56
launched with a 124-mile range. Although Hyundai’s
EV had the highest efficiency rating of any electric
car on arrival, the Chevy Bolt, which went on sale
later the same year, offered double the range (238
mi les).
Kia took extra time to bring its all-electric Niro to
market, allowing the company to fit a 64 kWh bat-
tery. The 2019 Kia Niro EV is EPA-rated at 239 miles
of range, right on top of the Bolt EV, and competitive
with the Nissan LEAF Plus (215 or 226 miles), and
Hyundai’s newer Kona Electric (258 miles).
We spent five days and 385 miles with a Niro EVia may be the auto brand with the biggest
disconnect between perception and reality
in the US today. It makes stylish, modern
vehicles - passenger cars plus a growing
range of crossover utilities - packed with advanced
features. It’s a legitimate competitor to Toyota,
Honda, and others.
But ask the average buyer if he or she has con-
sidered a Kia, and you may still get a puzzled look.
“Don’t they make cheap little economy cars?” is the
implied question.
Kia’s doing its best to overcome this hurdle, and
part of its strategy is to zig where its corporate sib-
ling Hyundai zags. One example is the Kia Niro, a
compact hybrid that shares underpinnings with the
Hyundai Ioniq. Whereas the Hyundai is a low hatch-
back with a high tail - think of it as a better-looking
Prius - Kia chose to make its Niro a long-roofed
wagon, just tall enough to look like a crossover.
The tactic worked. Hybrid and plug-in hybrid
Kia Niro models outsold their Hyundai Ioniq coun-
terparts in the US last year, 28,232 to 15,076. That
Hyundai total also included the Ioniq Electric, which
K
We spent five days and 385
miles testing the Niro EV.
We came away mightily
impressed.
THE VEHICLES
By John Voelcker