The electric 2023 Niro is the best of the three in energy efficiency, and the quietest, though it\u2019s also likely to be the priciest. (Kia hasn\u2019t yet released prices for the Niro EV, which\u2014along with the PHEV\u2014will arrive in one to two months.) Its EPA-rated combined range is projected to be 253 miles. It competes with the Chevrolet Bolt EV and Bolt EUV<\/a>, as well as the Hyundai Kona Electric<\/a>, with ranges of 259, 247, and 258 miles respectively. Consider the Niro EV our substitute for the Kia Soul EV sold in other markets, which will not come to North America.<\/p>\n Starting at $35,035 and topping out around $40,000, the 2023 Niro PHEV gives the plug-in Prius Prime stiff competition, with a 33-mile range rating that beats the Prime\u2019s 25 miles. The PHEV, though, will be the least common Niro. It\u2019s projected to be just 10 percent of overall sales, while the Niro EV is expected to deliver fully one-quarter of total sales. The Hybrid comes in at 65 percent.\u00a0<\/p>\n 2023 Kia Niro EV<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Kia says all three versions will be sold nationwide. With the advent of the pricier EV6 electric crossover, every Kia dealer is now certified to sell and service its models with plugs. We think the new Niro will do well, with the electric model potentially the sleeper in the lineup\u2014if the company can supply enough volume to meet demand.<\/p>\n Air blades: for aero, and for style<\/strong><\/p>\n The design of the 2023 Kia Niro was previewed by the Kia Habaniro electric crossover concept of 2019, especially the chevon-shaped accent in a contrasting color (silver or black) that sweeps from the roof down the rear pillar to the wheel well. It\u2019s a polarizing feature: among both reporters and onlookers, some disliked it while others loved it.\u00a0<\/p>\n 2023 Kia Niro EV<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The swoosh shapes serve two purposes: First, they\u2019re actually blades that channel airflow along the Niro\u2019s sides and direct it past the tailgate to reduce aerodynamic drag. You have to look closely to see the inlets and outlets\u2014they\u2019re hard to photograph\u2014but it\u2019s a clever trick. Second, because Kia has dispensed with the third side window that made the first-generation Niro look like a sleek wagon, the contrasting blade keeps the car from being just another slab-sided tall hatchback\u2014which we suspect was the intention. A fairly long roof spoiler disguises the rake of the tailgate, adding to the Niro\u2019s upright appearance.<\/p>\n Up front, the 2023 Niro leads with the brand\u2019s most recent \u201ctiger face\u201d theme, with thin horizontal headlights connected by an accent line that reads as the slimmest grille on the road. It makes this rather tall, boxy car look wider. The boomerang-shaped taillights are almost as thin, though from the rear, we couldn\u2019t help but see echoes of a Ford Focus hatchback from 20 years earlier.\u00a0<\/p>\n The three powertrain versions have less on the outside to distinguish them this time around. Only different front ends, with the EV\u2019s charge-port door front and center below the Kia badge, separate the various Niro varieties. (The PHEV charge-port door is in its left-front fender.) Just the PHEV has a tailgate badge identifying its powertrain; it\u2019s absent on the hybrid and EV.<\/p>\n 2023 Kia Niro EV<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Inside, the dashboard traces a single arc from door to door, over both the instrument cluster and the 10.25-inch center touchscreen display (the lowest LX hybrid uses an 8-inch screen). Base hybrids have simple, all-black interiors with a conventional shift lever on the center console. At the other end of the scale, the top-trim EV models come with a rotary drive selector and two-tone interiors. Perhaps inevitably, there are large swaths of glossy \u201cpiano black\u201d plastic trim in all models. It\u2019s nice to look at, but it collects dust and fingerprints quickly. The chevron shape is repeated in parts of the interior design, including such things as the brushed-metal door handles.<\/p>\n While many shoppers will seek fuel efficiency or all-electric power, perhaps a few will be swayed by the new Niro\u2019s commitment to more sustainable materials. The headliner is made from recycled wallpaper, the seats include eucalyptus leaves among ingredients for their materials, and the door paint is said to have a lower impact on the environment.\u00a0A vegan interior is offered on the top trim.<\/p>\n Smooth, smoother, smoothest<\/strong><\/p>\n All three Niro drive systems power the front wheels, but after that, they diverge considerably. The new 2023 Niro EV feels like the quickest of the trio, with a 64.8-kilowatt-hour battery pack powering a 148-kilowatt (201-horsepower) motor rated at 188 lb-ft of torque. Acceleration from 0 to 62 mph is quoted at 7.8 seconds, hardly Tesla-fast but acceptable for an affordable compact EV hatchback.<\/p>\n 2023 Kia Niro plug-in hybrid<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Both hybrids use a 1.6-liter inline-4 quoted at 139 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque, with an electric motor sandwiched between the engine and a 6-speed dual-clutch direct-shift transmission. The hybrid motor is rated at 32 kw, while the plug-in hybrid\u2019s 11.1-kwh battery powers a 62-kw motor (41 hp more), that takes output to a combined 180 hp.\u00a0<\/p>\n While the PHEV is almost 400 pounds lighter than the EV\u2019s minimum curb weight of 3,720 pounds, its 0-to-62-mph acceleration of 9.6 to 9.8 seconds is still about 2 seconds slower. The hybrid is slowest of all, at 10.4 to 10.8 seconds, and we felt it on the road. It\u2019s more apparent at highway speeds than in accelerating away from a light.<\/p>\n Watching the powertrain diagram carefully, we noted the PHEV retained 14 to 18 percent of battery charge once it switched over to hybrid mode. That keeps a large portion of the battery on hand to potentially supplement the gasoline engine, and subjectively it felt much quicker than the regular hybrid Niro.<\/p>\n 2023 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Speed is one thing, but powertrain smoothness is another. The two hybrids can\u2019t approach the EV for smooth, continuous, quiet power, but the quality of the shifting in the DCT is remarkably good. It\u2019s hard to make power transitions smooth in a single-motor hybrid system, where the motor can either power the car or act as a generator, but\u2014unlike two-motor systems from Toyota or Ford\u2014not both at the same time. Hybrid systems from Hyundai-Kia started out rough, but they now approach the smoothness of two-motor systems. That\u2019s saying something.<\/p>\n All Niros have a \u201cDrive Mode\u201d button on the lower left-hand corner of the steering wheel hub. The PHEV has a console button offering a choice of Auto, Hybrid, or EV power. Combining Hybrid and the Sport mode lets drivers preserve battery charge for later use. The PHEV also has a left paddle that allows higher levels of regenerative braking.\u00a0<\/p>\n Only the EV provides the \u201ci-Pedal\u201d one-pedal driving option. On our early-production test car, it wouldn\u2019t activate at times and Kia wasn\u2019t yet able to say why.\u00a0<\/p>\n 2023 Kia Niro plug-in hybrid<\/p>\n<\/div>\n None of the Niros are particularly sporty in handling or roadholding. Driving all three back-to-back highlights how difficult it is to equip a vehicle with three different powertrains whose weight distribution varies considerably (the Honda Clarity was even worse in that respect).\u00a0<\/p>\n Ample headroom and legroom<\/strong><\/p>\n We drove the Niro EV first, and found it the smoothest, calmest version\u2014as we expected. It\u2019s also by far the quietest, with admirable noise suppression for a modestly priced compact EV.\u00a0<\/p>\n Interior room is good for what\u2019s still essentially a tall compact hatch. (We can\u2019t consider it a utility vehicle without available all-wheel drive, which isn\u2019t offered.) My 6-foot-6 co-driver accommodated himself fine in the driver\u2019s seat, but wasn\u2019t able to sit behind himself in the rear\u2014although at 5-foot-11, I was. One drawback to the rear seat is that the backs of the front seats are hard plastic, meaning there\u2019s no give at all to accommodate rear riders\u2019 knees.\u00a0<\/p>\n Behind the wheel, the controls are clear and easily interpreted, with knobs for the most frequently used controls. Kia\u2019s graphics and infotainment interface remains among the better designs in the business, and the Niro EV will be much easier for a novice electric-car driver to acclimatize to than, say, a Tesla with everything controlled from the central touchscreen.<\/p>\n 2023 Kia Niro EV<\/p>\n<\/div>\n 2023 Kia Niro EV<\/p>\n<\/div>\n 2023 Kia Niro EV<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The Niro\u2019s load floor is relatively high, but cargo volume for the hybrid and the EV is respectable: 22.8 cubic feet with the rear seat up, and 63.7 cu ft with the second row folded flat. That falls to 19.4 and 54.6 for the PHEV, with its larger hybrid battery extending under the load bay. The EV has its battery under the cabin floor, at the slight expense of less foot depth for rear-seat riders and some peculiar floor contours in the front passenger footwell.<\/p>\n Commendably, the Niro EV does have a bit of storage space up front. Under a square plastic molding that resembles nothing so much as an engine cover, there\u2019s a shallow tray that looks like it would fit the portable charging cord, a couple of handbags, or perhaps a large canvas bag with squashable contents.<\/p>\n Standard safety systems<\/strong><\/p>\n All models of the Niro come with what Kia terms its \u201cDriveWise\u201d bundle of driver-assistance systems, which packages eight separate safety features into a single system. They include blind-spot and rear cross-traffic alerts, driver-attention warning, adaptive cruise control (on all but the base LX), automatic high beams, and automatic emergency braking.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Highway Drive Assist II system adds active lane assist to adaptive cruise control but requires the driver to keep hands on the steering wheel; it\u2019s optional on the EV only. Kia says the system learns a driver\u2019s behavior over time, adjusting its behavior to match your observed driving style.<\/p>\n From low LX to\u2026Wind and Wave?<\/strong><\/p>\n The basic hybrid models are pitched as affordable to buy as well as operate, with prices starting at less than $30,000. But Kia has carefully packaged features, equipment, and options into groups that let buyers easily move up to more luxurious models.\u00a0<\/p>\n The hybrid offers LX, EX ($2,600 more), and SX ($3,400 more) versions. The EX adds leather trim to the base cloth seats, 10-way power adjustable driver\u2019s seat, and heated front seats, while the SX adds vegan leather, a power tailgate, and laminated front glass for quieter travel, among other features. An optional Touring Package for the EX and SX adds 18-inch alloy wheels and a variety of appearance items.<\/p>\n The versions with plugs have a simpler set of trims. The PHEV is offered in EX and SX grades, roughly corresponding to the hybrid\u2019s, while the EV has a pair of grades called \u201cWind\u201d (the base) and \u201cWave\u201d (the higher level). Got that?\u00a0<\/p>\n 2023 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The two hybrids have standard 16-inch wheels, with 18-inch alloys a part of the Touring Package. Both Niro EV versions use 17-inch wheels. Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard on all models, as are USB ports on the sides of the front seats. Wireless charging is an option. Higher grades include use of a Digital Key on either a smartphone or an Apple Watch.<\/p>\n The Niro EV provides 120-volt power out via a standard U.S. AC socket, at up to 6.6 kw, the same as the EV6. We\u2019ve used this function with a variety of small electrical appliances, and it works just as advertised.<\/p>\n Heat pumps and charging cords<\/strong><\/p>\n The 2023 Niro hybrids include a \u201cGreen Zone\u201d function that maximizes use of the electric motor when in school, hospital, or other emission-sensitive zones. Kia executives admitted that if the battery didn\u2019t have much charge left, a \u201cfeather-light touch\u201d on the accelerator is needed to keep the engine from switching on regardless.<\/p>\n A heat pump is optional on the Niro EV, to improve energy efficiency in colder weather. And if a charging station has been entered into the navigation system as a destination, the EV can also preheat its battery to the optimal temperature for receiving charge at higher rates\u2014shortening the overall stay for a given level of charge.<\/p>\n 2023 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The PHEV takes less than 3 hours to refill its 11.1-kwh battery at a 240-volt Level 2 charging station. The EV offers Level 2 charging up to 11 kw, and DC fast charging up to 85 kw. Under ideal circumstances, fast charging will take the EV\u2019s battery from 10 to 80 percent of charge in less than 45 minutes.<\/p>\n![\"2023](\"https:\/\/images.hgmsites.net\/lrg\/kia-niro_100858512_l.jpg\" "\\"2023")
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