Kerb appeal
The Kia Niro EV ‘Horizon’
Sleek and fascinating is how you would describe the Kia Niro EV ‘Horizon’ exterior with a very futuristic look written all over, from a stylish front bonnet framed around a signature matte/gloss two-tone tiger nose grille. This design is built around a powerful lower shell producing an extra-wide look that accommodates an integrated central charging point.
Interior & Boot space
Inside the Niro looks and feels spacious, airy, and very modern throughout. In the front the driver is afforded plenty of adjustment in the seat and the steering, making even the tallest of drivers catered for. The front seat passenger again has plenty of head and legroom. While in our model the driver is provided with powered lumbar support that is standard on almost all spec cars, and the front passenger enjoys the same feature on the range-topping model.
There is stacks of storage space in the front, with good sized central bins fitted with cup holders, not forgetting, space for your phone. The door bins are reasonable, they can fit a water bottle in and other odds you might have with you.
In the back seats, again there is good head and legroom, as the EV has the benefit of a flat floor getting three adults in the back seats isn’t an issue.
There are USB ports in the sides of the front seats for charging phones and other devices and good storage plus cupholders in the middle fold-down armrest.
In the EV’s boot, there’s a generous 475 litres of space plus the design team made extra room so its shape will let you fit plenty inside. There are also tie-down points and a 12-volt socket if you need to use them.
Infotainment
Kia Niro EV 'Horizon' interior styling is sleek well-built and most importantly easy to navigate.
The screens are large, the lines are smart, with textures that are modern, and is finished with plenty of black polished trim.
The layout for the infotainment is clear and easy to navigate, with the graphics on both screens being easy to read. The infotainment system is also straight forward to navigate with neon icons and dark background, and has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connections.
The driver’s display allows you to navigate between different data options and screen designs, again these are clear and easy to read.
Range and charging
As you would expect, the EV is great for the purse once you pay the premium of buying an EV in the first place. With its 64.8kWh battery pack, the Niro 'Horizon can do an official 285 miles on a single charge, during our testing we achieved an average 278 miles per charge.
If you do need to charge on a long journey, every version of the Niro EV is compatible with DC rapid chargers. Kia says the Niro 'Horizon' can go from 10-80% in less than 45 minutes.
Safety and Security
In terms of driver assistance the Kia Niro EV ‘Horizon’ 64.8kWh has fitted ample kit as standard. You forward collision assist, lane keep assist, intelligent speed limit assist, and smart cruise control, plus stop/go. Blind spot monitoring top models also have remote parking and parking collision avoidance, smart key and push button starting.
On Test
City Driving - We took our Kia Niro EV ‘Horizon’ through the Manchester City centre traffic, the suspension reduces and smooths out the potholes in the road, as well as taking the worst out of the cities speed bumps that can cause a nasty bang in the cabin.
With large door mirrors, a good size rear mirror, limited blind spots, and a small turning circle the Kia Niro EV ‘Horizon’ was very easy to handle on the busy streets.
Being an EV, you glide through traffic in near silence. There is quick acceleration from the electric motor making it easy to nip in and out of any gaps in the traffic. With no exhaust emissions, you know that your urban journeys aren’t harmful to air quality and you will avoid any emissions charges.
On the motorway - Leaving Manchester, we headed to the M62 for a run over the Pennines to Hull. The Kia Niro EV 'Horizon' is well insulated meaning motorway driving is extra quite with minimal wind and road noise when at motorway speeds. The ride is excellent, effectively smoothing the edge off all but the largest potholes. Grip levels are also impressive thanks to the wide rear track, and the slick and well-weighted positive steering keeps the KIA Niro 'Horizon' online, no drift or uncertainty when cornering.
On country roads - On our return journey we took the B roads across Saddleworth Moors to see how it handled the wet and narrow country roads. As a SUV, you would think body roll would be noticeable but when driving on country roads the Niro Horizon's the suspension manages to handle its weight well while soaking up the bumps effortlessly. It is not too wide to go down most B-roads without any trouble.
The steering is responsive at higher speeds and the electric motor is also very responsive, meaning you can get out of corners quickly with no drift when cornering.
Though it is not a sports car, it still has a respectable 0-60mph time of 7.8 seconds showing that the Niro EV doesn’t hang around.
Conclusion
The KIA Niro EV 'Horizon', is the perfect SUV family car, or ideal for the single person, great for the urban dweller to get around town, while it is just at home on the country roads, and travels well on long journeys – basically a great all round performer.
The KIA Niro EV Horizon has a lot of very clever technology underpinning the drivetrain, it is fun to drive, it is comfortable and roomy, it is spacious and fast enough for when it needs to be.
By building on the heritage of the previous models KIA are onto a winner here, as we say 'The Kia Niro EV ‘Horizon’ knows how to look after its passengers'
To find out more about the KIA Niro EV 'Horizon' or other KIA cars CLICK HERE
Tagged in Kia Motors