New Kia Niro EV prototype review.
New kia nero ev prototype review the kia niro has been a key transitional model for the korean brand a vehicle sold as a hybrid a plug-in hybrid and a purev and thus one that is appealed to customers at various stages of the journey to electrification in the uk it’s actually been kia’s second best-selling model since it first appeared in dealerships in 2016.
But now with increasing numbers of bespoke ev’s on the market not least kia’s own excellent ev6 it’s time for an all-new nero the core principles remain this is a car with a choice of powertrains including two that feature combustion engines but it gets an all new platform increased levels of incar tech and a little more space in a bid to make it even more of an
All-round proposition it’s a particularly significant arrival on the ev market since the outgoing e nero was second in britain’s pure electric sales charts in 2021 indeed the nero ev there’s a change of name for this generation is expected to make up more than half of uk sales once the first deliveries start arriving in late summer the hybrid which is a combined
Power output of 139 bhp and co2 emissions from 100 grams kilometer will be the next best seller and the fev which brings 180 bhp in the ability to travel on electricity alone for up to 40 miles is likely to account for just one in 10 of all neros sold indeed given the list prices you’d suspect that many private buyers will look hard at the fev see that it costs
Barely two thousand pounds less than the f and decide that it really is time to ditch petrol power altogether regardless of powertrain this nero is the first kia to sit on the latest generation of the company’s k platform it grows slightly overall to four thousand four hundred twenty millimeters long with a couple of extra centimeters in the wheelbase which is
Now two thousand seven hundred twenty millimeters the growth spurt isn’t going to be quite enough to overcome the fact that the nero ev remains wedded to a platform that also has to accommodate combustion engines though it remains longer overall than vws id 0.3 which cysts on the ev only meb architecture but the gap between the front and rear axles on the kia
Key for cabin space is more than five centimeters shorter the overall look is clearly an evolution of what’s gone before but the front end has been tidied up and at the rear there’s a novel c pillar that actually sits slightly proud of the main body shell and helps to channel air along the flanks it can come in a contrasting color so expect kia to play around
With this on special editions and personalized versions as time goes on to stay up to date with latest top stories make sure to subscribe to this youtube channel by clicking the button above this video the nero ev has a single front mounted motor producing 201 bhp and 255 nm of torque so it’s the punchiest model overall with a 0 to 62 miles per hour time of 7.8
Seconds the battery’s usable capacity is 64.8 kilowatt hours and kia claims average energy consumption of 3.8 miles per kilowatt hours which should give you just shy of 250 miles of range the official claimed figure is 286 miles the car can recharge at up to 80 kilowatts taking its battery level from 10 to 80 percent in 45 minutes and if you select a charging
Station as a navigation destination it’ll pre-heat the battery on route to make sure you can get the fastest possible refill rate kia offers the same trim structure across all three nero powertrains but it’s worth remembering than the ev gets a couple of nice extras even in the entry level to specification as with the hybrid and fev it comes with lead headlights
Rear parking sensors and a rear view camera and an eight inch infotainment system that incorporates android and apple integration but notably the av gets 17 inch wheels instead of 16 inchers and a 10.25 inch fully digital instrument panel replaces the other version’s conventional dials aniro f2 will cost you thirty four thousand nine hundred ninety five pounds
And stepping up to three takes the price to thirty seven thousand seven hundred forty five pounds this spec includes full leather upholstery front parking sensors eighteen inch wheels heated front seats and steering wheel and keyless go you also get a three-pin socket where you can plug in external appliances like a laptop or a small fridge the range topping
Nero f4 costs from 40 495 pounds this ramps up the infotainment screen to 10.25 inches and also includes heating on the rear seats ventilation on the front seats an upgraded harman kardon sound system a head-up display and vegan leather upholstery the nero’s contrasting c pillar blade is only available on this version for now at least it’s a 150 option whereas
The panel is body colored on all other editions on the road the nero makes a very solid case for itself without ever delivering much sparkler delight the instant torque of the electric motor delivers enough shove even with a modest 201 bhp in a car weighing almost a ton and three quarters harsh throttle inputs on anything other than dry tarmac will have the
Front wheels scrabbling for grip but adopt a sensible approach and the nero f is plenty quick enough to nip through traffic and town and get up to speed on motorways as with the old e nero you can adjust the brake recuperation settings with paddles behind the steering wheel and the most extreme configuration will bring the car to a halt naturally allowing you
To drive using just a right hand pedal around town if you think far enough ahead of traffic lights and junctions should you need to use the brakes the modulation is an improvement on the previous generation car but the transition between recuperation and discs and pads still takes a little getting used to you’ll be able to make smooth enough progress in time
Kia’s chassis engineers have clearly been given the brief of ensuring that the nero f doesn’t roll excessively and you can feel how firm the basic setup is as soon as you pull away from rest it could risk becoming unsettled at low speeds so we’re keen to try an example on 18-inch wheels or new care roads but once you’re up and running it does a decent job of
Isolating you from road imperfections while keeping up with direct steering there’s no great involvement to be had here but even with a surprisingly high driving position for all its crossover looks the ab gubbins beneath delivers an suv like seating configuration the nero is a car you can lean on with decent body control and sport mode selected for improved
Throttle response you could even call it swift refinement is solid enough with wind noise and electric motor wind both nicely suppressed and while there is a bit of transference through the chassis from the road beneath any tire rumble is less noticeable than it was on the e-nero our pre-production prototype still had a few bits of interior trim made from more
Coarsely grained plastics so we’ll hold fire on a judgment on cabin quality just yet but regardless the in-car technology will look familiar to anyone who’s driven a current sorrento or the latest sportage or indeed the ev6 that’s to say that you get crisp clear displays with a solid user interface and quick response times it’s good to see that key features such
As the heating and ventilation still get their own buttons although they are contained in a touch sensitive panel that can be switched to control the audio instead it’s a novel feature that should work well as long as you don’t constantly need to change tracks in the cabin temperature the boot meanwhile measures 475 liters comfortably eclipsing what’s on offer
In a conventional vw golf and this expands to 1 392 liters with the second row of seats folded down there’s also a shallow 20 liter front boot that should be handy for keeping wet charging cables separate from your shopping it’s a pity that you have to access it via the normal bonnet release mind reaching down to the edge of the footwell feels like a definite
Carryover from combustion engine vehicles model kia niro ev4 price 40 495 pounds powertrain 64.8 kilowatt hours bat 1 xe motor power torque 201 bhp 255 nm transmission single speed automatic front wheel drive 0 to 62 miles per hour 7.8 seconds top speed 104 miles per hour range 286 miles charging 80 kilowatts 10 to 80 45 mins on sale now
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New Kia Niro EV prototype review By Car News