New 2019 Niro Plug In

KIA and Hyundai have started an interesting new program: They have put up a new website to allow KIA -Hyundai owners to download free up to date Navigation,GPS,Modem updates for their vehicles. This is free of charge and you can do it from home and then update your vehicle with the new download . Very nice bonus for their customers

Hyundai has started a complimentary maintenance program- anyone who buys a new Hyundai gets 3 years free maintenance:
• Engine oil and oil filter changes
• Tire rotations
• Multi-point inspection
• Hyundai Genuine Oil filters & Hyundai Recommended Oil

I hope KIA will follow suit and up their game to match their parent company

 

I am going to keep this post updated for individuals who are interested

This is the 1.5 year update.
Car has 22,650 miles on it.
No problems or issues.

The only money spent on it has been the required 7,500 mile oil changes. A 5 qt jug of WalMart SuperTech Synthetic 0W-20 and a KIA oil filter = $14.50 +$5.95 or $20.45 per oil change = 3 x $20.45= $61.45. $61.45 has been my total maintenance cost for 1.5 years and 22,650 miles.
I rotate the tires and all the other checks myself. Tires are still showing no wear and brakes also no wear.

This time of year is the sweet spot for Plug in Hybrids in my neck of the woods. Daily average temps in the mid 70's mean that you can squeeze 28 to 35 miles per charge out of EV mode.

Last week I bought my first tank of gas since March - I was going to see if I could make it to the end of 2020 without buying gas but the kids here have started back to school in Hybrid mode where they go two days a week in person and when I transport the kids I always like to keep a full tank of gas, I bit the bullet and filled up even though I had a 1/2 tank. In the Niro it holds 11.9 gallons and at 50 mpg that's about a 600 mile range not including EV miles.

This is still the vehicle of choice for family members whenever they need to go somewhere.

We had to trade our trusty 2004 Sienna in at over 150,000 miles and based on our KIA experience we opted for a new 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe SEL. We bought a bigger vehicle for vacations and when the whole family travels together. I thought the family would want to drive it all the time but it mostly sits around as the backup vehicle in case someone has taken the NIRO out.

We keep the NIRO plugged in at all times no exceptions. It is unplugged to drive and immediately plugged back in to our Level 2 charger when it returns home. This has been its routine since it was purchased and will be its routine for the next 10 years. We keep our vehicles at least 10 years. Traded in a new 2008 Prius that was 12 years old with 150,000 miles on it for the NIRO. Traded in a 2004 Sienna that was 17 years old with 150,000 miles for the Hyundai.

 

A look at EV's in the winter and honest discussion of range loss: KIA NIro EV featured

 

Two year update. Car has 29,781 miles on it and hasn't had any issues.

The only money spent on it has been the required 7,500 mile oil changes. A 5 qt jug of WalMart SuperTech Synthetic 0W-20 and a KIA oil filter = $14.50 +$5.95 or $20.45 per oil change = 4 x $20.45= $81.80. This Maintenance interval it called for Engine Air Filter and Cabin Air Filter replacement = $32.78 + $19.03. This brings the total for 2 years ownership cost to $133.61.

I rotate the tires and all the other checks myself. Tires are still showing little wear and brakes almost no wear.

Car still get around 50 mpg and 30 miles per charge.

Car is always plugged in if not being used- no exceptions.

I had promised to give updates, have done this for two years, this is probably the last update I will give.

Vehicle has been everything I had hoped for.

 

Used my warranty for the first time since purchasing the vehicle in 2019.

Noticed the A/C wasn't working back in September. Made an appointment with the Dealer and took it in December of 22. They believe it had a leak, couldn't find it and filled the system with dye and told me to come back in a month. In January I returned and they found the A/C Condenser was leaking/damaged. They ordered the Condenser and contacted me in March the part had arrived I bought the car in they replaced the Condenser and found the A/C Compressors was not cycling correctly and needed to be replaced. They ordered the compressor, and it came in the next week in March they installed, and A/C now works wonderfully.

When replacing the Condenser they ran over a sharp object in the shop and ruined my right rear tire. They replaced it with a brand-new exact replacement tire.

The car will be 4 years old this April and we have put on 48,000 miles on the NIRO.

Total Cost for 4 trips to the Dealer + 25 labor hours+Condenser ($485) replacement +AC Compressor ( $1528) replacement+one new replacement Michelin Energy Saver tire ($225) spin balanced and mounted = $0.

KIA has a 5 year 50,000 mile warranty on these items, powertrain and hybrid system is 10 years 100,000 miles for the original owner. They replace the tire free of charge because they said it was the right thing to do.

The difference in this local Dealer in 4 years is remarkable. We bought the car from another KIA Dealer as the local Dealer "didn't fool with PHEV and EV's". Now they have 4 charging stations at the Dealership, carry a full line of EV and PHEV vehicles, repairing them in their Dealership and had KIA's newest entry into the EV world on display in their showroom, it was an impressive about face.

The Dealership has also been rebuilt to include a complete array of new buildings for Service and Sales.

 

You are right, they offer the Niro Hybrid, Niro PHEV and NIRO EV.

 

What happens when you test the real-world efficiency of hybrids and EVs? | Ars Technica

"8/15/2023"
"Kia's Niro PHEV returned the best economy of all of the combustion-engine vehicles on the EcoRun test. The boxy crossover shape doesn't look like it would cut through the air, but the lack of interior noise suggests it's quite smooth. It also shows that the polarizing rear side blades do their job of channeling air around the rear of the vehicle.

Niro's 1.6 L four-cylinder and electric motor return 180 hp (134 kW) and 195 lb-ft (265 Nm) of torque. With that powertrain, it returned 54.5 mpg, 11.1 percent better than the 49 mpg (4.8 L/100 km) rating. The Niro turned in better than 52 mpg (4.5 L/100 km) on every leg, with a best of 71 mpg (3.3 L/100 km), the best of the entire event. Niro PHEV's estimated electric range is 33 miles.

Oh, and the Niro PHEV was on snow tires for some reason, making the figure even more impressive."


"NIRO EV
Kia completely redesigned the Niro last year, and it once again kept the uncommon combination of EV, PHEV, and hybrid models. The unassuming Niro EV managed the highest overall score on this test with a 156 MPGe (4.6 mi/kWh. 13.5 kWh/100 km) average. It was second for beating its EPA estimates as well, 38 percent better than its 113 MPGe (3.4 mi/kWh, 18.3 kWh/100 km) window sticker figure. That shows the Kia could have managed 350 miles instead of the 253 miles the EPA suggests, which is very impressive."

"Hybrid fuel economy tricks
Driving hybrids from Honda, Kia, Hyundai, and Toyota in succession showed that Toyota's vehicles operate very differently from the rest. In a Toyota, I've always found it easy to cruise along at around 60–80 mpg (3–4 L/100 km) in steady-state driving with it more difficult to engage EV-only mode.

In the Honda, Kia, and Hyundai, the instantaneous fuel economy was either at zero or 25 mpg (10 L/100 km). There was little to no middle ground. It was much easier to drive these vehicles in electric-only mode, even at highway speeds, and easy to do it for a longer time. Though they go about it in different ways, they seemed to achieve a similar result but required different driving styles. Toyota's was less work."