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it from a conventional Niro. In our eyes, that’s a good
thing.
Another difference from the electric Hyundai is that
Kia has sourced its battery cells from SK Innovation,
a smaller Korean maker than LG Chem. The company
has also chosen to fit a battery heater to the Niro EV’s
pack, a huge boon to buyers in areas with actual winter
weather. This was underscored by the auto reviewer
for The Detroit News, who noted that his Tesla Model
3 lost far more range in the winter than did a test Niro
E V.
The Niro EV offers Normal, Eco, and Sport modes,
though the range differences among them seem more
incremental than we’d expected. We should note that
it has conventional idle creep unless you pull the left
steering-wheel paddle three times.
We appreciated the ability to set the Niro EV for
maximum regeneration and leave it there. It doesn’t
have a single button to do that - like the “e-Pedal” of
the new LEAF - but pulling back three times on the
left steering-wheel paddle sets the regen to max, and
lasts until the car is powered down. That contrasts,
incidentally, with the Kona Electric, which has a more
complicated system that requires the paddle to be used
every time.
Finally, we’re big fans of Kia’s legible, intuitive,
easy-to-understand infotainment interface and its
dashboard design in general. It has the buttons you’d
expect, including knobs for audio and climate controls,It’s a smart, attractive, practical,
long-range compact electric
hatchback. And it has just
enough crossover design cues
that your neighbors won’t think
it’s a nerdy eco-car.
of EPA-rated range239 miles
THE VEHICLES
Images courtesy of KIA