Road Test: 2023 Kia Niro SX Touring Plug-in Hybrid

Road Test: 2023 Kia Niro SX Touring Plug-in Hybrid

The Perfect Marriage: 33 All-Electric Miles+A Miserly Hybrid

Love your gasoline internal combustion engine and don’t want to jump into a battery electric vehicle quite yet? Then the marriage of the two propulsion systems is what you should consider, especially the impressively efficient 2023 Kia Niro plug-in electric hybrid vehicle (PHEV).

The 2023 Niro PHEV is powered by a 1.6-liter gasoline engine and a single 62 kW electric motor, producing a total system 180 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque, mated to a smooth shifting 6-speed dual clutch transmission (DCT).

The hybrid setup is impressively efficient, rated alone at 48 miles per gallon. But the secret to getting the best fuel economy from a PHEV is by maximizing the amount of all-electric driving by plugging in. Adding together the gasoline and electricity, the EPA estimates 108 MPGe (Miles Per Gallon Equivalent). MPGe is a measurement of how far a car can travel electrically on the same amount of energy as is contained in 1 gallon of gasoline. To aid in efficient driving there is a dash gauge that goes from Eco (in EV mode) to Power when the engine kicks in. So learning exactly how much pressure to apply to the accelerator can make a difference in fuel economy.

In a week of Southern California driving, (80% highway/20% city) that covered 285 miles, teh Kia returned an average of 61.2 miles per gallon. Had we spent more time hitting stop lights in the city and in stop-and-go traffic, and if we plugged in every night, we would easily have topped 75 miles per gallon. There is no range anxiety as driving in-town miles on pure electricity and then heading out for any length road trip with the hybrid system, the 2023 Kia Niro PHEV is almost unequaled for high mileage and efficiency.

Fuel economy numbers reported by Clean Fleet Report are non-scientific and represent the reviewer’s driving experience using the dash gauge computer. Your numbers may differ.

Charging

The Niro PHEV has an 11.1-kWh lithium-ion polymer battery that is replenished through plug-in charging, which is no different than what you do with your mobile phone every night. With the 3.8 kW onboard charger, it takes under three hours to fully charge with a 240V Level 2 charger or overnight with a 120V regular household outlet. A fully charged battery will deliver 33 miles of all-electric driving. The 2023 Kia Niro PHEV does not have DC fast charging. It is important to note cold weather can affect the charging time and driving range.

Charging is also through regenerative braking that converts kinetic energy into electric energy and stores it in the battery when applying the brakes or coasting. This process can be viewed on a dash gauge displaying the power flowing into and out of the battery.

Regenerative braking is not braking in the traditional sense, but is the electric motor slowing the car. The regenerative force is adjustable with the steering wheel mounted paddles. Three pulls on the left paddle puts the braking into a more aggressive setting, the right paddle reduces the braking force. I always set the regeneration to the highest level for the most powerful stopping.

Pulling the left paddle completely brings the Niro PHEV to a stop where it will hold. When using the brake pedal to stop, the Auto Hold button will hold the car until accelerating again. This helpful feature reduces lower leg fatigue in stop-and-go traffic.

Driving Experience: On the Road

The Drive Mode selector on the steering wheel is for driving in Normal and Sport. New for the 2023 Niro PHEV is the Green Zone Drive Mode that automatically, based on navigation and driving history, places the car into EV mode in residential areas or near hospitals and schools. Normal is where you will want to be when on the open road, letting the hybrid system do its thing. Using the driver-selectable drive modes, charging the battery often, and using regenerative braking, will get more than 500 miles from the 9.7-gallon tank filled with 87 octane gasoline.

In town with a full battery charge offers the most efficient driving. For most people, the 33 miles of electric range is more than they need daily, which means they will rarely be stopping to buy gasoline.

The motor-driven power steering was a bit light, but still provided good road feel. Maneuvering in town, including parking, was easy with a tight 17-foot turning radius. The front MacPherson struts with a stabilizer bar and the rear multi-link suspension delivered a smooth ride. Tire and wind noise were low, and the engine in hybrid mode was quiet, except when kicking in during heavy acceleration. Of course, when running on electricity only, there is no engine noise because no engine is running. Seems obvious, but it needed to be said.

The 225/45 Continental ProContact all-season low rolling resistance tires, mounted on 18-inch alloy wheels, delivered handling that was direct with little body roll, but are best when on long fuel efficient runs on the open road. While there is nothing sporty about the Niro PHEV, it had a very respectable 0-60 time of 7.2 seconds, which is plenty quick to merge into freeway traffic.

With all this, how does it actually handle and ride? The front-wheel drive (all-wheel drive is not offered) 2023 Niro PHEV weighs in at 3,336 pounds with a 57% front/43% rear distribution. The rear battery placement and a lower ride height result in better than expected driving dynamics.

The weight placement, independent rear suspension and wider tires, on the SX Touring model we were driving, smoothed out the ride absorbing most road imperfections. The suspension is on the firm side which lends to it being a bit sportier, but it would take swapping-out the tires for something more aggressive to really get a feel for how well it could handle. The Niro PHEV is not rated for towing, and the roof has a 220 pound load capacity.

Clean Design

The Niro PHEV falls someplace between a hatchback and a small crossover. It has a clean and simple design. Exterior color choices are Steel Gray, Graphite Gray, Aurora Black Pearl, Snow White Pearl, Runway Red, Fire Orange Metallic, Cityscape Green, Mineral Blue, and like ours, Mineral Blue with the Black Aero Blade.

The Aero Blade is a C-pillar trim piece that can be painted in the body color at no charge, or in a variety of contrasting colors, lile ours in black, as a $195 option. The functional Aero Blade improves aero dynamics, wind noise and driving stability through an open channel in the front that allows air to enter the Aero Blade and then exit out the back. The door molding has small pieces directing the air flow into the Aero Blade. Every little design element is important for the stellar fuel economy of the Niro PHEV.

The signature Kia “tiger nose” grille runs edge-to-edge, leading to the swept back LED projector head and daytime running lights, with LED foglights located in the bottom fascia. The side profile draws a nice line to the A pillars, leading to a gently sloping roof with rack rails, a shark fin antenna and an integrated spoiler over the rear hatch window.

The sides, with body color door handles and power folding and heated mirrors, are smooth with contrasting black along the lower doors and fender arches, blacked-out rear quarter windows, and the black Aero Blade. Machine-faced wheels with painted gloss black inserts give the hexagonal-design a great look.

The narrow, boomerang-shaped horizontal LED taillights and power liftgate with a small badge to identify the Niro PHEV as a plug-in hybrid, complete the design.

Welcoming Interior

The use of hard plastic interior surfaces was not a surprise, but is perfectly fine for a small car with a low base price. The interior is clean and uncluttered with excellent visibility as the 6.3-inch ground clearance results in a seating position with an outlook on the road a bit higher than a sedan, but not as high as an SUV.

Clean Fleet Report was driving the Niro PHEV SX Touring model with comfortable and supportive heated and ventilated front seats. All seats were covered with SynTex, a synthetic leather seat material that is soft to the touch, resists spills and is easy to clean. The driver seat is 10-way power adjustable with lumbar and memory, while the passenger gets 6-way manual adjustments. Front and rear head and leg room is roomy, even for 6-foot passengers.

The rear seat has a center armrest with cup holders and is best suited for two adults on longer trips. The backside of the front seats have unique grab handles to aid entering and exiting the rear seats, and the front passenger seat has a USB-C port in the side.

Rear storage features a large flat carpeted surface, made even larger when the rear 60/40 split-folding seat is folded flat to 54.6 cubic-feet. There is a concealed storage compartment beneath the cargo floor to hold the charge cord. The boxy design allows for storing larger items.

The center dash in the Niro PHEV SX Touring came with a 10.25-inch touchscreen housing the navigation and the 8-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, with a subwoofer. Entertainment is through AM/FM and SiriusXM, with USB ports, and smartphone integration via Bluetooth and Kia Connect, which included wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The Bluetooth worked very well for voice recognition, and mobile phone pairing was quick and easy.

Kia has a clever design that switches between the dual-zone climate controls and infotainment controls. On the narrow horizontal screen below the main touch screen, there are capacitive touch points for the temperature and fan, and then by pressing the up-arrow icon, converts the heater control knobs to volume and channel knobs to control the radio. This space saver had a short learning curve, quickly showing its benefits.

Comfort and convenience features include a power tilt and sliding sunroof, dual-zone automatic climate control with rear passenger vents, rain sensing wipers, a leather-wrapped, heated steering wheel with audio and cruise controls, rear view camera, smart key with push button start/stop, electronic parking brake, cargo cover, carpeted floor mats ($155 option), LED interior lights, driver and passenger power windows with automatic up/down, power door locks and a cargo cover. The power sunroof was part of the SX Touring package.

Safety

The Niro PHEV is offered with an extensive list of standard and optional safety features as part of Kia Drivewise. Since some of the features are available on higher trim levels and through packages, we advise getting your car with as many advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) as possible.

Safety features available on the Niro PHEV include dual front, driver’s knee, front-seat side, and front and rear side-curtain airbags, forward emergency braking and collision warning, lane departure warning with lane keep and lane following assist, stability control, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic warning, park assist with front and rear sensors, vehicle stability management, traction control, hill launch assist, tire pressure monitoring system and an engine immobilizer.

Pricing

The 2023 Niro PHEV comes in two trim levels, with these base prices, including the mandatory the $1,295 destination charge.

• EX                      $35,135
• SX Touring          $40,885

Clean Fleet Report drove the Niro PHEV SX Touring, with $850 in options and the $1,295 destination charge, the total came to $41,635.

Warranties

The 2023 Niro PHEV comes with these warranties:

• Powertrain – 10 years/100,000 miles
• Battery – 10 years/100,000 miles
• Basic – Five years/60,000 miles
• Roadside Assistance – Five years/60,000 miles
• Corrosion – 10 years/Unlimited miles        

Observations: 2023 Kia Niro PHEV

There will come a time when more new cars are powered purely by electricity than gasoline. The bridge between that point is the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, a technology Kia has mastered with models such as the Sorento, Sportage and the Niro PHEV.

The 2023 Kia Niro PHEV is an impressive and almost perfect small crossover. The fuel economy is stellar, the design doesn’t scream for attention with its clean classic look, and comes from a company offering the best warranty on the market.

It is comfortable on long road trips and easy to handle and zip around in-town. On top of this the Niro PHEV is competitively priced with small crossovers that don’t offer the same features, safety and warranty, and even close to the fuel economy. Go to your local Kia dealer and see for yourself.

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Story and photos by John Faulkner.

Other Compact PHEV SUVs

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Disclosure:

Clean Fleet Report is loaned free test vehicles from automakers to evaluate, typically for a week at a time. Our road tests are based on this one-week drive of a new vehicle. Because of this we don’t address issues such as long-term reliability or total cost of ownership. In addition, we are often invited to manufacturer events highlighting new vehicles or technology. As part of these events we may be offered free transportation, lodging or meals. We do our best to present our unvarnished evaluations of vehicles and news irrespective of these inducements.

Our focus is on vehicles that offer the best fuel economy in their class, which leads us to emphasize electric cars, plug-in hybrids, hybrids and diesels. We also feature those efficient gas-powered vehicles that are among the top mpg vehicles in their class. In addition, we aim to offer reviews and news on advanced technology and the alternative fuel vehicle market. We welcome any feedback from vehicle owners and are dedicated to providing a forum for alternative viewpoints. Please let us know your views at publisher@cleanfleetreport.com.