A NICER SORT OF NIRO?(some text hidden)

By Jonathan Crouch

Ten Second Review word count: 60

You may well know the Kia Niro as a Hybrid and if so, you're probably also aware that it can be a full-EV too. You may not though, know that you can additionally have it in a form in which it could be argued you get the best of both worlds. That's the Plug-in Hybrid variant we look at here.

Background word count: 155

If you're set on electrification for your next family hatchback or small SUV, it's hard to make the right decision on which approach is best. If you've (rightly) rejected mild hybrid powerplants as being more hype than substance, that leaves you with full-Hybrid, Plug-in Hybrid or full-EV options. And trying different cars with these different approaches might understandably merely leave you somewhat confused. It'd be a lot easier wouldn't it, if the same design from the same brand offered all three options and you could try them back to back, un-influenced by other factors. The Kia Niro allows you to do just that. We're now in this model second generation and in this form, it's a good deal more sassy than the somewhat conservative original. Currently, most Niro customers go straight for either the Hybrid or the EV versions, without looking properly at the PHEV model we're considering here. Is that a mistake? Let's see.

Driving Experience word count: 290

We had hoped that this second generation Niro Plug-in Hybrid model's significant increase in battery size (from 8.9kWh to 11.1kWh) might have brought a greater increase in EV driving range. In the event, it's risen to around 40 miles with this second generation model (up from around 36 miles with the last versions of its predecessor). As before, you get a more powerful electric motor than the one in the ordinary Niro Hybrid - it's 83bhp in this PHEV. But the familiar 1.6 GDI normally aspirated petrol engine it works with is much the same and in this form puts out 180bhp via a 6-speed dual clutch automatic gearbox to the front wheels. Take off is smooth and if you flex your right foot enough to try and match the quoted 0-62mph time of 9.6 seconds, the petrol engine will kick in quite quickly with a noticeable thrum. Best to relax the throttle a bit and go with the flow: it's certainly not worth regularly using the provided 'Sport' mode, which brings heavier steering and wakes the petrol engine up a bit earlier. The 'Sport' setting also changes the functionality of the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters, which aren't fitted with base '2'-spec trim. Where included, the paddles are usually used to allow you to switch brake regeneration modes. In 'Sport', they become gearshift paddles. In town when you're merely using the e-motor, this Niro feels pleasantly smooth and refined and the electric motor masks some of the delay when the 6-speed DCT gearbox is required to kick down. If you're a tower and need some element of proper EV motoring, this PHEV Niro variant makes far more sense than the EV version because towing capacity rises from 750kg to 1,300kg.