Kia Niro 2022 Review

When the Kia Niro launched in Australia last year it was a warm-up act. The family of electrified compact crossovers was actually in the last 12 months of its lifespan, with a new generation waiting in the wings.

That new car has now arrived in Australia. Styling has been modernised, underpinnings completely overhauled, the drivetrains tickled and equipment added.

The new 2022 Kia Niro is available in two model specifications – S and GT-Line (replacing Sport) – and two drivetrains: petrol-electric hybrid (HEV) and pure electric (EV).

The plug-in hybrid model (PHEV) has been dropped due to lack of demand, although it is locally homologated and tuned and ready to go if that situation changes.

All good then. Time for this new-age vehicle to make an impact in a country where electrification is belatedly gathering momentum.

Then comes the price. Uh-oh…

The two HEVs are priced at $44,380 and $50,030 (plus on-road costs) respectively and the two EVs at $65,300 and $72,100 (also plus ORCs). Knock $3000 off the price of the EV S if your Kia dealer isn’t too heavy on the on-road charges and you still qualify for one of the state-based rebates if you live in the right place.

The HEVs are more expensive than the top-selling Toyotas RAV4 Hybrid, so that’s a tall order.

The EV has an even bigger challenge. The base model is about lineball with the entry-level Tesla Model 3 (the Kia was more expensive until a Tesla price adjustment last month) and the GT-Line is more expensive than the cheapest Kia EV6, a significantly more impressive and sophisticated car.

Jeez, that’s a hard ask. But that’s where price pressures on the auto industry are at the moment and especially EVs as battery material costs rise (rather than fall as was long predicted).

The Niro EV’s most logical opposition comes from an in-house rival, the Hyundai Kona Electric, which starts at $54,500 plus ORCs. It has the advantage of an entry model with a smaller battery.

So to the equipment levels. Exterior highlights beyond the skinny Kia ‘tiger grille’, black cladding and alloy wheels for the Niro S include keyless entry, LED daytime running lights and roof rails.

Inside, there is push-button start, a digital instrument display and an 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto are standard, along with digital radio, USB-C chargers in the front seat-sides, dual-zone climate control, a powered driver’s seat, cloth/artificial leather seat trim and more artificial leather on the steering wheel.

The Niro EV S also adds a larger 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a vehicle-to-load (V2L) charger that diverts a little power from the high-voltage battery to a plug under the rear seat.

Upgrade to GT-Line and the headline act is the Australian introduction of the Kia Connect telematics system.

A slate of safety, security and convenience features includes automatic collision notification, stolen vehicle immobilisation, voice recognition and the transmission of real-time data into the car like weather, traffic and charging station locations.

A smartphone app includes driving records, diagnostics such as range and charge status and alerts for geofence and timefence breaches (sorry kids). Remote door lock and unlock, pre-heating and demist, destination upload and a locator (when you can’t find the car in that shopping centre car park) are also part of the package.

The GT-Line also comes with 64-colour ambient lighting that can be tied with the selected drive mode, alloy sports pedals, a 10.25-inch infotainment touch-screen, a 10.0-inch head-up display and embedded sat-nav with a 10-year traffic report and map update subscription.

Also included is wireless phone charging, heating for the front seats and steering wheel, ventilation for the front seats, a power tailgate and privacy glass. In this model Apple CarPlay is wired.

The EV GT-Line also adds exterior V2L charging, a power sunroof, a powered front passenger seat that reclines flat for relaxation, LED interior lighting and an eight-speaker Harman Kardon audio system.

The HEVs get a space-saver spare tyre while the EVs make do with a mobility kit.

There are eight paint choices for the Niro range. The GT-Line can be accessorised with a contrasting colour on the C-pillar.

The Niro is covered by Kia’s seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and the high-voltage battery by a seven-year/150,000km warranty. Servicing is scheduled every 12 months/15,000km.

The HEV’s capped-price servicing costs average out at $572 per service over seven years while the EV’s average is $250.57. Kia also offers a prepaid servicing package for the EV that costs $620 over three years and $1750 for the full seven years.

There’s no ANCAP safety rating for the 2022 Kia Niro as yet. The assessment will be based on crash testing conducted by Euro NCAP and then reviewed locally. Expect an announcement during this quarter.

Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with the detection of vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists remains standard and now adds junction turning.

Other new driver assist features include blind spot collision avoidance assist, rear cross traffic collision avoidance assist, multi-collision braking and intelligent speed limit assist. The Niro already included lane keep assist with lane following assist and adaptive cruise control.

Other new safety features include safe exit warning, a centre front airbag (taking the total to eight), an electro-chromatic cabin mirror for the S and high beam assist for the headlights (halogen projector for the S and LED for the GT-Line).

The GT-Line adds reverse parking collision avoidance assist, front parking sensors, safe exit assist and power child locks.

A reversing camera with dynamic guidelines, rear parking sensors, and two ISOFIX and three top tether child seat mounts were already standard kit.

The 2022 Kia Niro is a combination of familiar and new. The new starts right at the car’s core where the latest Hyundai-Kia K3 small car monocoque architecture can be found.

Kia is claiming a 33.1 per cent increase in torsional stiffness for this SG2 Niro compared to the previous DE model. The new EV also goes down in weight from 1797kg to 1727kg (tare) compared to the old model, while the HEV climbs from 1418kg to 1454kg.

Kia is also claiming improved sound-deadening with this new platform via measures such as added insulation, a thickened airbox and a rear cross-member mounting bushing.

Drivetrains are the more familiar part of the new Niro’s story.

The EV is powered by a 150kW/255Nm e-motor that actually loses 140Nm compared to its predecessor. Kia says that helped smooth out acceleration and claims the new Niro EV’s 7.8sec 0-100km/h time is as fast as its predecessor. Drive to the front wheels is via a single-speed reduction gear.

A slightly larger 64.8kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack provides 460km (WLTP) of claimed range between recharges, an improvement of 5km. But consumption rises from 15.9 to 16.2kWh/100km. Maximum recharging speed is just under 100kW.

Recharging can be done at up to 11kW using an AC outlet. That means a full charge will take about six hours and 20 minutes via a wallbox charger or 29 hours on a regular power point. On a 100kW DC charger Kia says a 10-80 per cent charge takes about 45 minutes, while a 350kW DC charger can lower that (by just two minutes!) to 43 minutes.

The HEV is powered by a 1.6-litre ‘Kappa’ petrol engine and e-motor that combine to produce an unchanged 104kW and 265Nm. The lithium-ion polymer battery is a piddly 1.32kWh. Drive is to the front wheels via an updated six-speed dual-clutch transmission, which does not have a reverse gear. Instead the e-motor looks after those duties by reversing polarity.

The HEV officially averages 4.0L/100km, splitting the old claims of 3.8L/100km for the S and 4.4L/100km for the Sport. It accelerates from 0-100km/h in 10.4sec.

The Niro steers via an electric-assist rack and pinion system, is suspended by Aussie-tuned MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension and rolls on 16- and 18-inch tyres in the case of the HEV. The EVs both get 17s.

The Ford Puma and Skoda Kamiq were benchmarks for the local chassis tuning.

Braking is via disc brakes all-round and both drivetrains have regenerative braking. However, the EVs gets more tuning adjustment.

The new Niro is bigger than its predecessor in terms of length, width and wheelbase, but is slightly lower. The HEV claims a 425-litre boot and the EV 475 litres, but remember the latter doesn’t have a spare tyre. The EV also gets a 20-litre froot (front boot).

The braked towing capacity for the EV rises from 300kg to 750kg. The HEV stays on 1300kg. The Toyota LandCruiser is not under threat.

It may not be the car with which to tow your van around Australia, but the new 2022 Kia Niro is definitely a good choice when it comes to everyday around-town useability.

At just 4420mm long, it’s small enough to be nippy, big enough to fit adults front and back and offers a decent load in the boot as well.

The almost-flat floor and long wheelbase really do make this a passenger-friendly car. Generous headroom, knee-room and toe-room underline that. Rear air-con vents and a variety of storage options help too.

Up front, the Niro offers some styling drama thanks to the sweeping dashboard, two-spoke steering wheel and dial gear selector. It’s all quite modern.

The GT-Line Niro models look that much more upmarket inside with their bigger and flashier touch-screen. The 8.0-inch version in the S looks a bit lonely amidst the plastic, and the lack of equipment like sat-nav is chintzy at these prices.

The Niro has the swappable infotainment and HVAC control panel previously seen on the Kia Sportage and EV6. It’s a trick for new players but sensible once you realise what’s going on.

The front seats are comfortable and there is good adjustment of the steering column so you can find the right driving position. Outward visibility is good.

There are splashes of luxo-looking trims, but there are also plenty of hard plastic trim bits to keep the atmosphere mainstream.

Both drivetrains are nippy. The EV is stronger, quieter (neither are noisy) and cleaner, of course, but the HEV has better mid-range grunt than initial tip-in throttle response might suggest.

As per HEV practice, the engine sometimes revs out of kilter with what you are actually doing behind the steering wheel as it recharges its small hi-vo battery. EV-only running was only noticeable at low speeds and then only briefly. There is no button that forces the car into EV mode.

All that lost torque doesn’t impact on the generosity of the EV’s response when you put the boot in. It really is energetic from the moment you press the throttle, and it’s totally fuss-free.

Both drivetrains have multiple drive modes but the impact isn’t fundamental. The HEV gets Eco and Sport; the EV gets Eco, Normal, Sport and Snow.

Regen braking has a stronger impact on the EV simply because it always runs on electricity. It can be set to i-pedal where the brake pedal is virtually unnecessary; auto where the front radar prompts braking effect, or paddles on the steering wheel that allow up to three levels of retardation.

Regenerative effect can also be tuned through three levels in the touch-screen of the EV GT-Line and the instrument cluster of the EV S.

The hybrid’s flappy paddles control the gears when it is running as an ICE and regen when it is in EV mode.

Where the two cars really diverge is when it comes to their dynamic behaviour. The brief to Kia’s contracted chassis guru Graeme Gambold was to make the various models feel as similar as possible.

Given there’s an almost 300kg difference in weight, a lower centre of gravity in the EV because of the big battery pack and a range of tyre profiles you won’t be surprised to learn they do feel different to ride in.

The EV (we tried both S and GT-Line) has a firm but controlled ride, not too much body roll and clean and accurate steering that became weightier in Sport mode. It proved a tidy package to punt along a winding Adelaide Hills road, or navigate city traffic.

The HEV GT-Line (we missed out on the S) didn’t quite have the same balance. Riding on the lowest-profile rubber, its ride was terse to the point of annoyance on the rough stuff, especially at slower around-town speeds.

It was noticeably less supple than the EV and that made the driving experience less enjoyable. Steering tune was more in line with the EV.

Both cars have intrusive and beeping lane keeping functions which some drivers will appreciate and some won’t. They are easily turned off at the steering wheel, but the process is repeated every time you turn the car on.

The new 2022 Kia Niro EV is a really solid product. It’s good-looking, functional, has peppy and clean performance and drives neatly.

The HEV is sorta similar only not as good to drive, not as clean, not as well equipped and not as expensive.

At their respective prices they both will struggle to sell many examples. It probably doesn’t matter because Kia says it can only get about 75 per month anyway.

The bugger is the Kia Niro EV could have been a real tipping-point car. Priced right, its attributes could have encouraged plenty of people to go electric.

We need more affordable EVs in Australia to make the switch away from fossil fuels that our planet’s future demands.

The humble Niro could have helped a lot more than it’s going to. It’s an opportunity lost.

How much does the 2022 Kia Niro EV S cost?
Price: $65,300 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Powertrain: Single permanent magnet synchronous motor
Output: 150kW/255Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 64.8kWh lithium-ion polymer
Range: 460km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 16.2kWh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Not tested

How much does the 2022 Kia Niro HEV GT-Line cost?
Price: $50,030 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Powertrain: 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol-electric
Output: 77.2kW/144Nm (32kW/170Nm electric motor)
Combined output: 104kW/265Nm
Transmission: Six-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 4.0L/100km (WLTP)
CO2: 91g/km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Not tested

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