The Kia e-Niro offers another spin on full-electric technology to buyers in the mid-sized Crossover segment. Jonathan Crouch reports.

Ten Second Review

Kia's full-electric e-Niro offers nearly 300 miles of WLTP-rated battery-powered driving range and a progressive package that buyers prepared to consider paying over £30,000 for this kind of car will probably like. The full-electric part of the mid-sized Crossover segment is presently quite a small one, but you can bet it will quickly grow, and cars like this are the reason why.

Background

Kia hasn't set out to re-define the electric vehicle market with this e-Niro model, but it does want to try and further perfect what a car of this kind is capable of offering. We've already seen both hybrid and Plug-in hybrid versions of this Niro. Here Kia has completed its set of electrified powerplants with this full-electric version. It shares its engineering with Hyundai's Kona Electric, but is a little less overtly SUV than that car. Ready for a battery-powered vehicle yet? The tipping point is getting closer...

Driving Experience

If you're wondering how far it goes between charges, the answer is up to 382 miles (though that's rated on the WLTP city cycle); you won't get anything like that on the open road if you use the performance on offer. The e-Niro is equipped with a long-distance 64 kWh battery pack paired with a 201bhp (150kW) motor, producing 395Nm of torque, enabling the car to accelerate from 0-to-60mph in just 7.5 seconds. Like the Niro Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid variants, the new electric model is front-wheel drive.

The battery pack is located low down in the body, between the two axles, giving this crossover a centre of gravity more akin to that of a saloon or a hatchback. With a relatively wide stance, the e-Niro should offer drivers a reasonable feeling of stability on winding roads. The car is equipped with fully independent rear suspension, tuned to deliver high speed and immediate handling responses and filter out small vibrations at higher speeds when travelling over poor surfaces. The e-Niro's regenerative brakes - 305 mm in diameter at the front, 300 mm at the rear - exhibit a consistent, linear deceleration and braking feel, and harvest kinetic energy to recharge the battery pack on the move.

Design and Build

The exterior design of the e-Niro is punctuated by halogen headlights with Bi-Function projection, front fog lights, LED daytime running lights and LED rear combination clusters. Privacy glass for the rear windows and tailgate deliver a more upmarket appearance. The unique 17-inch alloy wheels have been especially designed and optimised for the pure-electric e-Niro, and the roof rails give a rugged and lifestyle-orientated appearance, accentuating its crossover stance.

The design of the centre console represents the biggest change for the e-Niro, with the all-electric powertrain not requiring a traditional gear lever and gear linkage. The physical transmission has therefore been replaced with a new 'shift-by-wire' rotator dial drive selector. The drive selector dial sits on its own highly-ergonomic panel which extends out from the base of the central armrest. In addition to the rotator dial, this new panel also houses buttons for the electronic parking brake, heated seats, heated steering wheel, drive mode selector, parking sensors, and the Niro's braking 'Auto Hold' function. The new panel requires no bulky transmission tunnel, enabling Kia's designers to create a larger storage area at the base of the centre console.

The dashboard features bright blue trim around the air vents, echoing the trim highlights found on the outside of the car. As for practicality, the rear seats handily fold down in a 60/40 fashion, with a luggage area load cover designed to hide items from prying eyes. There's a 451-litre boot that's bigger than most electric cars can offer.

Market and Model

To begin with, Kia is offering this car in 'First Edition' form, a variant that will cost you around £33,000 after subtraction of the government grant. It certainly comes fully kitted out. Convenience features include rear parking sensors and a reversing camera system, electric windows all round, an auto-dimming rear view mirror and an engine stop/stop button with a Smart Entry System. Other equipment includes rain sensing windscreen wipers, automatic headlight control, electrically adjustable, automatic air conditioning, heated and folding door mirrors and welcome and follow-me-home light functionality, making arriving home late at night safer, lighting the pathway ahead. An 8-speaker, 320-watt JBL premium sound system with subwoofer, external amplifier and front centre speaker is provided for music aficionados, and a wireless mobile phone charger is provided for Qi-equipped smartphones.

A Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) system is standard equipment, designed to prevent accidents due to inattention from the driver. If the system senses that the driver hasn't reacted to an event ahead, the car can automatically bring the car to a stop or lessen the impact of a crash. Lane Keep Assist System (LKAS) uses a windscreen-mounted camera to monitor the vehicle's position in the lane, with the system able to guide the e-Niro back into the centre of the lane. Hill-start Assist Control (HAC) maintains brake pressure on a hill as you switch from the brakes to the accelerator pedal, helping to avoid the car rolling back unintentionally.

Cost of Ownership

As previously mentioned, the e-Niro is equipped with a high-capacity 64kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack. On the WLTP combined cycle, it provides a driving range of more than 282 miles on a single charge, producing zero on-road CO2 emissions. Regenerative braking technology allows this Niro to harvest kinetic energy and recharge the battery pack while coasting or braking, while the Eco Driving Assistant System provides drivers with intelligent guidance on how to drive more efficiently. This set-up includes Coasting Guide Control (CGC) and Predictive Energy Control (PEC), enabling drivers to maximise vehicle range by suggesting when to coast or brake.

CGC alerts drivers as to the best time to lift off the accelerator and coast towards a junction, allowing the battery to regenerate under engine deceleration. Operating at certain speeds when a navigation destination is set, the system alerts drivers when to coast via a small icon in the instrument cluster as well as an unobtrusive audible warning. As with all Kias, this Niro is covered by a seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty that's longer than any other car in the same class. This includes the battery and all of the parts that make up the electric power system.

Summary

The e-Niro shows just how far along the Kia/Hyundai Korean conglomerate is with its electric technology. Here, all the battery engineering has been incorporated in a way that doesn't extract too many compromises in cabin space. And most commentators are agreed that the driving dynamics are better than you'd normally expect from an electric car too.

FACTS AT A GLANCE

CAR: Kia e-Niro

PRICES: £32,995 [after gvt grant]

INSURANCE GROUP: TBC

CO2 EMISSIONS: 0g/km

PERFORMANCE: 0-62mph 7.5s

FUEL CONSUMPTION: 282 mile combined driving range [WLTP]

STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: ESP, twin front, side and curtain airbags, ABS with EBA and EBD

WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: 4355/1805/1535mm