Niro First Edition - Long Term Review

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Suman
Posts: 103
Joined: Tue Apr 11, 2017 11:19 am
Location: London

Post by Suman »

I bought my Kia Niro First Edition on 24th April 2017. It was GWR Kia's demonstrator and it had 1394 miles on the clock. I originally agreed to buy it on 10th April but they later told me they weren't allowed to sell it on until it was 90 days old. I paid £22995 for the car and got a very generous valuation for my old car of £7500, which swung the deal for me, along with road tax of only £10 a year and having the car immediately. I was seriously considering a Toyota Prius Excel for the same price but overall, I'm glad I went with the Kia.

After 11,500 miles driving the vehicle, here are my thoughts - some of them are specific to the First Edition trim and others to the car in general.

Performance

The car is no speed machine, especially on the motorway, but it is perfectly adequate for town driving and can keep up with UK speed limits without fuss. However the long accelerator pedal in standard mode encourages you to drive gently and aim for economy rather than speed.
Having said that, if you shift the transmission lever into sport mode, the initial getaway up to about 20 miles an hour can be described as nippy ;)

Comfort

The ride is firm on 18" wheels, especially over the pockmarked London streets, but it feels well damped rather than crashy. Front passenger seat comfort is not so good with little lumbar support. I strongly recommend buying a lumbar support cushion if you plan to be a passenger on long distances. The driver's seat with its electrical adjustment and real lumbar support is much better. It's not on a par with other cars I've owned but it's not painful.

In these cold winter conditions, the heated seats all round and especially the heated steering wheel are a wonderful feature that I would miss in any other car. Only my previous Lexus LS460 had the same features. I've not found a use for the cooled front seats yet but others might.

Technology

The First Edition wants for nothing really in terms of technology. Blind spot monitoring, 3 stage Lane Keep Assist, and Adaptive Smart Cruise Control make the longest journeys more relaxing. As someone who regularly drives for 10 hours a day on the motorway, these are the tech features that lead to a less stressful journey. The Toyota Prius has only lane departure warning which is surprising since Toyota introduced true Lane Keep Assist back in 2006 on the Lexus LS460.

The Sat Nav and touch screen are acceptably responsive although not as sharp as some displays. It would be nice to have a HD display but it's not the end of the world. The best feature is the support for Android Auto and Car Play though. If you have an Android phone (mine is a Galaxy S7 Edge) with a good data plan and a subscription to Google Play Music, you can listen to pretty much any song you want just by asking the car to play it.

Navigation is best done using the Waze app which is now on Android Auto. It has the most up to date traffic information and warns you about hazards on your route including speed cameras, police and accidents. It also allows you to share your journey with friends so they know where you are on your route and to know when you will arrive.

Space

There's ample space for 4 people, with 5 at a push. Boot space is a little bit limited but it fits my electric wheelchair, and the rear seats fold down for those times you need a bit more storage and have less than 4 people on board.

Economy

During the summer, mid 55 mpg is easily achievable. Now in the winter with the cold weather and the need to use the heater at least part of the time, 45mpg is more usual on my London commute. According to Fuelio, I have averaged 52.7 mpg over the last 11522 miles.

Reliability

The car has been very reliable indeed with the only fault being a DAB radio which lost signal around November time but was fixed at the first service. It was likely a loose connection to the aerial but after it was checked it seems to have been resolved. The radio noticeably loses reception if you have a high sided vehicle like a bus or truck next to you.

Summary

I really like my Kia Niro. If you're not in a rush, it's a pretty good town car which can hold its own on the motorway too. Sometimes I miss the rush of power you get with a 4.6 litre V8 but I don't miss the fuel bills or the insurance costs. If I wanted Kia to improve 2 things about the car, it would be:

(a) improve the comfort of the front seats
(b) add a much more powerful electric motor to enable quicker acceleration at town speeds, even if that means draining the battery more quickly. It would be up to the driver whether to prioritise battery charge or acceleration.
Kia Stinger GTS in Panthera Metallic Grey
Previously: Kia Niro First Edition in Pearlescent White, Mercedes GL 420 cdi, Lexus LS460 SE-L, Renault Laguna Initiale 2.0 dci, Lexus LS 460 SE-L, Renault Megane 1.9 dci, Toyota Supra 3.0 Turbo

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djpfaff
Posts: 16
Joined: Fri Jun 02, 2017 4:46 pm

Post by djpfaff »

What indication did you get for your service, as I have done 16k miles now and still no service indication.
David P.
Currrent Car: Niro - First Edition (Ocean Blue)
Previous Car: B-Class - 2013
Next Car: Autonomous - 2020
AlanW55
Posts: 253
Joined: Sat Mar 11, 2017 4:31 pm

Post by AlanW55 »

Poorly explained in the manual, p4-59. On the small screen behind the steering wheel, locate the screen that cycles betwen tyre pressure, engine temperature and service interval. Apparently the system should warn when you are close to a service, either mileage or time. I'm on 8,000 miles, 9 months, so it hasn't triggered yet for me. Yours hasn't been inadvertently reset? If you're on 16,000 miles without having had a service, you may be jeopardising your warranty.
UK 2021 Mark 1 HEV 4 in silky silver, standard spec.
previously UK 2017 First Edition HEV in pearlescent white, standard spec.
h2onorth
Posts: 174
Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2016 6:19 pm

Post by h2onorth »

Yes djpfaff, not sure where your based but in UK 10K is service requirement. Think about it, car engine stops and starts frequently so more wear so oil has to work harder and therefore gets more contaminants.
Very surprised your dealer did not question your mileage and servicing requirements before hand over? I would NOT buy your car 2nd hand!
h2onorth
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djpfaff
Posts: 16
Joined: Fri Jun 02, 2017 4:46 pm

Post by djpfaff »

The reason that the dealer did not ask this, is because it is a company car, so not much contact with the dealer myself. But what is more surprising is that there in no service indication light/message, in all the cars that I have had in the last 15 years, there was some sort of indication.
But thank you very much for mentioning the service interval, will contact the lease company first thing in the morning.
And regarding your statement that you wouldn't buy my car 2nd hand, would be a bit silly as you got one already :) and luckily I mainly do relatively long distances (approx. 120miles per day) so there isn't as much wear as when I would be doing a lot of city driving.
David P.
Currrent Car: Niro - First Edition (Ocean Blue)
Previous Car: B-Class - 2013
Next Car: Autonomous - 2020
djbobbins
Posts: 132
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2017 7:57 pm

Post by djbobbins »

I had to set the service interval on my Niro myself; fortunately I was aware it is on 10k intervals! Means it gets hoovered twice as often as my previous car... :(
Suman
Posts: 103
Joined: Tue Apr 11, 2017 11:19 am
Location: London

Post by Suman »

Same here as djbobbins. I had to set the interval myself to 10,000 miles or 1 year from the date of first registration. After the service, I checked it was reset correctly for next time.

Also worth noting is that you should ensure the underbody inspection is done at the service every 2 years at least to (I think) maintain the anti corrosion warranty.
Kia Stinger GTS in Panthera Metallic Grey
Previously: Kia Niro First Edition in Pearlescent White, Mercedes GL 420 cdi, Lexus LS460 SE-L, Renault Laguna Initiale 2.0 dci, Lexus LS 460 SE-L, Renault Megane 1.9 dci, Toyota Supra 3.0 Turbo
niroal
Posts: 183
Joined: Thu Jun 29, 2017 11:22 am
Location: North Kent

Post by niroal »

djpfaff wrote: Tue Jan 30, 2018 9:30 pm The reason that the dealer did not ask this, is because it is a company car, so not much contact with the dealer myself. But what is more surprising is that there in no service indication light/message, in all the cars that I have had in the last 15 years, there was some sort of indication.
But thank you very much for mentioning the service interval, will contact the lease company first thing in the morning.
And regarding your statement that you wouldn't buy my car 2nd hand, would be a bit silly as you got one already :) and luckily I mainly do relatively long distances (approx. 120miles per day) so there isn't as much wear as when I would be doing a lot of city driving.
Your lease company could penalize you heavily for not keeping to the recommended service schedule.
Niro 3 PHEV Graphite
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