ALAN DOUGLAS: Is the latest Kia sufficiently electrifying to justify its price tag?
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Apologies for the pun, but Kia are charging on with the electrification of their range. You could say they’re powering ahead with the latest propulsion technology in their fine range of cars.
Leading the way is the superb EV6 with new derivatives on the horizon but quietly doing the business further down the price scale is the latest Niro, which comes in a choice of petrol-electric and plug-in hybrid and a pure electric EV.
All three versions of the second generation model come clothed in a stylish new body which is a complete contrast to the rather bland looks of the first version which first arrived in 2016. Despite that the previous model became the second best-selling electric car in the UK, thanks largely to its low running costs and tax benefits for company drivers.
It’s still a C-segment crossover but sits on a new platform and has been completely redesigned to include features already in the latest Sportage and EV6.
From the outside, there’s Kia’s signature “Tiger Face”, which extends to the front wings below the wide windscreen along with angular “Heartbeat” daytime running lights and cladding for a rugged look.
Boomerang-shaped LED taillights rise at either side of the boot lid to form a neat and stylish back end with a big skid plate to give the impression of a touch machine.
So it looks very much better than its predecessor but that’s about all that’s changed because the statistics for the pure-electric model remain pretty much the same.
Kia have improved all the things that needed to be updated. The design is far superior, the technology is much improved and the car feels much more refined than before.
What’s surprising though is that its performance hasn’t changed. It still takes the same length of time to charge – on a slow domestic socket that’s more than 27 hours, although a rapid DC charger should get the battery up to 80 per cent in just over an hour. It's claimed range of 285 miles is virtually the same, probably because the battery is still 64.8 kWh and the front-wheel drive electric motor produces the same 201 bhp. As far as I can see all that’s changed is its acceleration from 0-62mph which at 7.8 seconds, is actually almost half a second slower.
Such has been the dramatic advance in EV technology that you’d expect a replacement model to show improvements in performance.
Having said that, the new car does the job very well and I enjoyed my time with it, although I failed to come anywhere near the claimed range and even with an almost full battery was lucky to get much more than 200 miles before I needed to find another charge point.
It looks good and not just on the outside. The cockpit layout is clearly Kia and the equipment is comprehensive, even in the entry-level “2” version test car. The central 10.25-inch infotainment screen is easy to navigate with straightforward menus while the buttons for the climate control are laid out neatly below.
The car is surprisingly roomy, especially for passengers in the back and I liked the pair of USB C-ports on the sides of the front seats, so they can be used from the rear to power devices. The boot is now 15 litres bigger than the previous model.
It drives well with characteristic immediate response from the electric motor and using the central transmission rotary knob is effortless as is the progression up the speedo.
Ride quality is excellent, relaxed and comfortable without being spongy while the feedback through the steering is direct and precise.
Like several well-engineered EVs, the brake pedal is almost superfluous thanks to the five modes of brake regeneration which will happily slow the car and keep the battery topped up at the same time.
CAR: Kia Niro EV “2”
PRICE: £36,795
ENGINE: Permanent magnet synchronous electric motor with 64.8 kWh Li-ion battery
POWER: 201 bhp combined
TORQUE: 255 Nm combined
TOWING CAPACITY: 750 Kgs (braked)
PERFORMANCE: Top speed 103mph 0-62mph 7.8 secs
CHARGING TIME: 1 hr 5 mins (50kW DC) 9 hrs 25 mins (7.2kW AC)
RANGE: 285 miles
