Real world fuel economy

All Kia Niro related discussions
AlanHo
Posts: 113
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2016 10:05 pm

Post by AlanHo »

I do not have much faith in the mpg displays in cars - hence keep a record of all fuel added to the car - brimming the tank absolutely full every time.

Being an anorak I have also had the odometer checked and found that it is about 1% pessimistic.

This is the spreadsheet summary of all fuel added since I bought my Niro 2. I am retired and the car is used for local trips, week-end breaks and holidays with a rough 50/50 split between main roads/motorways and local roads. I avoid peak times so am rarely stuck in serious traffic.

Image
Currently Sept 2021 Niro 3 HEV in Ocean Blue

chrisl
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Apr 02, 2017 8:29 pm

Post by chrisl »

Niro First Edition. I have only ever been able to manage above 60mpg when driving around say 20 miles at 30 to 40 mph. On motorways I have found the car very sensitive to indicated speeds between 70mph and 80 mph. A 300 mile motorway trip last week with cruise control used a lot and set at 76 mph struggled to get 48 mpg. Set this to 70 mph and the consumption drops to around 52 or 53 mpg.
Knuttucks
Posts: 31
Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2017 1:17 pm

Post by Knuttucks »

Thanks for all the replies. I've taken the plunge and ordered a 4 in Ocean Blue (only seen black, grey and white in the flesh so fingers crossed).
Hopefully my regular commute will work out relatively economic, difficult to say what I will achieve as the morning commute is approx 50% downhill and 50% flat and the opposite on the way home. 18 miles each way and if it's chilly the seat will be warming my rear, especially when it's a minus outside! I know this will affect economy but why have the toys and not use them...
With other journeys I average approx 18,000 miles per year and the shortest journey is generally at least 8 miles.
Waiting to hear a delivery date but hoping for November.
Current: Kia Niro 4 in Ocean Blue
Previous: Citroen DS4, Hyundai i40 Premium Tourer,Ford Mondeo Econetic
Fred_Bristol
Posts: 29
Joined: Sun Jul 16, 2017 6:10 pm

Post by Fred_Bristol »

Hi
Most of our journeys are very local, typically 2-3 miles on minor roads, B and A. Very little Motorway use. At present we use our Zoe electric car for these. For long journeys we use our petrol car. The question I am trying to get an answer to is this: If we have only one car, what sort of consumption are we likely to get from a Niro HEV, and would it pay to get the Niro PHEV? We are concerned about pollution as well as cost, and can charge the car from solar.

Does anybody use the HEV for short journeys, and what mpg are you getting?

(Before anybody suggests we walk instead of driving, my disability regrettably means we can't.)
Fred
JimT
Posts: 54
Joined: Sun Jul 30, 2017 4:53 am
Location: Ryde, Isle of Wight

Post by JimT »

Hi Fred,
Sorry I can't help you (yet) on short journey consumption but most seem to be reporting around the 60mpg mark (niro 2). The PHEV is (from) about £30.5k which seems to equate with '3' trim. The additional premium over a £23k '2' or £25k '3' HEV would buy an awful lot of fuel. In the end it comes down to whether you can recoup the extra cost within whatever timescale you have for keeping the car.
I don't get my niro 2 until 8th November on Motability - counting the days.
Now: niro 2 (red)
Previous cars:
Citroen C3 Picasso (auto)
Renault grand scenic 1.5dci on 17" wheels (awful)
Fred_Bristol
Posts: 29
Joined: Sun Jul 16, 2017 6:10 pm

Post by Fred_Bristol »

Hi Jim
I'm disappointed that KIA decided to have a PHEV based on the model 3 which was already £2k more expensive than the model 2 which attracted our attention in the first place, so the PHEV is £4,510 extra. The only reason we are still considering it is because we like driving electric. Even at £28k the PHEV is still cheaper than most Battery Electric Vehicles. And it has the advantage of not being limited in range away from charge points. So far cheaper BEV cars such as the Renault Zoe do not have driving aids such as autonomous emergency braking and smart cruise. (The new Leaf may be interesting if price predictions are true.) With our limited annual mileage fuel saving isn't going to make the PHEV cheaper to run than the HEV. But it would be nice to have some real life short trip fuel figures for the Model 2 HEV.

Could be the case for the PHEV just won't stack up.

Fred
JimT
Posts: 54
Joined: Sun Jul 30, 2017 4:53 am
Location: Ryde, Isle of Wight

Post by JimT »

I can understand you liking to drive electric - I test drove the leaf and it was an amazing sensation. Living on an island something like the leaf or a PHEV would be ideal but I don't have off road parking. Working round the problems are expensive, so an HEV will do me.
Now: niro 2 (red)
Previous cars:
Citroen C3 Picasso (auto)
Renault grand scenic 1.5dci on 17" wheels (awful)
sunking555
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2017 9:03 am

Post by sunking555 »

The consumption levels most here are reporting seem extremely good to me. I've only managed between 47-57 mpg (4.2 - 5 l/100km) and that is consistent with all test-drive reports from reputable car medias here in Finland.

60 mpg is completely unrealistic no matter how I drive. And I know how to drive a hybrid reasonably well.

There is something inconsistent and weird about when the car starts to use the petrol engine. Sometimes it just suddenly turns on even though I'm driving on a flat road on cruise control even if the battery is at least 1/2 full. Anybody have any idea what might cause this?

EDIT: Oops, just realized that there is a difference between US and UK gallons and thus the MPG figures are different too...
Last edited by sunking555 on Wed Sep 27, 2017 11:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
Greenman
Posts: 108
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2016 7:11 pm
Location: West London

Post by Greenman »

Something does not seem right? According to the on-board display, yesterday I got 68mpg without trying for a high figure. Suggest you take it to service centre for a plug-in diagnosis.
Mike R
Niro 2 Black [no additional driving aids] Since 1 Sept 2016
Previously: Sportage KX2awd on11 plate
JimT
Posts: 54
Joined: Sun Jul 30, 2017 4:53 am
Location: Ryde, Isle of Wight

Post by JimT »

According to my calculations 5L/100km is approx. 56.5mpg UK and 4.2L/100km is approx. 67.3mpg UK - not too bad.
Still can't believe that UK spec cars only give UK and US galls rather than include Litres as the alternative. My current C3 Picasso allows for UK gals, L/100km and km/L. As I drive about 4k miles/year on mainland Europe I'm going to miss the ability to change over to metric.
Now: niro 2 (red)
Previous cars:
Citroen C3 Picasso (auto)
Renault grand scenic 1.5dci on 17" wheels (awful)
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