Kia is a bit of a superstar that rarely puts a foot wrong. It is a car maker that listens intently to what its buyers want, while keeping a careful eye on what the bloke next door is doing, and Niro is the latest treasure to come from under the silk wraps.

When I sampled the outgoing model, I was not in love. I thought it was a frumpy plain Jane, with uninspiring performance, ordinary handling, and was overpriced. There, I’ve said it.

When I saw pics of the newbie, I fairly quivered in anticipation. It was sexy, and chunky, as if a gym bunny had been strumped by a nerd. Nerds are very in, and gym bunnies never go out of fashion, so the realisation had much to live up to, if it was going honour the promise.

Well, “strike me pink,” as my sainted grant aunty Ag used to say, all new Niro is a pearler in the flesh. It looks all modern, while giving subtle nods, left and right, to models gone by. What lurks beneath is a cracking melange of talent, tech, and tasty treats, that comes at a price.

There is an S and GT-Line, in both the EV and Hybrid (HEV) guises. Prices range from 44k-ish, to a smidge over 72k. For those big bikkies, you get a value for money, intelligent, well packaged product, brimming with goodies.

Gay buyers tell us they love badges, but can’t ignore the quality and value from Kia, especially in the SUV range.

This Week Review: 2023 Kia Niro EV and Hybrid FULL REVIEW Review

Help Support Gay Car Boys Subscribe to our Youtube Channel 

ABOVE: 2023 All New Kia Niro EV and Hybrid Review

Outside:

The old and the new are chalk and cheese. The perky 2-box SUV is petite, yet has grown slightly compared to her dowdy forebear. We sampled both models in both drivetrains, with the hybrid showing a surprisingly pleasing face. In fact, only a canny CAR-navor can prick the difference.

Wheels go from 16” to 18”, with the range topper scoring 17inchers.

There are many one-colour body tints to tantilisee, but a C-Pillar patinated in playful polymers puts paid to picking plain pigments. The product planner got down and dirty, curating careful contrasts that sit artfully against our colourful countryside. If you don’t like the contrasting look, go sit in the corner and have a really good think about what you’ve done.

There is a bit of body-kit action too, but Niro isn’t an off-roader, and Kia has resisted the urge to plaster the wheel arches in hideous plakky parts.

Speaking of urge resisting, I kept my mouth shut when I saw that the humungous C shaped rear lights looked a little like an old Ford Focus had backed into a  Volvo.

Schreyer’s Tiger Nose grille hasn’t been completely abandoned, but as EVs require no such air-allowances, the solid plastic part is now a strip across bonnet lip. Although deliciously simple, there is enough contour and contrast to make the front end dead sexy.

There are huge front lighting arrays that are as LED AF, but alas, sans a Matrix option.

The pert rump is a simple, stress-free affair with little to distract from the main light show. The tail gate is powered with a kick function, and its inner liner works as a cargo cover, or sun shade. It may sound a bit la-de-dah, but think of it as being purely practical. Should you fancy neither, twisting it makes it fold in on itself to be stowed out of the way.

Inside:

Regardless of the claims, Niro is entry level. Despite this, the cabin shows little sign of penny-pinching. Most of the allure rests in the asymmetrical dash the follows that line of screens and down onto the doors.

Here is where I want to point out the foible of Tesla’s chronically minimal cabin. Before you look at Niro’s tasty interior, wrap your mind around the Model Y cabin that looks as though it isn’t yet finished. Eschewing this ludicrous obsession, Kia has a screen for every occasion, including a fighter-style HUD on the windscreen. It displays data that appears to float at the end of the bonnet, right in your line of sight.

Twin 10.25 inchers curve around the driver, and can be configured as the driver desires. The driver’s screen is remarkably clear even in full sunlight. That’s more than we can say about some we’ve experienced.

You can meddle with the menus by touching the tabs. Swiping left and right works like a smart phone, and nothing is more than a few twiddles away, including the awful sounds of nature. Roland’s kids love it, but for the rest of us, being stuck on an endless track of chirping crickets and wittering water makes us want to pee incessantly.

There are bags of space, and a centre console with cup holders and controls for seat heating/cooling, and other essentials.

Since no cows were harmed to furnish the cabin, every surface is manmade, even though the luscious softness may cause you wonder otherwise.

Some hate Piano Black, but I love it. It has been used sparingly, and front and centre is the huge knob. Giving it a whirl will select your direction, while fingering the centre button puts it into park. The power button is just above, emblazoned with a power emoji. Ya gotta love nerds!

The dash has a strong horizontal line along on which  controls for navigation/audio, vents and other sundries are secreted. The steering wheel is replete with the latest Kia controls, including those for the Smart Cruise and Lane Centering on one side, and audio and phone on the other.

The flat floor finds favour for fellas in the rear. It makes the back seat feel like Lady Bracknell’s handbag. There is so much space, you could hold a ball back up in there. For the gen Z’ers who can’t bear to be further than a metre from a plug, there is a household outlet for your lappie, and a couple of USB-C’s in the backs of the front seats. There is an optional tablet holder for longer trips, and a 12v socket for emergencies. Although, with the other options, you’d be hard pressed to find a use for it all.

The cargo hold has a flat floor level with the loading lips, and with the back seats folded, the flatness continues throughout.

You get no spare tyre thanks to the 443kg battery under the floor, but I’d rather the range thanks very much.

The top models have excellent Harmon Karon sound, and all models get wired CarPlay/Android Auto, with models sans navigation, also having wireless CarPlay.

The Drive:

OOOOO she is a spritely filly. 150kw may not sound much, especially when hauling about a 1727kg heft, but she feels friskier than the 7.8 0-100 sprint leads you to think.

The 64.8Kwh battery can charge using most outlets, but will only use around 100kw max, so parking in a 350Kwh plug is only going to use a spot that an EV6 could make more of, but I digress.

Once you’re out on the road, you glide along on Gambold-fettled suspension. Graeme has outdone himself, and this is the first Kia to have had the guru’s laying-on-of-hands since the spectre of Covid reared its hideous head.

Not only has Graeme set up the suspension just for us, he’s been at the steering as well. The result is a nymph-like ability to dart, frolic, or saunter at the whim of the pilot. Strangely, Niro felt as adept at speed as it did in a cobbled lane. Once the recharge thing is sorted, there is no reason why you couldn’t do a road trip. The fairly slow charging means a couple of decent rest stops on the Sydney/Melbourne route, but most of us need many potty breaks, so why not have a bite at the same time.

Corners bring out the EV playfulness as the low-slung L-Ion makes its presence felt. It isn’t unpleasant, but one must respect it, lest one loses one’s $hit. Front wheel drives can take some getting used to if AWD has been your previous passion.

There is no doubt Niro is intended to be a thrifty city car, and at that it is ace. Most only do a few K’s a day, so an overnight cord-in-the-wall at home should see it fresh as a daisy next morning.

The cabin is spookily quiet too. The windscreen and carpet are treated for their ability to keep things calm, with more deadening peppered elsewhere. The result is a serene, zen-like, interior that is relaxing and comfortable. In fact, there is much of the EV6 in Niro.

Needless to say, all the current safety and driver aids have been secreted about her person, and she is all the better for it.

Telematics:

We’ve seen it in many other brands, and Kia too is now on the built-in-sim bandwagon. It allows its owner to watch over it by checking status of charge, whether it is locked, and will  even send notices is she is tampered with in an un-ladylike way. It is so clever, (how clever is it?), it is SO clever that with the appropriate approvals, Niro can be remotely disabled to thwart miscreants, should they manage to fenagle they way into a joyride sans permission.

As yet, Kia doesn’t have over-the-air updates, but there is no reason why that feature couldn’t be installed once available.

The built-in sim operates on the Optus network, paid for by Kia, and runs the length and breadth of the warranty, aka, 7 years. After that, Kia hopes to have a deal worked out for further interaction, even if a small owner-paid cost is called for.

We’ve used it often, and although initially a gimmick, quickly becomes handy. Imagine charging under the baking Australian summer, and you’d like to return to an arctic cabin, well have at the app, and your wish is only a few swipes away. Cooling an EV while charging is the most efficient use of the climate feature. Once you untether, going from a Sahara-esque 60c to a balmy 20c takes many kilowatts.

Charging times vary from 27hours on a home socket, through to 6hr20 on an 11kw wall unit, to 43 minutes on an ultra-rapid 350kw unit.

Conclusion:

After the disappointment of the outgoing Niro, I confess to not a little trepidation in driving the new one. I needn’t have worried, Kia nailed it. It feels no different to driving more expensive EVs, so tesla had better watch itself. There are Chinese EVs coming in much cheaper, but they feel it, and Kia’s reputation speaks for itself.

Niro is pricey, but most EVs are pricey and there is no getting around that. I’m disappointed Niro hasn’t got the same ultra-fast charging ability as seen in EV6, but if you don’t want to plug in, the Hybrid was almost as good. Interestingly, the plug-in hybrid can’t be had in Australia, there simply wasn’t the call for it.

Finally, Niro cashed every cheque written by its maker. It was a joy to drive, and starting at 44 grand, is good value.

For other grade pricing, CLICK HERE

2023 Kia Niro GT-Line EV

  • Price: $72,100
  • Engine: electric
  • Trans: Single Speed Transmission (Reduction Gear)
  • Charging: approx. 100 Kw max, 105-80% in 45 mins, DC-CCS Combo2 (or AC-type 2)
  • Battery: L-ion (64.8Kwh battery)
  • Power: 150kw/255Nm
  • 0-100: 7.8seconds
  • Range: 460km

Other GayCarBoys EV Stories:

Tags: 2023 Kia Niro Ev and Hybrid review, gay kia, all new kia niro review, all new kia niro ev, , all new kia niro hybrid, kia niro telematics, kia niro sos, kia connect app

Hash: #2023KiaNiroEvandHybridreview, #gaykia, #allnewkianiroreview, #allnewkiniroev, #allnewkianirohybrid, #kianirotelematics, #kianirosos, #kiaconnectapp