Kia Niro Hybrid & PHEV Thread

I'm keeping an eye on the Niro. I've been to the dealer twice to look it over and sit in it. Didn't drive it. The Kia salesmen in my town are jerks. Overall I really like the Niro.

I like the higher seating position, regular gauges in the position I prefer them, no white accents, and room for a spare tire. The price is decent.

Adaptive cruise is available as an option but not in the base model.

I find that I'm voting with my dollars lately.

1) I refuse to buy a smartphone without a user replaceable battery. So I voted with my dollars. I didn't buy a new model phone but went to eBay and bought two new in box Samsung Galaxy S5s (4 generations back - but with a removable battery).

2) I protested Obama by purchasing my first pistol. Almost purely a protest vote.

3) I hate the white accents in the new Prius models. If they would offer black as an option it would go a long way to winning me over. I also have never liked the gauges pushed toward the center of the dash; it bugs me every time I drive the car. Also I won't buy a car without a spare tire. I don't like that Toyota decided to lower the car and recline the drivers seating position; totally contrary to what I want. So I'm serious about voting with my dollars the next time I buy a car. After 2 Prius cars (2008, 2015) I now have another option in the Niro.

The Niro is too new so real world mpg isn't really out yet. I'll wait until a bunch more are sold and see if any negative opinions form over time. I really would like to buy a PHEV but both Toyota and Kia consume space for the spare tire so those are now off my list.

For us a hybrid makes sense, so would a PHEV with a spare tire. But a pure EV just won't work for us. We take too many 500 mile trips a year for that to be practical with current EV offerings.

 

i voted by buying bullets, even though i don't have a gun.

 

dammit bisco. you made them think the government was taking away their ammo.

 

must be nice ... being able to edit mistakes, or flesh out data on prior posts, day & days after the fact. Who does one have to ________ in order to restore that long removed feature .... not that I'm complaining ...
yes - I remember when Bob removed all of his detailed post & that created a bunch of hubbub. Still ...

.

 

Another hybrid review.
2017 Kia Niro Test | Review | Car and Driver

 

So, just do what others did for a decade. They stored it in the hatch area. With a donut, it may fit in the area below the folded seat.

Then you have a spare available for long trips. Spares are quite tough too. So, it's not like you couldn't stack stuff on top of it.

 

i keep one in the hatch. it's a space saver, so there's actually more room when it's in there, than when it's not.

 

looks like fabulous hatch space.

 

Is the tradeoff worth it ?

 

no idea, i'll let you know after the test drive. what is the downside?

 

I didn't even know what a Nero was until now. I have stayed out of new car showrooms on purpose. Then I take my Grand Marquis in for a recall and walk to the Toyota dealer next door and bought my second Prius the next day.
I think the only way the car manufacturers can meet their Corporate Average Fuel Economy in the future is to get into the Hybrid business. Some manufacturers are doing to to enhance performance.

 

exactly

 

Can’t even find a Nero PHEV for sale,
Look at cars, they don’t even have a s arch category defined

 

article says 'set to launch imminently in major markets across the u/s'.

 

I drove behind a Niro hybrid the other day. Not the most interesting looking vehicle, but not as fugly as, say, a Hyundai Veloster.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

LOL, it has a key? Wow, 80 year old technology. Who'da thunk. Other than that I suppose, not too bad
.

 

I'd argue that many people think the Prius ( especially the new generation ) are extremely 'fugly' and want a 'stealth hybrid' that looks like a normal car. This is what Hyundai and others are going for.

Edit: Before I get roasted....for the record 'm not talking about the PriusChat crew because we generally like the styling. However, the general population is most definitely NOT the PriusChat crew.

And here is the pic of the cargo space :

2018 Kia Niro PHEV First Drive Review | Embracing the new normal - Autoblog

Looks darn nice to me compared to the Prime!

 

I'm not a fan of the new style of the Prius. One reason why I never really wanted to get one. My 2012 is still going strong at 155k. I'm going to get it detailed soon so that will be my new car LOL