To the Kia Niro HEV – Cysnews

We received a Kia Niro HEV for testing in our editorial office. It is a vehicle equipped with a smaller battery that is recharged while driving. So we don’t have to look for charging stations.

First impressions

Korean car manufacturer Kia has expanded its vehicle range with this particular model. The Kia Niro is currently sold in three variants and is always equipped with an electric motor. At first glance, we were surprised by the lack of a socket to recharge the battery, as well as the very sophisticated interior design and dashboard. At first glance, the narrow control bar above the central bar catches your attention, where you can either control the air conditioner or other items in the car by toggle. The joystick located at the bottom of this panel will also attract attention. These are features that differ from other vehicles, and during our testing they pleased us, but they also annoyed us. Upon first impression and at the same time upon first listening, we find that starting the car is the responsibility of the electrical component and it does not start until a few minutes after driving the gasoline engine. We were impressed by the practical canvas bag for storing the folded top panel of the luggage compartment. It reminded us of folding a tent and it was easy to store the folded panel anywhere in the car and then unfold it again and put it back in the trunk. We were also surprised by the socket available for rear seat passengers to charge a laptop.

Driving around city and county roads

The Kia Niro HEV navigates very agilely through heavy city traffic, being able to efficiently recuperate energy and drive across town with an electric motor. The assistance elements alert us when stopping and when driving to stay away from vehicles and at the same time make it easier for us to move on the roads. An interesting element, especially when shopping, is the possibility of controlling the trunk with a remote control. When we press the button on the remote control, the luggage compartment opens for us on its own. It is also possible to open it from the driver. Some vehicles with a remote control component can be controlled from a distance to drive independently forward and backward without driver involvement, and this can be used when entering a garage. Of course, it is equipped with a rear camera, which facilitates the process of parking the car. Thanks to the use of the electric motor, fuel consumption is significantly reduced.

When we go out of town on county roads and switch from the two potential driving modes to “Sport,” we become racers. The car accelerates quickly, grips corners, and travels quickly through area roads. In the classic “Eco” mode, the car moves as standard and we use all its capabilities. Thanks to a number of automatic settings for the wipers and lights, including automatic switching to high beam, driving is comfortable and safe. Use lane keep assists and adaptive cruise control to make driving safe and comfortable. This method of lighting a car is very welcome especially on today’s early autumn evenings. The entire route is beautifully lit and you don’t have to worry about missing anything. Consumption when driving on regional roads is about 5 litres/100 km.

Driving on the highway

As we mentioned in the previous paragraph, the Kia Niro HEV is equipped with many auxiliary features, so driving on highways is comfortable and safe. Thanks to the electric motor, which is also used here for acceleration, it is smart and economical. Another advantage is that not only are we alerted to the situation on the dashboard, but the basic driving parameters are also displayed on the windshield. This makes it easier for us to navigate difficult traffic situations. So we can conclude that driving on the highway is safe, fast and economical. Fuel consumption is just over 5 l/100 km.

In conclusion

In conclusion, we can say that the big advantage of this battery charging system is that there is no need to charge using a cable and everything is controlled by the car itself. The car is equipped with a number of elements that differ from the cars we have previously tested. Above all, this is the narrow panel used to control the air conditioning and other elements of the car, located below the lower central part of the panel. This element is interesting and automatically returns to its original position after adjusting the air conditioner. High quality navigation and parking cameras make car traffic easier. The big advantage is lower consumption, which provides greater driving distance per fuel fill. We can say that the Kia Niro HEV has met all our requirements for a modern car taking into account current electric mobility.

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