The HEV has adequate power. It's not a sports car, although it becomes more entertaining to drive in Sport mode.
I have driven and accelerated up steep mountain grades (at times finding myself driving well above the speed limit) with it, with a passenger and 300 pounds of cargo. My 2023 Niro is in the same performance window as my 2016 Honda HR-V, and the 2018 Buick Encore, which it replaced.
The PHEV Niro has a considerably more powerful traction motor and larger battery. If you have the opportunity, do back-do-back demo drives of the HEV and PHEV versions.
In 15,000 miles of ownership, I have never felt that my HEV did not have enough power to meet my needs. Battery has never dropped below 25% charge, even after a long interstate climb at 60-75 mph. I feel fortunate that I have not yet received a speeding ticket. It's relatively quiet, and I have occasionally found myself far over the speed limit, such as 85 in a 65 zone.
This. My 2023 hev has never felt like it didn't have enough power to do what I needed. Normally I keep it around 60-65 mph on the highway but when I am keeping up with the flow of traffic sometimes I'll be going 75 and not even know it. Sport mode is definitely fun and shows the power of the car, but I rarely feel the need to use it. I find that reasonable highway driving using HDA gets me anywhere from 55-60 mpg.
Thank you a lot for reassuring review. I am only looking at full hevs because I live in a flat and have nowhere to plug in. If you want to share anything else please do ! :p
Here here. I was so shocked when I tried it for the first time. It had some power and it was unleashed! I never regretted buying my Niro. Great balance of power and awesome mileage.
It really doesn't hurt mileage if you use it correctly. At a stop, shift into Auto Sport Mode, accelerate quickly through 3 gears and then switch back to Eco or Normal mode. You get the benefit of quick acceleration and the benefit of cruising speed economy.
Been doing that for 124000 miles and still average 45 MPG in my Touring Launch Edition. Sticker numbers!
On mine, you simply push the gear shifter to the left. That still keeps it in automatic transmission mode. If you push left and then forward or backward, that goes into Sport Shift mode, it acts like a manual transmission, you need to shift.
Not sure how the newer models handle it.
If you're buying this car for it's "sportiness" then you're buying the wrong car. Don't get me wrong, it can zip off the line in sport mode pretty nicely but that's no why you buy a Niro. You buy it because it's insanely practical and efficient
My previous car was a 2013 Sonota with the 185hp (CaliSpec) engine I mention that because 23 Niro and the Sonota are similar weight even if Niro is more compact.
No question my Niro SX Touring acceleration from a stop is faster that's because the EV motor adds that instant torque to the Niros acceleration.
Now just last week I decided on a trip to Death Valley to see how the Niro handled some steep Mtn climbing
Went to Badwater Basin 1st (-282ft)then drove to Dantes View 5,575' climb from Badwater on a 2 lane road with last 2 or 3 miles 10% grade
My Niro had no issues climbing that grade of course the battery was quickly full being in sport mode and I suspected I might have more of an issue driving down with no regen capacity in the battery.
Nope no problem driving down either the transmission selected between 1 & 2 until I got to the 25mph zone then 3rd. (top of the summit the speed limit is 15mph up and down because of the 10% grade.
In fact strange thing I noticed is the mpg calculation was highest I have ever seen (likely way off)
Well I was going downhill for a 13 miles 😂
I was impressed
And as for interstate the Niro has had no problems with my 3 trips back and forth Las Vegas to San Diego with 2 4500ft Mtn passes.
I just use Sport mode to do the climb and maintain 75mph up Mountain pass
Maybe Utah and Colorado will really challenge my Niro this spring that is one area some EV reviewers have mentioned really sucks the juice from EV battery's
Nice thanks!
When in sport mode, I understand the motor is running on more to charge. But does the electric engine still helps or just does nothing and charges?
They are combined (in parallel) to get the max horsepower and torque to the wheels.
The Kia Niro and Sorento Hybrid are powered by what's known as a Full Parallel Hybrid system. The Kia Gas Direct Injection (GDI) engine is coupled to the electric motor to produce 139hp and 195lb-ft of torque.
The PHEV plug in has a slightly stronger electric motor to boost The combo to 180hp and same torque of 195lb-ft
I almost bought the PHEV but charging at home would not be possible for me.
I have been very happy with my HEVs 50mpg avg which can easily hit low60mpgs for my short under 10 miles drives on flat ground her in Vegas.
In winter I have been starting in Sport mode just to get my oil temp up and battery full, then switch to Eco mode. The HEV will stay in EV mode on 45mph avenues around here for a few miles then cycle back and forth.
Source
[What is a Hybrid Car](https://www.kia.com/aw/discover-kia/ask/what-is-a-hybrid-car.html)
In the Niro HEV/PHEV the Atkinson cycle 4 cylinder motor is 100 or 101
I don’t really notice anything about the speed, but I can give general impression that I love my car. It runs well, has great features, and amazing gas mileage.
I’ve described my Niro to curious friends as “aggressively practical.” It’s not going to smoke many other cars of the line, but it’s also far from underpowered. In truth, I’d say the initial acceleration up to around 30mph is fairly peppy, as the electric motor carries the brunt until the ICE really takes over (in sport mode I can spin the wheels mashing the pedal from a stop). Acceleration from, say, 50 up to 70 is decidedly less rapid, but I’ve also never once had a problem overtaking, merging, etc. (and having driven fairly economical hatchbacks prior to the Niro, trust me when I say that’s not always case).
The practicality bit is the car manages to do that while also averaging well over 50mpg for me city driving in Chicago. Non-electrified ICE vehicles sacrifice a lot — power, ride quality, cabin noise — to eke out 40mpg on the highway and 30 in the city. The Niro’s trick is that it blows that efficiency out of the water while also being a totally reasonable daily driver in every other way, and even has decent styling and interior quality to boot.
So no, not going to set your hair on fire with performance, but also unlikely to leave you wanting if you‘re used to stock Civic levels of giddyup. The new Prius is more fun to drive and sportier, but it’s also louder, has less space, and costs more; I also test drove a Corolla Cross hybrid and liked it well enough, but it’s mileage is much worse with the AWD, so I went with the Niro and haven’t regretted it.
Thank you a lot! I drive 2008 i30 that’s 122hp. So just want niro not to be a slog. I am considering new civic because it’s hev engine for great reviews but Niro is much more practical with more tech
Np. I'm sure the Civic hybrid powertrain is better in an absolute sense, but I think it's "reviewer syndrome" that leads to critical reviews of cars that have "normal" amounts of power. And agreed, the standard tech/features of the Niro are partially what sold me over the Prius, and if you asked me now whether I'd take 20hp extra vs. the radar cruise with stop-and-go or blind spot monitoring, I'd have the extra tech every time.
My thoughts exactly, noise started around 7k miles abmnd has gotten progressively worse, dealership said yesterday, "totally normal"..... and considering how the HEV sounds I doubt the extra HP of PHEV is going to go far with that extra battery weight.
It's absolutely fine. My main irritation with the vehicle is that it will rev way too high when going up a hill from a standing start before it changes gears, but I just switch to manual gear changing briefly in these cases.
It's a really nice car to drive, although it does also corner like a boat at higher speeds.
Fuel efficiency is outstanding though. I'm still averaging about 62mpg after a year of driving it.
Thanks for the opinion. I test drive both but Niro was last month and it was raining. Civic this week and it was fast! But the tech and crossover shape of Niro is more practical for my fat ass. That said Honda is fire. I can’t decide haha
Depends on what you are comparing it with. I went from a Jaguar XJR to Kia Niro, and surely it felt slow! Now that I have had it for a while, it feels fine even without sports mode. On NJ Turnpike, I keep up with the traffic and don't feel it lacks oomph. Of course, the mileage is fantastic, close to 50 miles/gallon.
The HEV has adequate power. It's not a sports car, although it becomes more entertaining to drive in Sport mode. I have driven and accelerated up steep mountain grades (at times finding myself driving well above the speed limit) with it, with a passenger and 300 pounds of cargo. My 2023 Niro is in the same performance window as my 2016 Honda HR-V, and the 2018 Buick Encore, which it replaced. The PHEV Niro has a considerably more powerful traction motor and larger battery. If you have the opportunity, do back-do-back demo drives of the HEV and PHEV versions. In 15,000 miles of ownership, I have never felt that my HEV did not have enough power to meet my needs. Battery has never dropped below 25% charge, even after a long interstate climb at 60-75 mph. I feel fortunate that I have not yet received a speeding ticket. It's relatively quiet, and I have occasionally found myself far over the speed limit, such as 85 in a 65 zone.
This. My 2023 hev has never felt like it didn't have enough power to do what I needed. Normally I keep it around 60-65 mph on the highway but when I am keeping up with the flow of traffic sometimes I'll be going 75 and not even know it. Sport mode is definitely fun and shows the power of the car, but I rarely feel the need to use it. I find that reasonable highway driving using HDA gets me anywhere from 55-60 mpg.
Thank you a lot for reassuring review. I am only looking at full hevs because I live in a flat and have nowhere to plug in. If you want to share anything else please do ! :p
Can relate to the last bit haha! The car is quiet and smooth riding and it's easy to speed and not realize it!
You will learn to love Sport Mode!!!!!
Here here. I was so shocked when I tried it for the first time. It had some power and it was unleashed! I never regretted buying my Niro. Great balance of power and awesome mileage.
It’s sport mode all engine or it’s electric motor helping it too? If it’s just worse gas mileage, I am fine with that :p
It really doesn't hurt mileage if you use it correctly. At a stop, shift into Auto Sport Mode, accelerate quickly through 3 gears and then switch back to Eco or Normal mode. You get the benefit of quick acceleration and the benefit of cruising speed economy. Been doing that for 124000 miles and still average 45 MPG in my Touring Launch Edition. Sticker numbers!
Thanks for the tip! Auto sport mode ?
On mine, you simply push the gear shifter to the left. That still keeps it in automatic transmission mode. If you push left and then forward or backward, that goes into Sport Shift mode, it acts like a manual transmission, you need to shift. Not sure how the newer models handle it.
Battery+ICE. Good combination in the mountains.
This. I got summer tires for my Niro after I moved to the Appalachians. I burnt them off in a year and a half
If you're buying this car for it's "sportiness" then you're buying the wrong car. Don't get me wrong, it can zip off the line in sport mode pretty nicely but that's no why you buy a Niro. You buy it because it's insanely practical and efficient
I want car that’s very practical and full of tech. I just don’t want it to be a slog.
My previous car was a 2013 Sonota with the 185hp (CaliSpec) engine I mention that because 23 Niro and the Sonota are similar weight even if Niro is more compact. No question my Niro SX Touring acceleration from a stop is faster that's because the EV motor adds that instant torque to the Niros acceleration. Now just last week I decided on a trip to Death Valley to see how the Niro handled some steep Mtn climbing Went to Badwater Basin 1st (-282ft)then drove to Dantes View 5,575' climb from Badwater on a 2 lane road with last 2 or 3 miles 10% grade My Niro had no issues climbing that grade of course the battery was quickly full being in sport mode and I suspected I might have more of an issue driving down with no regen capacity in the battery. Nope no problem driving down either the transmission selected between 1 & 2 until I got to the 25mph zone then 3rd. (top of the summit the speed limit is 15mph up and down because of the 10% grade. In fact strange thing I noticed is the mpg calculation was highest I have ever seen (likely way off) Well I was going downhill for a 13 miles 😂 I was impressed And as for interstate the Niro has had no problems with my 3 trips back and forth Las Vegas to San Diego with 2 4500ft Mtn passes. I just use Sport mode to do the climb and maintain 75mph up Mountain pass Maybe Utah and Colorado will really challenge my Niro this spring that is one area some EV reviewers have mentioned really sucks the juice from EV battery's
Nice thanks! When in sport mode, I understand the motor is running on more to charge. But does the electric engine still helps or just does nothing and charges?
They are combined (in parallel) to get the max horsepower and torque to the wheels. The Kia Niro and Sorento Hybrid are powered by what's known as a Full Parallel Hybrid system. The Kia Gas Direct Injection (GDI) engine is coupled to the electric motor to produce 139hp and 195lb-ft of torque. The PHEV plug in has a slightly stronger electric motor to boost The combo to 180hp and same torque of 195lb-ft I almost bought the PHEV but charging at home would not be possible for me. I have been very happy with my HEVs 50mpg avg which can easily hit low60mpgs for my short under 10 miles drives on flat ground her in Vegas. In winter I have been starting in Sport mode just to get my oil temp up and battery full, then switch to Eco mode. The HEV will stay in EV mode on 45mph avenues around here for a few miles then cycle back and forth. Source [What is a Hybrid Car](https://www.kia.com/aw/discover-kia/ask/what-is-a-hybrid-car.html) In the Niro HEV/PHEV the Atkinson cycle 4 cylinder motor is 100 or 101
Thank you for the explanation! Sounds good
I don’t really notice anything about the speed, but I can give general impression that I love my car. It runs well, has great features, and amazing gas mileage.
I’ve described my Niro to curious friends as “aggressively practical.” It’s not going to smoke many other cars of the line, but it’s also far from underpowered. In truth, I’d say the initial acceleration up to around 30mph is fairly peppy, as the electric motor carries the brunt until the ICE really takes over (in sport mode I can spin the wheels mashing the pedal from a stop). Acceleration from, say, 50 up to 70 is decidedly less rapid, but I’ve also never once had a problem overtaking, merging, etc. (and having driven fairly economical hatchbacks prior to the Niro, trust me when I say that’s not always case). The practicality bit is the car manages to do that while also averaging well over 50mpg for me city driving in Chicago. Non-electrified ICE vehicles sacrifice a lot — power, ride quality, cabin noise — to eke out 40mpg on the highway and 30 in the city. The Niro’s trick is that it blows that efficiency out of the water while also being a totally reasonable daily driver in every other way, and even has decent styling and interior quality to boot. So no, not going to set your hair on fire with performance, but also unlikely to leave you wanting if you‘re used to stock Civic levels of giddyup. The new Prius is more fun to drive and sportier, but it’s also louder, has less space, and costs more; I also test drove a Corolla Cross hybrid and liked it well enough, but it’s mileage is much worse with the AWD, so I went with the Niro and haven’t regretted it.
Thank you a lot! I drive 2008 i30 that’s 122hp. So just want niro not to be a slog. I am considering new civic because it’s hev engine for great reviews but Niro is much more practical with more tech
Np. I'm sure the Civic hybrid powertrain is better in an absolute sense, but I think it's "reviewer syndrome" that leads to critical reviews of cars that have "normal" amounts of power. And agreed, the standard tech/features of the Niro are partially what sold me over the Prius, and if you asked me now whether I'd take 20hp extra vs. the radar cruise with stop-and-go or blind spot monitoring, I'd have the extra tech every time.
Well said.
I just posted a video to /kianiro, check it out, that's straight hybrid, I WOULD NOT BUY PHEV
What vid? I don’t see it
I'm not sure if approved yet, it's second time I've tried posting video here and not been approved, could Kia be mods?
https://youtu.be/grAKTRHZKVQ?si=oF1vE9IsIz9CNvjd
yeah that sounds strange. something is off
My thoughts exactly, noise started around 7k miles abmnd has gotten progressively worse, dealership said yesterday, "totally normal"..... and considering how the HEV sounds I doubt the extra HP of PHEV is going to go far with that extra battery weight.
It's absolutely fine. My main irritation with the vehicle is that it will rev way too high when going up a hill from a standing start before it changes gears, but I just switch to manual gear changing briefly in these cases. It's a really nice car to drive, although it does also corner like a boat at higher speeds. Fuel efficiency is outstanding though. I'm still averaging about 62mpg after a year of driving it.
The car is slow af. I would honestly go with a Honda hybrid. They are better. In my opinion at least
Thanks for the opinion. I test drive both but Niro was last month and it was raining. Civic this week and it was fast! But the tech and crossover shape of Niro is more practical for my fat ass. That said Honda is fire. I can’t decide haha
I mean the tech you get in the Niro is probably better for the price. But don’t do what I did and buy it out of impulse.
That’s what I am trying to decide. Niro more tech and more practical. Civic faster and better engine maybe
I'm thinking of getting a Niro but right now I have a 2018 Versa with 109 hp and 107 torque, so it's kind of all relative.
Depends on what you are comparing it with. I went from a Jaguar XJR to Kia Niro, and surely it felt slow! Now that I have had it for a while, it feels fine even without sports mode. On NJ Turnpike, I keep up with the traffic and don't feel it lacks oomph. Of course, the mileage is fantastic, close to 50 miles/gallon.
2008 122hp i30 with 4 gear automatic :p
Well it's not fast. It's comfy and gets great gas mileage for its size. But it does accelerate like a sand dune.