Kia’s redesigned electrified Niro small SUV series will arrive in North America in 2023, featuring new exterior flair and additional internal capacity.
This week at the New York International Auto Show, the company will unveil three new Niro models: a hybrid Niro HEV, a plug-in hybrid Niro PHEV, and a completely electric Niro EV. Kia intends to sell them across the country, including the completely electric Niro EV, which was previously only available in a few areas.
Dark-colored door cladding and an “aero blade” profile panel give the Niros a swoosh-like appearance. The front has new daytime running lights and a “tiger-nose” grille, while the back gets boomerang-shaped taillights that no longer connect with the hatch. The improvements allow for a new low drag coefficient of 0.29, allowing these front-wheel-drive CUVs to be even more fuel-efficient.
The new completely electric Kia Niro EV, in particular, has increased its range to 253 miles, up from 239 miles in the previous model. Previously, the Niro EV was available with a lesser 39 kWh battery, but it will now only be available with a larger 64.8 kWh battery. The battery, on the other hand, doesn’t obstruct space; you get eight more cubic feet of passenger space and a large 22.8 cubic feet of cargo capacity, albeit it’s less than the Tesla Model Y’s 30.2 cubic feet.
The Niro EV also has the same vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality as the Kia EV6, allowing you to use the Niro EV’s battery pack to run appliances. However, instead of the E-GMP platform developed by Hyundai for the EV6, which allows for up to 350 kW DC rapid charging, this model employs an older platform. Instead, the Niro EV will charge at a maximum of 85 kW DC fast charging, which is enough to bring you from zero to 80 percent charge in roughly 45 minutes.
The revised Niro EV has yet to be priced, but the old model started just shy of $40,000, which isn’t much less than the sportier Kia EV6’s $42,000 starting price. The 2017 Kia Niro EV, on the other hand, might shine if you enjoy cars that don’t strive to stand out too much and just want the utility of a modern CUV.
