Niro in winter conditions - advice please
Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 9:12 am
Hi All,
I wonder if you can help me? I am asking here as I really wanted some independent advice from current owners (rather than the garage).
I have got a new job (yay!) but it requires a bit of a commute. The shortest route (just under 30 miles) is through the Chilterns between Reading and Oxford. The roads are narrow country lanes and mostly tarmacked (but not the greatest quality). I currently have a little hybrid Yaris, but this hasn't coped amazingly well on the roads, especially as theres often grit on the roads, or rain (the yaris slid a lot and it was a bit scary).
So after a little bit of research, I thought that the Self-charging Niro 4 would be a good fit for me. Its larger and heavier than the Yaris, and so should cope with the wet and things better. Its also a hybrid so I will get good MPG (and its better for the environment). I did want the plug in but my work doesn't have a charging point so I'd only use the electric engine one way. So it would have to be the self-charging Niro.
However, when I went to the Kia garage, the salesman there said that the Niro won't cope in ice and winter conditions, as its front wheel drive and that I should buy the Sportage instead (the larger, non-hybrid 4 wheel drive version). However, the other salesman there anecodatlly said the Niro would probably be fine for most of the UK winter. I have never driven a car as large as the sportage, and I am a bit concerned about the fuel consumption on that car. We don't get a lot of snow and so it feels like getting 4 wheel drive for this is a bit of an overreaction. I also wanted to keep to a hybrid really.
So I was wondering how your Niro's coped in ice and in wintery conditions? I do have an alternate route I can go (down the M40) if the snow/ice is particularily bad but this adds 10 miles extra to the journey each way.
If you have any help or advice, or even just how good your Niro is in winter, I would really appreciate it.
Thanks a lot
Kat
I wonder if you can help me? I am asking here as I really wanted some independent advice from current owners (rather than the garage).
I have got a new job (yay!) but it requires a bit of a commute. The shortest route (just under 30 miles) is through the Chilterns between Reading and Oxford. The roads are narrow country lanes and mostly tarmacked (but not the greatest quality). I currently have a little hybrid Yaris, but this hasn't coped amazingly well on the roads, especially as theres often grit on the roads, or rain (the yaris slid a lot and it was a bit scary).
So after a little bit of research, I thought that the Self-charging Niro 4 would be a good fit for me. Its larger and heavier than the Yaris, and so should cope with the wet and things better. Its also a hybrid so I will get good MPG (and its better for the environment). I did want the plug in but my work doesn't have a charging point so I'd only use the electric engine one way. So it would have to be the self-charging Niro.
However, when I went to the Kia garage, the salesman there said that the Niro won't cope in ice and winter conditions, as its front wheel drive and that I should buy the Sportage instead (the larger, non-hybrid 4 wheel drive version). However, the other salesman there anecodatlly said the Niro would probably be fine for most of the UK winter. I have never driven a car as large as the sportage, and I am a bit concerned about the fuel consumption on that car. We don't get a lot of snow and so it feels like getting 4 wheel drive for this is a bit of an overreaction. I also wanted to keep to a hybrid really.
So I was wondering how your Niro's coped in ice and in wintery conditions? I do have an alternate route I can go (down the M40) if the snow/ice is particularily bad but this adds 10 miles extra to the journey each way.
If you have any help or advice, or even just how good your Niro is in winter, I would really appreciate it.
Thanks a lot
Kat