- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
1.6i/32kW Hybrid, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
136kW (comb), 170Nm
- Fuel
Hybrid (91) 4.4L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Auto (DCT)
- Warranty
7 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2016)
2021 Kia Niro Hybrid Sport review
The first-ever hybrid from Kia has arrived late to Australian dealerships and with an-all new model just around the corner, does the current Niro Hybrid Sport stack up?
- Economical drivetrain
- Spacious cabin
- Decent infotainment system
- It's very expensive for the class
- Styling is dated
- Despite launching just this year, it'll be superseded in 2022
Introduction
Better late than never, as the saying goes. Or is it? Kia is in the middle of finding out with its Kia Niro range of electrified SUVs.
The Niro range arrived in Australia earlier this year, five years after it made its debut in Europe. The Korean manufacturer hasn’t scrimped on variety either, bringing all three electrified variants – hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery electric – Down Under. It’s the only SUV range available locally with the choice of three electrified drivetrains.
It’s worth noting, an all-new Kia Niro range is coming later in 2022, making this 2021 range very much a stop-gap, a toe-in-the-water exercise for the local arm of the Korean brand.
The range starts with the Kia Niro Hybrid S, priced at $41,990 driveaway and tops out with the Kia Niro Electric Sport at $70,990 driveaway.
On test here, we have the 2021 Kia Niro Hybrid Sport, priced at $45,990 driveaway. Styling aside (it looks every minute of its five-year lifecycle), the Niro Hybrid Sport is well-equipped.
Standard equipment highlights include 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights and daytime running lights, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual-zone climate control, DAB+ digital radio, a 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen with satellite navigation and synthetic leather seat trim.
Rivals in the small SUV segment include the Toyota CH-R hybrid priced from $37,655 plus on-road costs, Subaru’s XV hybrid starting at $35,490 plus on-roads, and the Mazda CX-30 mild hybrid range that gets underway at $33,990 plus on roads. All three significantly undercut the Niro on price, making Kia’s job of convincing buyers this is the hybrid SUV they need all the more difficult.
Casting the net further afield, the Niro Hybrid Sport’s circa $45k drive-away price can buy a lot of small SUV with a range of drivetrains – from the $44,990 driveaway fully electric MG ZS EZ, to the top-of-the-range Hyundai Kona Highlander in petrol all-wheel drive trim priced at $42,400 plus on-roads – the small SUV segment is liberally filled with choice for buyers.
And stepping into the next segment up – medium SUVs – circa $45k will net buyers one of Australia’s most popular vehicles, the Toyota RAV4 hybrid in range-topping front-wheel drive Cruiser trim.
Some stiff competition for the Kia newcomer then, which has its work cut out for it before the all-new model arrives some time next year.
Key details | 2021 Kia Niro Hybrid Sport |
Price (MSRP) | $43,890 ($45,990 drive-away) |
Colour of test car | Sunset orange |
Options | Premium paint – $520 |
Price as tested | $46,586 drive-away |
Rivals | Toyota C-HR | Subaru XV | Hyundai Kona |
Inside
The Niro’s ageing exterior styling (it looks every year of its five-year lifecycle, especially when lined up against newer Kias of all shapes and sizes in dealerships) carries through to the inside.
It’s comfortable enough and in this Sport trim, has enough flourishes to go some way to justifying its price.
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The synthetic leather seats look and feel good, and the driver’s seat benefits from electric adjustment which, in tandem with the leather-wrapped steering wheel’s manual adjustment for tilt and reach, ensures a comfy driving position.
Generous dollops of gloss black and faux brushed aluminium inlays go some way to breaking up a landscape of harder plastics, as does the 10.25-inch touchscreen. It looks the business integrated into the dash, adding a modern techy ambience.
The leather-wrapped steering wheel – standard Kia issue – frames an instrument cluster, part digital, part analogue, housing a digital power-meter, analogue speedo and a digital driver display that can toggle through a variety of data. It’s the first hint of the Niro’s electrified credentials, in a cabin that otherwise looks and feels like regular Kia fare.
Standard fit dual-zone climate control can be adjusted via good old fashioned dials and switches while storage options include a central storage bin, a pair of cupholders and generous door pockets.
The second row is spacious for a small SUV, enough room in all key areas – toe, knee, leg and head – to not challenge the comfort levels of occupants. As is the case with most SUVs in the segment, the second row is best served for two adults, or three kids. ISOFOX child seat mounts are fitted on the outboard seats.
There are air vents back there too, although no sperate climate controls, while the door pockets serve nicely as bottle holders. There are no USB charging points in the second row which should be standard at this price point.
The Niro Hybrid’s boot measures in at a pretty generous 410 litres with the second row in use by humans. That expands to 1408 litres with the second row stowed away in 60:40 split-fold fashion. A space-saver spare wheel and tyre can be found under the boot floor.
2021 Kia Niro Hybrid Sport | |
Seats | Five |
Boot volume | 410L seats up / 1408L seats folded |
Length | 4355mm |
Width | 1805mm |
Height | 1545mm |
Wheelbase | 2700mm |
Infotainment and Connectivity
A generously-sized 10.25-inch touchscreen anchors the Niro’s infotainment system which comes fitted with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, although you’ll need a cable to connect via a USB point in the front tray forward of the gear lever. Interestingly the smaller 8.0-inch screen found in the lower-down the-ladder Niro Hybrid S comes equipped with wireless smartphone connectivity.
The graphics are crisp and clean and swiping through menus and sub-menus is easy and intuitive. The rear-view camera is decent enough, too, projecting clean images onto the screen.
Satellite navigation is standard in the Niro Hybrid Sport (with 10 years of mapping updates), while other standard features include DAB+ radio, Bluetooth connectivity and speed dependent volume control, which adjusts the volume of your audio as speed rises to counteract the amount of engine and road noise filtering through to the cabin.
The 4.2-inch TFT digital driver display provides a wealth of trip information while also toggling through various active safety technologies which can be switched on or off, depending on your needs. It’s best function, however, remains its most simple – a digital speedo.
The six-speaker sound system is par for the course. Audiophiles will crave a better system while the rest of us will deem it acceptable, if unremarkable.
Safety & Technology
The Kia Niro was awarded a five-star ANCAP safety rating, date-stamped 2016. It scored excellently in adult occupant protection (91 per cent), decently in child occupant protection (80 per cent) and reasonably in vulnerable road user protection (70 per cent). It was also scored at 81 per cent for its safety systems.
The Niro Hybrid Sport comes fitted with a full suite of safety assists: high- and low-speed autonomous emergency braking with cyclists and pedestrian detection, forward collision warning, lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist as well as blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. Seven airbags cover both rows of occupants.
2021 Kia Niro Hybrid Sport | |
ANCAP rating | Five stars (tested 2016) |
Safety report | Link to ANCAP |
Value for Money
The biggest issue with the Kia Niro Hybrid Sport in terms of value is the starting price. As already outlined in the introduction, the Niro Hybrid Sport’s driveaway price is at the top end of the segment and even stretching into the upper reaches of the next segment up where larger rivals ask for similar money with similar levels of equipment all bundled into a more spacious package. On that basis, it’s difficult to justify the Niro Hybrid Sport’s value equation.
But, the Niro Hybrid Sport is well equipped, both in terms of convenience and safety technology, wanting for little.
It comes backed by Kia’s standard seven-year unlimited kilometre warranty while service intervals are spaced at 15,000km or 12 months, whichever comes first. The first seven years/105,00km of servicing is capped at a total of $3500, with a low price of $286 for the first service and high-point of $871 for the 60,000km/four-year trip to the workshop.
Kia says its first-ever hybrid will use just 4.4L/100km of regular unleaded on the combined cycle. Its fuel tank measures in at 45 litres, giving a range – on paper at least – of around 1000km.
Our week with the Niro Hybrid Sport netted a return of 4.9L/100km with the running total dipping as low as 4.1L/100km. That’s right in the ballpark for this kind of hybrid technology and with a bit of judicious driving, that theoretical 1000km range is entirely achievable and realistic. Commendable.
At a glance | 2021 Kia Niro Hybrid Sport |
Warranty | Seven years / unlimited km |
Service intervals | 12 months / 15,000km |
Servicing costs | $1128 (3 years) | $2321 (5 years) | $3500 (7 years) |
Fuel cons. (claimed) | 4.4L/100km |
Fuel cons. (on test) | 4.9L/100km |
Fuel type | 91 octane petrol |
Fuel tank size | 45L |
Driving
The Kia Niro Hybrid Sport is powered by a naturally-aspirated 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with outputs of 77kW and 147Nm. That petrol unit is paired with an electric motor making an additional 32kW and 170Nm for a combined total output of 104kW and 265Nm.
A six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission sends those outputs to the front wheels. No all-wheel drive here.
If you’re familiar with driving a conventional hybrid, there are few surprises to be found behind the wheel of the Kia Niro Hybrid Sport. The powertrain is willing enough in most situations, helping the Niro to move away briskly from standstill. Be aware though, while the Niro is happy to move off in electric mode, it doesn’t take much in the way of throttle application or speed for the petrol engine to kick in and take over the heavy lifting.
That’s possibly down to Kia’s use of a dual-clutch auto and its six gears as against a continuously variable transmission which seems better suited to hybrid drivetrains. Still, that petrol engine does a good job of hustling the small SUV around town.
Where the hybrid powertrain really finds its mojo is at higher speeds, happily chugging along on electrons at 80km/h, where some other hybrids struggle to maintain speed and where even breathing on the accelerator brings the petrol engine to life.
Kia claims the Niro Hybrid Sport can drive on electric only power at speeds of up to 120km/h and while we didn’t test that claim, we can report that highway speeds provide little resistance to exclusive electron motivation.
Be aware though, those speeds aren’t conducive to maintaining charge and the Niro’s 1.56kWh battery will deplete pretty rapidly. As is the case with all hybrids, around town is the Niro’s happy hunting ground, the slower speeds and stop start nature of traffic allowing the battery to not only maintain charge, but also regenerate.
The Niro Hybrid Sport rides on 18-inch alloys shod with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 rubber and that combination makes for a firm experience in terms of ride plushness. It’s not bone-jarring, but there is an edge to the way the Niro Sport handles the detritus of our roads that’s worth noting.
And those slim hoops of rubber aren’t conducive to a quiet cabin, road noise easily heard inside the cabin, particularly when driving purely on electrons.
One pleasing aspect of the Niro Hybrid Sport was its ability to regenerate energy. Like almost every electric vehicle, the act of coasting starts the energy-harvesting process, feeding electrons back into the battery. That’s only amplified under braking, the act of slowing down under brakes harvesting even more energy. In this way, the hybrid system maintains a usable level of battery charge.
Overall, the Kia Niro Hybrid Sport drives like a hybrid should, switching between electric and petrol power easily – if a little too easily from the former to the latter – and seamlessly. The DCT transmission does a commendable job of offering smooth shifts.
Around town, the Niro Hybrid feels right at home while out on the highway, it’s capable of cruising at 100km/h with ease. It does a good job of harvesting energy back into the battery and with an everyday fuel consumption in the four litres per 100km range is on par with most hybrids on the market.
Key details | 2021 Kia Niro Hybrid Sport |
Engine | 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol / Electric motor |
Power | 77kW @ 5700rpm (petrol) + 32kW (electric), 104kW combined |
Torque | 147Nm @ 4000rpm (petrol), 170Nm (electric) 265Nm combined |
Drive type | Front-wheel drive |
Transmission | Six-speed dual-clutch automatic |
Power to weight ratio | 72.0kW/t |
Weight | 1444kg (kerb) |
Tow rating | 1300kg braked, 600kg unbraked |
Turning circle | 10.6m |
Conclusion
There’s much to commend the Kia Niro Hybrid Sport. It’s spacious interior will appeal to young urbanites, even those with a couple of kidlets, while its smooth and efficient drivetrain is at once economical and perky enough for most situations. Throw in the surety of a seven-year/unlimited km warranty and the Niro makes a good case for itself.
But it’s hard to go past its decidedly ageing styling, the Niro Hybrid looking more like a Kia of 2016 than 2021, which is exactly what it is. Of course, styling is subjective and what is one buyer’s small SUV of 2016 is another’s shiny new hybrid that looks a million bucks. No doubt, the all-new Niro coming in 2022 will address that. But will it come with a commensurate price rise?
And that’s the sticking point. The Kia Niro Hybrid Sport’s circa $45,000 driveaway pricing isn’t competitive in a segment where buyers are spoilt for choice with options priced several thousands under the Kia’s price point.
Still, buyers who value a roomy cabin, frugal drivetrain and the surety of a long warranty, should at the very least, consider the Niro Hybrid. It’s a well-specced, nicely appointed, and spacious small SUV with a no-fuss hybrid powertrain that’s economical on fuel.