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adrenalineguide · 3 years

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Kia Niro EV SX Touring: To EV or Not to EV

Words and Pics By Michael Hozjan

As I write this, the Quebec Government decreed to ban the sale of gas powered cars by 2035. While I love electric vehicles, I don’t like being told what I can and cannot buy.

The population is surprisingly quickly embracing Electric Vehicles. For the first quarter of this year EVs accounted for 3.8% of light vehicles sold in Canada, up from 3% in 2019 and 2% in 2018. I’ve seen three of my friends make the switch. All of them reside in Quebec where the provincial EV subsidy is the highest in Canada - $8,000, combined with the $5,000 federal subsidy and the EVs are starting to look mighty attractive. Ontario’s premier, Doug Ford pulled a Donald Trump move and axed the rebate leaving BC as the only other province with a subsidy program.

Happily the selection of EVs is growing, and includes some major players, most noticeably the Tesla, Chevrolet’s Bolt, Hyundai’s Kona EV and Nissan’s Leaf. Not to be left out is a vehicle I’ve been waiting to get my hands on for a while – the Kia Niro EV. Having driven and fallen in love with the hybrid rendition I was curious to see how the EV would to stack up. The hybrid hits the mark in all the right spots; it’s a smartly styled practical wagon with ample cargo and people room with creature comforts, is reasonably priced and of course there’s Kia’s warranty. Pre-rebate pricing for the Niro EV starts at $46,905 for the base EX model and jumps to $56,405 for the SX Touring, more on this later.

Thankfully the EV takes nothing away from the hybrid other than the gas powerplant. Go power is supplied by a single electric motor generating 201 horses and 291 lb-ft of torque, propelling the front wheels through a single speed reduction gear transmission. It’ll send the wagon down the road from 0 to 100 kph in just under seven seconds. That’s Veloster Turbo and Civic Si territory kiddies! Now you know why I like EVs.

Trims

Typically Kia, even the entry-level EX comes well equipped with heated side mirrors, automatic headlights, a 7-inch digital driver display, electronic stability control and a rear-view camera. Upgrading to the EX Premium adds an 8-way power driver’s seat, heated front buckets and rear bench, a power sunroof, wireless charging, a larger 10.25” display, premium Harmon Kardon sound system, smart cruise, LED headlights, chrome trim plus a slew of driving aides. To say your getting your dollar’s worth would be an understatement.

Above and below: The 10.25 inch screen is full of helpful info including distance to the nearest charging station.

On the Road

I’ve already mentioned the Niro EV’s quick acceleration times, but, as Bogart would say, “Don’t amount to a hill of beans” if you can’t put it on the ground, and the Niro does just that. There’s a well-balanced, solid feel, it’s nimble around town yet takes to the lakeside twisties with complete composure. The batteries and the low position of the electric motor means a lower center of gravity, which translates to better handling. The regenerative braking isn’t overpowering so you don’t feel like you’re being pulled back when you step on the binders.

You can actually modulate the brake regeneration through the steering wheel paddles. There are three levels with Level 3 slowing you down and recharging hard enough when you let off the pedal that you rarely have to use the brake. It takes some getting used to and I suspect the novelty will wear off quickly.

The Greenhouse

The attractive blue pin striping that we find on the Niro’s lower front grille draws you inside with blue piping on the seats. Those seats are comfortable while holding you firmly in place. Compared to my buddy’s Tesla Model 3 the Niro is quieter. The dash and controls are well laid out and the interior is a mix of soft touch plastic and shiny black piano plastic. It all works together to give the dash a clean uncluttered appearance.

There’s a heat pump to prevent range loss when you’ve got the heat turned up and a driver only climate control button to save on heat, which I noticed only after I lost heat in the cabin for about ten minutes.

There’s a generous amount of head and legroom for front seat occupants and while the adults in the back may enjoy the headroom thanks to the wagon’s roof, but a raised floor to compensate for the battery makes foot/legroom best left to the kiddies. Cargo space with the rear bench up beats the Tesla Model 3 (18.5 cu.ft. to 15 cu.ft.) fold the back seat flat and cargo room blows to 53 cu.ft.

Above: Kia smartly put the recharge plug in the front of the vehicle allowing easy access to all types of stations.

The all-important Charge Times

The Niro shares its 64.0 kWh Lithium Ion Polymer battery pack with its corporate cousin, the Kona EV and sibling Soul EV. It beats the Nissan Leaf’s and Tesla Model 3’s for bragging rights of 385 km range when fully charged. The battery can be recharged using either a 120-volt or 240-volt connection, but the two connections offer drastically different charge times. On a 240-volt connection, the car can be recharged in about nine hours. You’ll need to equip your castle with a 240V outlet. I had no such luck, reverting to the 120-volt trickle charge meant waiting days to get it back to full charge. (See photos)

Petro Canada saw the writing on the wall a couple of years back and had the foresight to install Level 3 fast chargers. They can be found along the 401 in the Montreal - Toronto corridor and the Niro has an in dash direction finder to your nearest charging station. While I didn’t get the opportunity to test them, the owner of my local Petro Canada and host to several Adrenaline Klassic Kar Shows, in Les Cedres, Quebec tells me that the battery should be fully charged in about 20 minutes, or the time it takes to sit down for a fast food meal.

Quebecers also have the option of the 3,000 plus public charging stations of the Circuit Electric (Electric Circuit) infrastructure network that’s scattered around the province. A free mobile app helps locating them. But buyer be ware, if you’re not a member the costs can add up rather quickly. Similarly the U.S. has ChargePoint Level 2 charging stations. Like gas pump prices, the cost of charging can vary between different EV charging stations and networks.

Conclusion:

While EVs are a lot better than what they were just a few years ago, their biggest hick up remains fast charging times. I can not see myself stopping repeatedly for 20 to 30 minutes on my way to Detroit or New York and back. Hence my preference for the internal combustion engine - QC government or not. On the plus side with a 385 km range on a full charge means you are good for three or four days of normal commuting before you need to fill it up.

If you’re looking to move into EVs do yourself a favor, and take a Niro EV for a spin. You’ll be surprised by the all around maturity of the Niro. Yes my tester’s price was up there, but it has all the right goodies and with provincial and federal incentives the sticker shock (no pun intended) is lessened.

#ev #kia #niro #electric #hybrid #tesla #leaf #nissan #chevrolet #bolt #petro can #circuit electrique #chargepoint #rebate #veloster #civic si

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