Delivery tomorrow

New to the Kia UK Forums? Introduce yourself here
JOL54
Posts: 64
Joined: Mon Feb 19, 2018 4:37 pm

Post by JOL54 »

Hoping for delivery tomorrow of Graphite Blue PHEV.
Have read lots over past 3 months - magazine reviews not very complimentary but after 2 test drives of 3 days each I found it fairly comfortable
and enjoyed driving it. Certainly less jiggly ride against Lexus is300h. A pity you cannot warm car up when charging though.
Commute to work is 14 miles, with restraint could get there and back on battery.

A ques? How do you tell what gear it is in when running on battery or 'normal' mode?

Hope I have made the right choice!!
J

niroal
Posts: 183
Joined: Thu Jun 29, 2017 11:22 am
Location: North Kent

Post by niroal »

Only sport mode in hybrid mode has a gear indicator, however it is not much use as if the car thinks you should be in a different gear it just shows the suggested gear & an arrow so if the car thinks you should be in 6th, you can't tell if you are in 4th or 5th for example. There is no rev counter either on UK cars.

I agree the magazine reviews were poor, however the pre prod car that was doing the rounds had 18" rims on so that could be whey they found the ride harder than it is.

I did 29 miles out of my 30 miles commute including motorway this morning on EV so 14 each way with restraint should be possible. However even if you are using petrol for 2 miles or so it will still be a vast improvement over using petrol for 28.
Niro 3 PHEV Graphite
JOL54
Posts: 64
Joined: Mon Feb 19, 2018 4:37 pm

Post by JOL54 »

Thank you. looking forward to tomorrow and seeing how it shapes up!

Will be getting a Rolec charger - it does up to 7kw but presume Niro only takes 3.7?
J
JOL54
Posts: 64
Joined: Mon Feb 19, 2018 4:37 pm

Post by JOL54 »

Typical,

Delivery tomorrow now - Lexus goes back today so walk or train .................
h2onorth
Posts: 174
Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2016 6:19 pm

Post by h2onorth »

Hi guys, interesting comments from you both?
Generous test drives, I may well try for a long one myself if i decide the car warrants it when my Niro 2 is handed back.
A question, in sport drive I was under the impression it showed the gear you are in with an arrow up or down if it thinks you are in the wrong gear. It will change the gear, yes, if necessary to ensure smoothness.Any comments?
h2onorth
AlanHo
Posts: 113
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2016 10:05 pm

Post by AlanHo »

My Niro 2, first thing in a morning and again after it has been parked for a couple of hours, always starts the engine and keeps it running until the water temperature reaches 90C. Even when running in EV mode. Hence for the first few miles of each journey the engine runs anyway - albeit at lower power than when powering the wheels.

It needs the engine up to temperature to provide heat for the cabin warmer.

Is this also the case for the PHEV Niro - or does the engine not start until the battery is low. If so - how do you get heat into the cabin?

There is growing evidence that the PHEV version will average about 74 mpg during mixed motoring.

In the first 12 months I covered 9850 miles and used 161 gallons of fuel - thus averaging 61 mpg.

The PHEV in my hands would use 135 gallons of fuel plus a quantity of electricity depending on the average journey distance and when it is charged from the mains.

So in my case I would save approx 26 gallons of fuel = £140 per year (less the cost of electricity) if I traded my car in for a PHEV. Since I anticipate keeping the car until the end of the warranty in 6 year's time, a fuel saving of about £900 over that period is only 15% of the price difference between the two cars. It cannot be justified on ownership cost grounds. (Unless car leasing works out differently)

Neither could I justify buying a PHEV compared with a standard hybrid if I was buying a Niro for the first time today. I cannot see any possibility of the PHEV being justifiable on total ownership grounds. I would go a stage further and suggest that there can only be a very narrow window of parameters to make the PHEV a cost saving option for anyone.

Having said all that - if I could afford to change, just for the WOW factor - I would do so.
Currently Sept 2021 Niro 3 HEV in Ocean Blue
niroal
Posts: 183
Joined: Thu Jun 29, 2017 11:22 am
Location: North Kent

Post by niroal »

JOL54 wrote: Tue Feb 20, 2018 3:03 pm Thank you. looking forward to tomorrow and seeing how it shapes up!

Will be getting a Rolec charger - it does up to 7kw but presume Niro only takes 3.7?
J
Yes, with the Niro charging I am pulling less than 4kW in the whole house with around 200w background usage.
Niro 3 PHEV Graphite
niroal
Posts: 183
Joined: Thu Jun 29, 2017 11:22 am
Location: North Kent

Post by niroal »

Alan, if the climate control is set to about 20c & the outside temp 4c, the engine will start almost immediately & cut off within a mile or so, sometime before the temp gauge registers 50c. Only once the battery is depleted will the engine temp get anyway near 90c.
Niro 3 PHEV Graphite
JOL54
Posts: 64
Joined: Mon Feb 19, 2018 4:37 pm

Post by JOL54 »

Arrived at last - first impression - Graphite is close to black!!!
niroal
Posts: 183
Joined: Thu Jun 29, 2017 11:22 am
Location: North Kent

Post by niroal »

JOL54 wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2018 4:01 pm Arrived at last - first impression - Graphite is close to black!!!
Graphite is the mid grey colour, do you mean Gravity Blue which is the PHEV specific colour & yes I agree it is a very dark blue!!
Niro 3 PHEV Graphite
Post Reply