Review: Kia Niro lights a fire with looks, performance

It's rare that we come across a new car that hits all the right notes.

So it's hard to restrain our enthusiasm for the new Kia Niro, a small hybrid crossover.

If you live in a city, it's just the right size to squeeze into those annoyingly tight "compact" parking spaces. Yet inside, there is enough room to handle cargo and people, including a 6-foot-2 bloke like myself who admired the headroom both front and back.

The car is a joy to drive, especially when it comes to its tight turning radius.

The Niro is powered by a 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine that puts out 139 horsepower in tandem with its batteries and electric motor. Doesn't sound like much, but it was plenty for urban scooting. The powertrain, including the six-speed transmission, was well behaved and quiet.

That performance alone would be fine, but consider the gas mileage: At 52 miles per gallon in the city, 49 mpg in the city and 50 mpg overall, the new Niro's numbers come close to the hybrid leader, Toyota's indefatigable Prius sedan, and exceed the Prius V crossover.

Then, there's the styling, which is impressive from outside since small boxy cars generally lack the stature to look bold, modern and inviting. We were even more captivated by the inside, with a dashboard so clean and thoroughly European that, had we not known better, we would have thought we were in a Volkswagen or Volvo.

The new Niro is priced to start at $22,890, plus $895 in destination charges. The price sandwiches it between the slightly smaller, non-hybrid Honda HR-V at $19,465 and the slightly larger, non-crossover Prius sedan at $24,465.

For all the things it does well, Niro arrives in an era of cheap gas when motorists may not pay heed to hybrids. We wonder if Kia will create a non-hybrid version with an even cheaper pricetag. But there's no reason not consider this one if you're in the market for small SUV.

What stands out

Looks: Sharp inside and out

Size: Just right for the city

Price: Affordable for a hybrid crossover

2017 Kia Niro

What? A small five-passenger hybrid SUV

When? In showrooms "in next few weeks"

Where? Made in South Korea

How big? 14.3 feet long

What makes it go? A 1.6-liter four cylinder gas engine and electric motor

How thirsty? 52 miles per gallon in the city, 49 mpg on the highway, 50 mpg overall

How much? Starts at $22,890, plus $895 in destination charges

Overall? Good in so many ways

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Kia unveils model it says will be highest performance vehicle in its history

Kia unveiled its new 2018 Kia Stinger at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. A five-passenger fastback sports sedan which the company says is poised to redefine a segment currently populated by European automakers, the Stinger promises to be the highest-performance production vehicle in the company’s history.

The Stinger is planned to go on sale in Ireland in October and pricing will be announced closer to the vehicle’s launch date.

“Unlike any Kia that has come before it, the Stinger really is a dream car for us. That dream is now a reality after years of commitment and hard work from a passionate group of designers, engineers and executives around the world,” said Orth Hedrick, vice president, product planning, Kia Motors.

“From its GT concept-car origins to the years of tuning and refining on the legendary Nurburgring circuit, no detail was too small to be obsessed over, and the result is simply stunning.”

Riding on a chassis comprised of 55% advanced high-strength steel, the Stinger will have a choice of two turbocharged engines are available.

While both engines are still under development, the standard 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder Theta II engine produces an estimated 255 horsepower at approximately 6,200 rpm. A 3.3-liter twin-turbo V6 Lambda II engine will also be available with a 0-100km sprint time of 5.1 seconds.

The Stinger features a second-generation eight-speed rear-drive automatic transmission. The gearbox has been designed in-house, and promises drivers with crisp shifts and maximised fuel efficiency.

Drivers can let the gearbox manage shifts on its own, or may selectively run through the gears via paddle shifters mounted aft of the steering wheel. As with the suspension and steering, up to five different shift patterns may be selected through the vehicle’s electronic drive-mode system. Throttle mapping is also adjusted accordingly.

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How the all-new 2016 Kia Optima redefines performance

Many automakers have tried to lure customers away from the Toyota Prius hybrid, which outsells the Ford C-Max 7-to-1 in the U.S. and exhibited such dominance that arch rival Honda pulled its Insight hybrid from the market to regroup.

Kia Motors Corp. thinks it can succeed where others have failed.

With the Niro, its first built-from-scratch hybrid, the Korean automaker hopes to replicate the formula that turned the chunky Soul hatchback into America’s best-selling subcompact car: distinctive truck-like looks and the promise of utility. The hybrid, unveiled this week at the Chicago Auto Show, promises 50 mpg in combined city and highway driving — just shy of the Prius’ benchmark of 52 mpg.

The most important success factor for the Niro is a “design that doesn’t shout “hybrid,'” said Orth Hedrick, vice president of product planning at Kia Motors America. By delivering hybrid fuel economy in a crossover body, he said, “the Niro offers a uniquely alluring yet practical package that consumers haven’t seen before.”

Indeed, few automakers offer hybrid crossovers, as the vehicles’ high-riding posture makes it difficult to deliver the fuel economy gains customers expect. If the Niro gets the promised 50 mpg, it would handily beat the hybrid crossovers on the market today, including the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid (33 mpg) and Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid (31 mpg).

Kia plans to disclose Niro pricing closer to the vehicle’s arrival in U.S. dealerships in early 2017.

Built on a dedicated green-car platform shared with Hyundai, the Niro has the same wheelbase as the Prius, 106.3 inches, though Kia’s hybrid is 1.6 inches wider and 7.2 inches shorter. Powered by a 1.6-liter Atkinson-cycle gasoline engine paired with an electric motor, the Niro delivers 146 hp, compared with 121 hp for the Prius.

Power is a sore spot for Toyota, which has tried to mend a reputation for stodgy design and sluggish acceleration since it introduced the fourth-generation Prius. Toyota’s Super Bowl ad this month depicted bank robbers in a bright red Prius leading police on a long-distance chase.

It was a sharp departure for Toyota, which had spotlighted the Prius’ environmental credentials, but needed a new message in an era of low gasoline prices and proliferating green-car choices.

Last week, Kia also introduced hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants of the Optima midsize sedan, which was redesigned in 2015.

The plug-in hybrid Optima, powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine paired with a 50-kilowatt electric motor, has a total output of 154 hp. The hybrid, pairing the same engine with a 38-kilowatt electric motor, has a total output of 193 hp.

Kia didn’t release fuel economy numbers for the hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants, but the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, which shares the same powertrain, promises 40 mpg city/44 highway. The Sonata Plug-in Hybrid promises 40 mpg combined and 99 mpg-e when running on electricity.

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