Kia’s updated electrified Niro small SUV series will arrive in North America in 2023, with new exterior styling and additional internal capacity. At this week’s New York International Auto Show, the business will unveil three new Niro models: the hybrid Niro HEV, the plug-in hybrid Niro PHEV, and the completely electric Niro EV. Kia intends to make them available nationwide, including the completely electric Niro EV, which was previously only available in a few areas.
All Niros have dark-colored door cladding and an “aero blade” profile panel, which give the car a swoosh-like appearance. The front gets new daytime running lights and a “tiger-nose” grille, while the rear taillights are boomerang-shaped and no longer intersect with the hatch. The modifications allow for a new low drag coefficient of 0.29, making these front-wheel-drive CUVs considerably more efficient.
The new completely electric Kia Niro EV, in particular, has increased its range to 253 miles, up from 239 in the previous model. Previously, the Niro EV was available with a lesser 39 kWh battery, but it will now only be available with a larger 64.8 kWh pack. The battery, however, does not obstruct space; you get eight more cubic feet of passenger space and a large 22.8 cubic feet of freight capacity — though this is less than the Tesla Model Y’s 30.2 cubic feet.
The Niro EV also boasts the Kia EV6’s vehicle-to-load (V2L) technology, which allows you to power appliances from the Niro EV’s battery pack. However, it is based on an older platform rather than the EV6’s Hyundai-developed E-GMP platform, which supports up to 350 kW DC fast charging. Instead, the Niro EV’s maximum charging power is 85 kW DC fast charging, which is enough to bring you from 0 to 80 percent charge in around 45 minutes.
The updated Niro EV has not yet been priced, although the old model began just shy of $40,000 — not considerably less than the sportier Kia EV6’s starting price of around $42,000. However, if you enjoy the aesthetics of cars that don’t strive too hard to stand out and just want the functionality of a modern CUV, the 2018 Kia Niro EV could shine.