Kia Niro Review - What Car? Magazine

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Rob
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From What Car Magazine:

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The Kia Niro may appear to be yet another entrant into the compact crossover market, but it offers something a little different at this price point. Like the Toyota Prius, the Niro is a hybrid that uses an electric motor and battery pack to help out its 1.6-litre petrol engine.

That means emissions as low as 88g/km and fuel consumption that should rival the most frugal of diesel-powered alternatives. As we’ve come to expect from Kia, it’s likely to be good value, too.

Considering the height of the Niro, there isn’t a lot of body roll when you corner quickly and the steering is better than other Kias we’ve tried. That’s not to say it’s full of feel but you don’t have to make lots of small corrections to keep it in a straight line on the motorway. There’s not much grip with the economy-orientated tyres that were attached to the 16in wheels of our test car.

Where the Niro does impress is in how the petrol engine and electric motor work together through the six-speed automatic gearbox. You can barely detect the engine turning on, and the car switches between power sources smoothly. There is occasionally a brief hesitation when pulling away, though.

Refinement is another strong point, only when pushed hard does the engine get thrashy, the rest of the time it works quietly in the background sending virtually no vibration through the controls. Considering we saw an indicated 64.2mpg, it could be a real selling point for those tired of clattery diesels.

Read the full review here: http://www.whatcar.com/news/2016-kia-niro-review/

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