Kia Niro 2022 PHEV (EX Premium trim) initial review -- (edited)
Posted by
oblique (aka kkuphal)
Oct 18 '21, 11:52
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Had a chance to drive our new Niro this weekend. Figured I would give you my impressions since a couple of you asked about it. Will try to organize thoughts by area
Exterior
- I like the look of this year's model quite a bit more than the ones I see normally on the road. This one has the new logo to distinguish it. Looks a lot less "dumpy" from behind sitting in our garage. Still wider than most hatchbacks but that is reflected also in...
Interior
- Far roomier than expected coming from a Sorento. Not a 7 seater, for sure, but plenty of space for me at 6ft.
- Drivers seat has 2 presets so both my wife and I can have different seat configs. Button on door. Be sure to push before closing door as it defaults to Person 1 (my wife) and she's much shorter. :)
- Seats slide back when turning off car. Feels very luxurious.
- Interior LEDs can be set to a specific color. Defaulted to Red. Wife likes Blue.
- When backing up the rear view mirrors on the sides tilt down to see what is next to you. Kinda weird at first.
- Dash is big and bright. Speed is separate from the main central display of EV vs. GAS range. Like this a lot.
- Entertainment/Carplay is a wide 10" screen. A little weird compared to other cars but the first time I've felt comfortable using the Carplay split screen effectively.
- System has multiple "users" so each can have their own presets. Haven't played with this yet.
Safety
- New to us, but fully loaded with Smart Cruise (keeps you and speed and distance from cars in traffic), Lane Assist, Auto hold (no foot on brake at stoplights), cross traffic alerts (rear), audible blind spot alerts.
EV stuff
- Range is about 25 miles full EV. Round trip to church is 36 so we are just short of making it.
- Regenerative braking is a fun game that quickly changes how you drive.
- Hard acceleration will kick on the gas engine in full EV mode.
- Turning up temp/heat or AC will kick on gas engine just to power that system
- RPM gauge only shows activity when gas engine is engaged. That's a little weird but also kind fun.
- Full charge in about 8 hours via Level 1 (normal) outlet charger. Managed to get the cord to reach (just barely) in our garage. Haven't tried using a public charger yet. Maybe next time we are at the grocery or movies
App
- The UVO app is a big part of the car now. Can remote start, lock/unlock, start/stop charging, etc.
- Has various geofencing options also that I haven't played with but seem related to location via the GPS. Same with driving style alerts. Probably geared towards tracking kids and how they drive.
EDIT: EV range is 25 miles. Gas range is listed at 475 on a full tank
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