First experiences with Niro (good, bad & ideas)

All Kia Niro related discussions
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sunking555
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2017 9:03 am

Post by sunking555 »

Just got my Niro and after riding it for a few days, here are some ideas/comments. Overall, I am extremely satisfied with the car so far.

Easy fixes on the software side, which I really hope KIA could fix. (Does anybody know if car companies actually fix this kind of stuff for existing cars and only for new models etc?)

1. There should be the ability to turn off the welcome jingle (and maybe choose from a few alterantives or even better, upload your own from USB)
2. There should be the ability to adjust the timing of the welcome lights
3. Current consumption should be displayed in numerical format instead of the horizontal bar which is quite useless and visually inaccurate
4. The A & B trip information screens should also display the average consumption (this is a real no-brainer)
5. After turning the engine off, the display shows the information for that trip for only maybe 2 seconds and there is no way to recall that screen. Really annoying.
6. The stereo keeps playing after I turn the engine off. There should be a possibility to set it to turn off at the same time as the engine.
7. There is no information about the elapsed time for the current trip (after turning the engine on) and it's not shown even on the trip summary screen that is quickly shown after turning the engine off. I can't understand how something so basic has slipped through the design process. The screen shows trip distance and average consumption, how on earth does it not have the time?
8. The ringtone for phone calls seems to be fixed and there are no alternatives. That is just utterly crazy. And it's some stupid classical tune (maybe Bach). Someone must have been drunk while making that decision.

Some other product development ideas:

- The trunk should be fully felted. It's ridiculous to have hard plastics where they are just waiting to get all scratched. Also they will create lots of noice when stuff is moving around.
- The rear seats should be able to slide forward to get a bit more cargo space when extra legroom is not needed. It's a very common feature in similar cars and especially in Niro, it would make it so much more versatile.
- The trunk organizer under the top floor is not very efficiently designed. I've been planning on getting rid of the styrofoam organizer and the styrofoam tire kit holder altogether and make a better storage space from plywood & felt.
- I find it a bit odd that the basic trim (LX here) features the Lane Assist but the side mirrors are not electronically foldable or even heated and they don't have blinkers on them.

Other gripes:

- The tailgate opening switch/handle is located very very badly. If the car is dirty, your fingers will get dirty as the gap is very low/narrow. But the worst thing is when you get snow & ice. I haven't experienced it yet (winter is coming) but I can guarantee it is going to be a problem as the recess in the bumper is going to be so full of snow&ice that it will be impossible to operate the tailgate.

But on the bright side:

- The sitting height is just perfect. Higher than a normal car but lower than an SUV. Perfect for everybody (adults, kids).
- The heated steering wheel is amazingly nice. A perfect example of a feature you don't really understand until you have it.
- Very quiet ride. It's honestly equally quiet as my brother's 2014 Audi Q5. I almost couldn't believe it.
- The Snow White Pearl color is just amazingly beautiful in sunlight. Easily the most impressive white color I've seen on any car.
- The interior ergonomics & design is very good. I find it very intuitive to read the gauges & find all the switches and there's plenty of small storage room.
- The interior finish quality is very good also. No rattles anywhere. The leather materials are smooth. The hard plastics especially on the doors & trunk are a bit of a letdown, but you can't have everything.
Last edited by sunking555 on Fri Sep 29, 2017 2:17 pm, edited 2 times in total.

knea
Posts: 46
Joined: Sun May 21, 2017 6:39 pm
Location: London

Post by knea »

Great report actually and glad you are satisfied. LX, is it the US version?

The software stuff is what leaves me a little bit confused, about the car.
The good news is that a pretty good number of things can be theoretically improved with new versions of the software.
The bad news is that I don't see how Kia has been capturing feature requests and defects, which leads me to the conclusion that... they have not been doing it, or they just rely on info from dealers, e.g. captured via the services. It looks like a massive slow-down of the improvement process and it's filtered, intentionally or not, by the dealers.
I'm also surprised that Kia never got in touch with all the owners to gather feedback. I mean, you launch a new car embedding technology & other stuff not used before, you get a good number of early owners that can provide great feedback, and you do nothing? It's even more surprising considering that the onboard platform is not always connected - which, in my view should be, and Kia should implement it & retrofit it.
To me, it seems a more old-fashioned way to manage the car life-cycle: you get a car today, what's next tomorrow? Probably nothing! Disappointing, considering that the car itself is really great.
Kia Niro HEV First Edition, 2017, White Pearl
djbobbins
Posts: 132
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2017 7:57 pm

Post by djbobbins »

I agree with pretty much al of the OP's comments and would also add another - the adaptive cruise control needs to bring the car to a complete stop when necessary, not let the brakes off at about 5mph when you are about 5 metres away from the vehicle in front.

@ Sunking555, I have exact same thing as you are proposing in respect of the storage in the boot / trunk. There are photos and a description in one of my other postings on here - it wasn't a big job but made the storage space far more practical for taking myself, wife and two children on a two week holiday.
blazer
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2017 11:00 am

Post by blazer »

Only had the car (a Niro 2) for 5 days but so far very impressed. Still trying out all the different buttons. Had a weird experience on Sunday. Had left the lane keeping button switched on and didn't notice. Driving down a country lane and the car followed the lane through its twists and turns without any help from me!

One problem so far is that the car does not seem to have a trip function on the display. I have scrolled through the various screens but there is no trip display. Pressing the OK button to rest just resets the mpg. Is this correct or does my car have some missing software?
blazer
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2017 11:00 am

Post by blazer »

Found the answer myself but had to look at a youtube video to get it. Nothing in the manual about it though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEgBvqQ0wZc
pandjb
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Oct 06, 2017 6:47 pm

Post by pandjb »

Tailgate opening would be improved greatly by a switch in the cabin - like the switch to open the fuel filler!
Niro 3, Q3/2017, Ocean Blue.
sunking555
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2017 9:03 am

Post by sunking555 »

pandjb wrote: Fri Oct 06, 2017 7:16 pm Tailgate opening would be improved greatly by a switch in the cabin - like the switch to open the fuel filler!
Yeah, absolutely. Does any trim level have electric boot opening? Most car brands nowadays have that and some have even the possibility to open the boot by waving a foot under the rear bumper.
deguy
Posts: 93
Joined: Tue Jan 31, 2017 8:54 pm
Location: Expat in Munich

Post by deguy »

No trim level has electric boot as far as I know, despite this being a feature on the Kia Sportage.
Niro Spirit 2017 HEV in Ocean Blue (German spec similar to First Edition without ADAP)
Previously: Mercedes B-Class 200CDI Autotronic
sunking555
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2017 9:03 am

Post by sunking555 »

deguy wrote: Mon Oct 09, 2017 7:02 pm No trim level has electric boot as far as I know, despite this being a feature on the Kia Sportage.
Just pure insanity if intentional. Otherwise, a total oversight. It's one of the most useful everyday usability enhancements in cars for the past 10+ years and the designer at Kia go: "Nah, Niro owner's won't mind". The best trim levels have all sorts of more or less useless gadgetry but not this. Wtf, seriously?
deguy
Posts: 93
Joined: Tue Jan 31, 2017 8:54 pm
Location: Expat in Munich

Post by deguy »

Yes indeed, on the other hand I did still buy the car knowing that, so in a way they are right - annoyingly so.
Niro Spirit 2017 HEV in Ocean Blue (German spec similar to First Edition without ADAP)
Previously: Mercedes B-Class 200CDI Autotronic
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