16” – not the mega-sized rims this region loves, but the notion of a roof rail does add to the crossover charm.
Turns out that my test car was a 2017 model and that should explain some of the dated feeling. The fact that this is one of the earliest hybrid cars reaching these shores provides the novelty.
Cabin and controls
The practical simplicity is carried into the interiors where a large dose of plastic and foam leaves just enough space for soft-touch leatherette. It’s quite ‘Niro’ inside with a black dashboard and a dark, 5” monitor enwrapped with glossy black plastic which wears the letters ‘eco hybrid’. In some other places, the plastic does feel like err… plastic!
The comfortable seats are a mix of leatherette and fabric – if you put on your futuristic goggles, you can see something of a matrix design there. Still better, it has a wireless charger where the dash and the central console meet – convenient even with a modest charging speed of over 20% per hour. The touch screen comes with Apple Car Play and Android Auto to link your smart phones.
Storage compartments including the glove box are just big enough. Besides a pouch in the rear, the front offers a sunglass holder and a cuddly niche just right for my wallet or the mobile phone when it is not charging in the cradle. Yes, there is an armrest and some storage space beneath it too.
The Drive
Kia Niro is driven by a 1.6 L engine mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox. With 105 PS (103.6 hp) and 146 Nm of torque, Niro lives up to the expectations of smoothly streaming power but its natural forte is fuel economy. My test results ranged between 19.6 and 21.2 km per litre driving mostly at highway speeds. Of course, there are instances when it dropped to 17 plus but hey, even that is a figure to flaunt! The 45 L tank promised about 860 km at the start. Even after 200 km of driving, it had hardly dropped a notch!
The suspensions provide an absorbent setting to make little trips into kutcha parking lots a little more comfortable. Don’t expect anything more – Kia calls it an urban SUV.
Now meet the hybrid side of the Niro. A permanent magnet synchronous motor generates 43.5 PS at a low 2500 rpm and 170 Nm of maximum torque as early as 1798 rpm. The combined output of the engine and the motor can be tallied as an adequate 170 hp. The battery that stores the electric power is a U-ion polymer unit that has 42 kW power and 6.5 Ah (Amps per hour) capacity. As it is a supplementary source of power, it is a small battery that weighs only 33 kg.
Family Drive
All right. It is a practical car, with space to match. Well, despite looking as though it is going to disappoint you in the headroom department, Kia Niro allows you to keep your head held high – unless you are Zarafa! (If you are Zarafa, there is a sunroof for you!) The boot space reminds you of a large hatchback and that’s when you realise that half the friendliness of this car comes from its likeness to a large and likeable hatchback. As I rolled down my window to scan my parking access card, my arm stretched out just above eyelevel, and it became unmistakably obvious!
Niro is big enough to require AC vents in the rear, which Kia has is in place! Parking is made easy with sensors and rear view camera but the number of airbags are the standard ‘two!’
The essential Kia Niro
Kia Niro is an average crossover that ticks a regular menu in the looks and practicality department with a mind-blowing fuel economy and an encouraging price, which makes it an extraordinary buy in the compact crossover segment, and one of the harbingers of the hybrid era.
