Toyota will receive competition from Korea in the future. With the Niro, the Hyundai subsidiary will bring a vehicle to Germany from September that connects a 1,6-liter petrol engine (77 kW / 105 PS) with an electric motor (32 kW / 44 PS) and thus has a system output of 104 kW / 141 HP is coming. Similar to the Toyota Prius, the purely electric range is a maximum of 2 kilometers. However, the engine is coupled to a six-speed dual clutch transmission. Technically, the Niro is identical to the upcoming Hyundai Ioniq, the performance data are the same and just like the mother model, Kia uses modern lithium-ion polymer cells.
The Koreans do not yet give a consumption value, but CO2 emissions of 89 grams per kilometer are aimed for, which would correspond to a consumption of about 3,4 liters. For comparison: the Prius has a standard consumption of 3,0 liters, although with a length of 4,54 meters (Niro: 4,36 meters) it is the much larger car. The stainless steel will probably be significantly cheaper. Although Kia does not yet give an official price, the augurs expect around 20.000 euros, which would be almost 7.000 euros less than the cheapest Prius.
For this you get a vehicle that is somewhere between a compact SUV and a high-legged station wagon. Although the Niro does not optically polarize as much as the Prius, it will not please everyone right away. Kia deviates from its fundamentally European-sporty design language in the hybrid and has put a rather staid vehicle on the wheels. As with many vehicles, the roofline runs “coupé-like”, so it falls backwards, but the rear view with the (too) large lights looks rather bourgeois. Even the front view is rather reserved despite an eye-catching radiator grille, the vehicle developed in the USA and built in Korea is obviously not primarily made for the European market.
Nevertheless, the Niro has a lot to offer for its (advised) price: For example, given its length, good space and a trunk of at least 421 liters, here the wheelbase of 2,60 meters greets you. Not to be forgotten is the lavish 7-year guarantee that Kia not only gives Ceed, Rio and Co., but also the new hybrid.
Author: Peter Eck / SP-X