[AlanHo]

I took a Niro 3 out for a test drive of about 20 minutes which included some side roads, main roads and a blast down the M42 motorway from J5 to J6. I am looking at the possibility of swapping my 2015 Venga for a Niro 2 with ADAP but the local dealers all have NIro 3 models as demonstrators.

The Niro uses the same drive train and underpinnings as the new Hyundai Ioniq. The Ioniq being a small hatchback - low and sleek whereas the Niro is styled as an SUV/Crossover. It is a taller car more suited to us older ones who can no longer bend easily. Even though the Niro is shaped more like a brick - it has a CD of only 0.29.

My comments are all based on a comparison with my current car - the KIA Venga (Which is KIA's verson of the Hyundai ix20)

First the pluses.

I took a decibel meter with me to measure the cabin noise and compare it with the Venga. The salesman was gobsmacked – for a customer to do that was a first. On the way back home in the Venga I drove part of the same route and took sound readings to compare the NIro with the Venga. On average the Niro was 5 dB quieter than the Venga especially on rough tarmac.

Various magazine road tests claim that the Niro 2 is quieter than the 3 because of the 16” wheels rather than the 18” wheels fitted to the Niro 3 so that augers well.

It definitely rode bumps and potholes much better than the Venga and felt better planted on the road

The front passenger seat has height adjustment – my wife would like that because none of our previous cars have had that feature.

Visibility is quite good all round – the A pillar is less intrusive than the Venga.

The seats are comfortable and the cabin is roomy.  I was able to manipulate the steering reach/height and the seat position to get really comfortable.

The back seats are easy to fold down and are not heavy to put back up (my wife can’t do this in the Venga) and lie almost flat. You don’t need to collapse the rear head rests to clear the front seats.

Contrary to the complaints in some of the magazine road tests – low speed acceleration is very spirited (at the price of putting the economy gauge well into the red). The car is plenty lively enough for me.

The steering is not as light as the Venga – but is possibly more direct and is well weighted. I believe it firms up a lot when you put the car in “Sport” mode – which I didn’t try.

I know this sounds daft – but the direction indicator sound is much louder than the Venga and I could hear it clearly. This might be due to the cabin being quieter though. At present my wife is forever having to tell me “You’ve left your indicators on” because of my deafness..

I have driven a Toyota Prius and Hybrid Auris which have CVT auto boxes. The Niro DCT gives the car a much more normal sound and feel than the Toyotas where the engine seems to thrash a lot on acceleration.

There are more bells and whistles than the Venga for me to play with

I reckon the Niro, with my driving habits, would use 28% less petrol and would save me £140 per year car tax. Also – with ADAP - insurance should be less.


Now the negatives

Theoretically the boot is bigger than the Venga – but the wheel arches intrude more and the available space is slightly less usable. With the Venga we can create more boot space because the rear seat backrests have a vertical position and the whole seat is mounted on rails to allow it to be moved forward or back.

There is no power socket in the boot or rear cabin. I would need to run a cable from the front of the cabin to power my rear car cam.

It has a foot operated parking brake. However – it was easy to use and I feel it is something you would soon get used to. My wife will hate it – but might grow to prefer it because she has problems with her shoulders and upper arm strength.

Braking feels odd – it lacks the initial bite and solid feel of the Venga and feels less direct. You need to press harder on the pedal than the Venga to get the same result. After 10 minutes driving I got used to it (and nearly stood the Venga on its nose when I first braked on the way back home).

It lacks a spare wheel – there is a well that will take one - but you just get a tyre sealing/pump kit.


So Will I Buy One

The Jury is out – I’m not at all sure. My present car is just one year old and it's a big financial step quite so soon. Also - it may be better to await the arrival of the plug-in version of the car.

[Dazzler]

Thanks Alan, much appreciated. I hope it is released here... 

[eye30]

Alan,

Did you ask why spare wheel well but no wheel?

Would be interesting to hear the salespersons response to try and explain why tge body shape but none.

[AlanHo]

I didn't ask - but KIA customer services have previously stated - when asked - that it varies with each Country. Some Countries insist on a full spare - some accept a temporary spare and some don't bother.

With vehicle pricing being increasingly competitive I s'pose they look for every saving they can get to keep the price down. In addition - every extra kg is a handicap on fuel economy. The Niro has an aluminium bonnet and tailgate plus very lightweight seats and high grade steel stampings in the chassis to keep weight to a minimum.

Now I realise that I am going to regret saying this - but I have not had a puncture for at least 20 years and I imagine that I am far from alone. In addition - with my ticker - I would be hard put to change a wheel out on the road and would have to rely on my breakdown service.


There I rest my case..................

As an aside there were a quite few questions I didn't ask the salesman - within a minute of meeting him it was obvious to both of us that I knew far more about the car than him.  I even had to show him how to reset the trip recorder and the menu for the car settings options. I confess that I had an advantage over him - I have acquired and studied a copy of the owners manual. I found it on the internet.

The Australian Manual is here  2017 KIA Niro - Owner's Manual - RHD (UK, Australia) - PDF (585 Pages)

That website also have loads of other manuals - including the Ioniq (in Korean unfortunately)

[rustynutz]

New Kia Niro hybrid SUV 2016 review | Auto Express

[AlanHo]

Rusty

There are about 20 road tests of the Niro on various websites - I've read them all as you might expect.

The Auto Express one is one of the least complimentary and includes some significant errors or differences with other reviews and my own experience.

For example

The Niro battery is lithium polymer whereas the Prius has an NiMH battery which has a worse memory loss

The DCT transmission feels quite unlike the Prius CVT - in fact it is not much different to any other DCT non-hybrid car

According to my decibel meter - which I have used on every Hyundai and KIA I have owned - Tyre noise in the Niro is the lowest so far

The steering is very similar to the i30 and Venga. No better, no worse - but admittedly not quite VW standard.

I sometimes wonder where they get thee magazine road testers

[rustynutz]

Alan, I just chose the first review I saw after a quick google search. I decided to post a link mainly because it had plenty of photos.
Up until then I had no idea what the Niro looked like and figured I probably wasn't on my Pat Malone...   

I really like the look of it... 

[AlanHo]

Rust

I appreciate that  - but I have developed a strong aversion to the European motoring media who all seem to regard the German brands as beacons of perfection and are loath to be too critical of any of their vehicles.

The Golf in particular is always placed high on the worship tree.

Take the VW emissions scandal - whilst the newspapers made a great fuss about it possibly world-wide the motoring media were very muted. Sure, they reported it but in the magazines and TV media it was soon dropped off their radar.

The Americans - who probably import fewer VW's than the UK - pounded VW without mercy and VW responded by pouring billions of dollars into PR, compensation and car ECU reprogramming in the USA to put out the fire and blow away the smoke.

Not so in Europe - they have done virtually bugger all and the majority of VW cars in the UK are still driving around without the emissions update that is now virtually completed in the USA. Not one VW owner here has been compensated

Despite this - the UK auto media never mention the fact and still worship the mighty God VW. When they write a car review they always knock back other brands to keep their God on the throne.

This is one war the Germans have definitely won

[Phil №❶]

Everyone knows it's a war of bullshit. So they can win that if they want to

[AlanHo]

I took my wife to the KIA dealers today for her to road test the new Niro.

At first she was a bit daunted by its size - thinking it was huge compared to the Venga. I had predicted this and took a measuring tape with me to make direct comparisons and her fear was allayed. It is a bit longer than the Venga but not by enough to make a fuss over. It is actually 280mm longer and 40 mm wider over the mirrors (cabin same width) and 55mm lower than the Venga.  However the more butch styling makes it look much bigger. I can't say I'm impressed by the styling of the Niro - but neither am I offended - how they got the CD down to 0.29 I will never know.

She enjoyed the test drive and was immediately struck by how quiet it is (It isn't quiet - just much quieter than the Venga which is about the same as our previous  i30's). However - the Niro 3 car we tested has 225 45 R18" boots the Niro 2, which is the model I prefer, has 205 60 R16 boots . Most of the recent magazine tests state that cars with the 16" wheels are quieter, more refined and considerably less thirsty than those with the 18" wheels.  Not only that, but cars bought before 1st April 2017 will retain their current tax band - which in the case of the Niro 2 is zero. Hence I will not pay any annual road tax. The Niro 3 emits more CO2 and is in a higher tax band. Thus will pay £140 per year road tax which will go up each year in step with the Retail Price Index.

Bottom line.  I ordered a Niro 2 in white plus Adaptive cruise and autonomous braking options (ADAP). It has to be a factory order because of the options and is 12 to 14 weeks away because orders are claimed to be flooding in. I have stipulated on the order that if delivery is after March 31st when the road tax regime changes - the deal is off - and I will keep the Venga.


I got as good a deal as I could get locally with a 10.7% discount of £2,484 off the OTR price of £23,145. I had a quote from brokers 200 miles away that would save me a further £262 but I would much prefer to buy from the local dealer. Not sure yet whether to trade the Venga in for their offer of £9,800 or sell privately (which can be a right hassle).

[Asterix]

Congrats on the new wheels. You certainly don't wear your cars up... 

[eye30]

It has to be a factory order because of the options and is 12 to 14 weeks away because orders are claimed to be flooding in. I have stipulated on the order that if delivery is after March 31st when the road tax regime changes - the deal is off - and I will keep the Venga.

So edd is between 23 jan 2017 to 6 feb 2017 with another 7 weeks till end of march.

So fingers crossed for an early delivery date......

[Dazzler]

Congrats Alan. Thanks for the update. There is a big question mark as to whether will get the Niro in Australia.  With no incentives, hybrids aren't that popular down here. People who have never had one don't know what they are missing! Apparently Hyundai isn't worried about numbers and plans to release the Ioniq.

[Doggie 1]

At first she was a bit daunted by its size - thinking it was huge. I had predicted this and took a measuring tape with me to make direct comparisons and her fear was allayed. It is a bit longer but not by enough to make a fuss over.

I'm used to this Alan.
I've had it all my life. 

[AlanHo]

I have waited for 24 hours for someone to pick on my embedded humour - but Gonz let me down......................

[Surferdude]

I have waited for 24 hours for someone to pick on my embedded humour - but Gonz let me down......................

Yeah. But the doggie is ever dependable. 

[Surferdude]

- how they got the CD down to 0.29 I will never know.

Probably used the VW emissions experts. 

[Shambles]

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