The 2023 Kia Niro Plug In Hybrid Is The Affordable Plug In Crossover You've Been Looking For
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- Опубліковано 8 жов 2022
- Basically the Niro PHEV is a regular Niro with a bigger electric motor and a bigger battery. The combo gives you more power (180 horsepower vs 139 in the hybrid) and an all electric rage of 33 miles. What's the downside? Very little in reality. You lose a small amount of cargo capacity and hybrid mode economy drops from 53 combined to 48 combined.
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Not sure why people hate on plug in hybrids. It’s the best of both worlds especially for people who don’t feel comfortable going all electric
Even Mercedes-Benz is offering a C300e with 60 mile EV range, and some people just seem to find a reason to hate anything.
The upfront expense of an EV with the maintenance costs of an ICE. If you can live within the EV range then you're just carrying around the ICE engine for no reason, and if you don't have access to good recharging then you're spending more money for a ICE vehicle with reduced gas range. PHEV sounds great on paper but it's a stop-gap measure for where we really want to go, which is all EV.
hating is free, thats all the fun they can afford.
@@stuntmonkey00 I see it as the best of both worlds. You don't have the range anxiety of a EV. You get great fuel economy for mid-range driving trips because you'll be driving in EV mode most of the time. It doesn't require all-night charging to top off the EV battery, and planning your re-charging stops on longer trips are unnecessary. The smaller high-voltage battery pack is not as expensive to replace compared to a pure electric vehicle. It's also more affordable to purchase and drive than an EV, a Hybrid, or an ICE engine.
because its the worst of both worlds. is even more complicated and prone to burn in a fire than an ICE car.
For the next vehicle question, definitely something more affordable. Affordability is definitely a big deal right now.
The PHEV, in the short- and medium-term, is by far the best vehicle both for consumers (no range issues and lower cost) and the environment (spread out scarce batteries among more vehicles, most of which are driving only 30-50 miles/day anyway). I wish there was more discussion around PHEVs rather than EVs.
I do wish for closer to 50 miles EV-only range, but 33 is decent and, at least for me, will still result in very minimal fuel usage.
Odd, by the way, that Kia's website won't let me configure a 2023 PHEV yet.
You are spot on about judicious use of a scarce commodity (battery production). All that battery capacity sitting around unused 99% of the time in high range luxury EVs could be put to use eliminating petrol consumption for the average daily driving needs of a lot more PHEVs. Not the smartest way to allocate resources to reduce fossil fuel consumption or even familiarize more drivers with the electric experience.
Honda clarity gets around 50 miles ev range.
@@johnborges5938 Hopefully we eventually figure out a way to feed that unused battery capacity back into the grid, but in the mean time I'm tempted to agree that PHEVs are a good middle ground for everyone on our way to full electrification
How did you know I’m looking for a plugin with a rear wiper??? That’s literally why I’m looking at trading my volt in. Alex how do you know these things??😂
I'm psychic
@@AAutoBuyersGuide oo
@@shehzadkamran8258 It should be mandatory on a hatchback...
12 skits, what year and how many miles on your Volt? I might be interested and could very probably beat the dealer's trade-in $$.
@@daveriley6310 Where are you located tho? I’m in Sacramento CA
I am so happy they made a second generation. I absolutely LOVE my Honda Clarity but there isn’t a new PHEV on the market I could recommend to a friend - but this would work!
And it’s available in the whole US? Amazing!
I have a Clarity too and I swear it’s THE most underrated anything on the road to this day.
main difference is that the Niro PHEV hits 0-60 in 7.3 seconds and the Clarity hits 0-60 in 17.1 seconds..
whole different ballpark. lol
@@CodeDonut Alex tested the Clarity at 7.5
@@Luma_29 odd, information online list it at 17.1 0.o
Brilliant job from Kia making it practical, affordable and i think pretty good looking.
tremendous amount of nuance both in the your comparisons and also the engineering trade-offs between the niro phev and the rav4 prime. another great review! 🙏🙏
The PHEV segment seems to have been completely jumped over by the pure EV choices, but they are not nearly as practical or affordable as the PHEVs. I think Tesla turned the EV into a desirable vehicle, but much like how housing got insanely expensive over the last couple of years, so too are these aspirational vehicles. I think the Niro PHEV is the right kind of car for 2022/2023. We have reliable combustion engines and we have small electric batteries and motors to help maximize the efficiency of the small gasoline engines. This combination makes road tripping completely feasible and it also makes most (not all) commuting a nearly gasoline free affair. The Government wants us to be fossil fuel free in the not too distant future, but with rare earth materials for batteries being difficult to source and hard to extract and having the associated high price tags most lower income folks will neve be able to afford, I think PHEVs offer a less expensive alternative and yet a very efficienct one at that. I do wonder however how maintenance on PHEVs will be in the long term, as there are a lot of different mechanical systems...
Great, informative review as always! Thanks for keeping us up to date on all of the new car models, especially those with a plug.
You do the best in depth reviews. Plus the split screen during the drive review segment is well done.
Very appealing and interesting PHEV. I hope the next long term is this Niro and we get more real world information.
One of the best looking KIA cars, IMO. That includes the refreshed Telluride.
Thanks for this excellent video. You are my go to source for car information and opinions. This may be my next car if the dealers don't gouge on the price. I'd love it if this Niro PHEV was your next long-term card.
I have a 2019 Niro PHEV, a great easy to drive city car, decent on highway as well. Interior is quite nice, very spacious feeling (actually feels more spacious than our 22 Outback) with excellent visibility in all directions. With flat folding seats the cargo area can handle a lot of gear and even a full size road or mt bike (with front wheel off). Its not a powerhouse but no problem getting over 3,000' passes here in WA.
Although 2019 PHEV is rated at 26 mpg I (and most other owners typically get 28-32 miles / charge. Also the highway mileage on both HEV and PHEV typically exceed EPA rating.
Gen 2 has some nice improvements but not enough to entice me to spring for a new one -- assuming one could find one.
Had two Volt PHEVs, and am responsible for three other folks in my circle having them now. The Volt's a great car, especially for people whose driving is primarily local.
This Kia is at the top of my non-Tesla list. I currently have a new Model S, my 6th Tesla, and most people would be surprised to hear me say that I could sell it (at a profit), buy one of these and still be as happy as a clam at high tide.
Alex, I wish you would talk ore about American Plug In Hybrids. we have a 2021 Ford Escspe Titanium Plug in Hybrid. we purchased it I. 09/22. our electric rang has been between 37 and 53 miles. Electric Range is less on the Freeway. we managed to put 4100 miles on our Escape before we put the First Tank of Gas in it. ( it was full when we got it). My Wife's comute to work is typically less than 25 miles round trip. making the need for the Gasoline Engine to rarely run.
Fantastic Vehicle.
For me a big factor in my purchase was the charging speed. I have been plugging in the Sportage PHEV at free public charges and the 7.2 kw/h charging speed helps as I cannot charge at home easily. I'd be really curious to see what the next Crosstrek is like and would probably want to see that as next long term review.
That has the EXACT same drive train that is in my Hyundai IONIQ PHEV.
I'm still a bit confused how a plug-in works. Once the battery is depleted does it then get them same fuel milage is the the regular hybrid would get? Can running the engine ever charge up the battery of the plug-in?
Yes and No.
I would like to see you get the Sportage PHEV with the AWD. I think it will be the biggest competitor to the RAV4 Prime which is nearly impossible to find or buy.
FWD is soooo much better the a AWD vehicle (unless your in the snow ❄️ belt, thank goodness I’m not). Cheaper, more efficient, less $ to repair, less weight👍
good video. thanks
great review very useful for me. Plz buy PHEV Niro for longer test run. Looking at replacing our 08 Prius with 2023 NIRO or Next Gen Prius.
As a 2019 Niro Touring hybrid driver, these cars are very nice, comfortable, full of tech, and efficient for a hatchback design that can fit a lot of stuff. I suspect that this will be even better, and is on my list.
Any voice commands?
Thanks for making this video. Maybe it's the different country model but my 2019 Niro HEV EX model in Canada's engine does not always comes on in the Canadian winter when the heater is on even when waiting for someone while parking for over 10 minutes. I have to say that I am sad and will not be upgrading due to the relocation of the backup camera as I can buy a 3rd party CAMWIPE attachment to install on the rear wiper to clean the backup camera lens during the snowy, slushy Canadian winter safely when backing up and not will to tread this safety feature for anything. I wish rear backup camera cleaning system is standard on all vehicles if.... manufactures really care about their customer's and pedestrian'sunnecessary safety features on expansive commercials.
Another excellent video. Thanks. Do you know if the passenger headrest can be removed and seat reclined all the way back? Also, no comment on the loss of tax credit? I have a RAV4 Prime and was waiting to get a Niro PHEV as a second car but now with no $7,500 tax credit, I don’t feel like paying $7,500 more for a Kia Niro.
Okay that gass tank location is amazing. Replacing the fuel pump won't be an nightmare.
We just look at one and price per month came back at over $800.00 a month with 5k down. They priced us out of this. Car dealers have fixed the supply issue for sure.
Love the focus on more affordable vehicles, but only interested in EVs. I would love a long term Bolt EUV. How is it living with 50kw charging? Get the top spec with all the tech. I’m looking to purchase in about two years and the Niro EV and Bolt EUV are my top choices thus far. It will be our second EV and we will be purely electric at that point. (Have a ‘21 Mach E Premium XAWD)
33k for a plug in hybrid is great deal. Does it qualify for federal reimbursement?
How long does it take to charge when plugged into a standard wall outlet?
I think I would like to see a comparison of the Sportage to the Nero in the plug in hybrid variants.
Like the Sportage, if you put the previous model next to it, you see a huge improvement for the design inside and out. The Toyota hybrids have been much more reliable, hopefully these newer designs will have fewer problems than the previous generation, that Consumer Reports surveys had average reliability and owners satisfaction. I think you should get a Ford Maverick truck, the base model hybrid.
In winter on short trips can it drive in only electric motor or petrol engine always starts even in EV mode ?
Put a deposit on this in the spring and still waiting for an update from the dealer.
The Niro PHEV is exactly my kind of vehicle . . . If it only had AWD. I live in a hilly city where it snows from October through March and the steep climb to my neighborhood is not FWD friendly.
I like the Niro idea for the EV6 replacement, but the Tucson PHEV would be my vote.
Thats the only reason im hesitant. I want the AWD. Thinking about the corrolla cross hybrid when that comes out. It wont be PHEV but it will have all wheel drive
Put some Blizzak snow tires on that Niro and she’ll climb up the snowiest hills you can throw at her!
Would love a comparison with new prius prime when it comes out, this is great but a bit too expensive imo compared to itself last gen, especially when the top end sportage phev is only 3k more
My vote would be the Sportage PHEV if you can get one. More space than the Niro and awd. Looks like a pretty complete and comfortable package.
Do the Niro PHEV has the V2L as the electric one?
Interesting, on the car scene Korean side by side comparison they show the new one has a 2 position rear seat. It's only an inch or so but definitely reclines. Also no mention if it actually does have the ev only reverse, I've only read about it. For me with a 2019 PHEV the larger electric motor would be the main reason to upgrade as I live in a hilly area and the 60hp motor struggles on the climbs.
Alex, lots of discussion around the necessity of a heat pump in cooler areas vs engine heat but I read that most PHEV heat pumps only work to -6 C or 20F. Being in Canada most of winter means the heat pump seems to be pointless. The electric heater seems to be actually better for a wider temp range.
Good for wide temp range, very poor for economy. The Niro only has a resistive heater rather than a heat pump for cost reasons.
Looks like the same powertrain as Santa Fe PHEV, but way better non EV efficiency. Picked up a Santa Fe PHEV in March and scoring 30 MPG when battery is drained. They also added a cabin/engine heater which is on the top of my wishlist. Fuel efficiency is getting worse now as temp drops down. Even battery is full the engine still turns on to generate heat for engine bay/cabin nowadays.
Kia has been killing it of late. My only worry is the reliability. But we’ll have to wait for years to know the answer to that.
Been driving phev for many years now, I don’t need a large gas tank. I put in 2 gal on each filling
Thank you Alex again and great work. Does anyone know if the Nio uses a dry or wet dual clutch?
It’s a dry
Dry! Bummer!
@@AAutoBuyersGuide how smooth was the clutch during low speeds?
Is this gonna be available nationwide or annoyingly only in a few states like the Niro EV?
The Niro was technically a 50 state car but not every dealer wanted it. This will be offered to all dealers but whether or not they chose to carry it is up to them
I'm not that familiar with plug-ins but this recession has me re-thinking a lot. I have to deal with Manhattan traffic on the weekends while I go back and forth from NYC - Berkshires. Question: Say the electric charge is at zero by the time I get into the city...can I still get total systems horsepower when I floor it? In other words - when your battery is kaput do you still get all the power or do you suddenly have a much more lethargic car?!
Assuming that other cars work like my Honda Clarity you will still get all the power. The car will not let you drain it till the battery is "kaput". At some low level it will switch over to operate like a regular hybrid car so the battery will still have juice available for stop and go type traffic just as a hybrid car would. FYI I love my Clarity and rarely buy gas.
If the Rav 4 had an updated interior I’d be more interested in. I like the Kia SX so far, even if only front wheel drive. Wish it had voice commands though.
Wonder how it handles with snow tires in the snow? Anyone tried it?
Ordered mine 4 months ago and they still can’t even estimate when it might arrive. I am thinking dealers may be an unnecessary thing for the future
Very nice, but can we buy one?
I really like it my only question can I actually buy it?
Depends on how deep your pockets are.
Nope. They'll be sold out
Preorder of course
Call a few dealers and ask!
Wait, so there's no option between the 33k EX and the 39k SX? That's a very odd decision on kias part.
I hope this question isn’t too stupid…
After the 33ish mile range that the battery can power the vehicle is reached and the ICE kicks in, does the engine put some charge back into the battery? Example; if I were to start with a full battery and full tank of gas, drive around town in stop and go traffic running down the battery then get on the highway for 100 miles, would I reach my destination with some range added back into the battery (taking away any regen from coasting downhill or whatnot)?
Just curious about this more than anything.
Works like a regular Hybrid when electric only is spent.
Hope you get a Niro PHEV for a long term test ;))
Wheelbase? Can I get a number? Is it more or less than 107?
It's getting a little closer to the 50 mile sweetspot for me. But still 30 miles will guarantee I might just use a bit of gas as I return home but full electric during heavy traffic.
I'm looking to buy a new car now but I am not going to pay more than MSRP for any dealer markup anywhere
It is much more efficient and better looking than the new sportage.
KIA is on fire! One winner after another. My vote for a long-term tester is a Corvette Z06 because Alex isn't getting any younger, and he deserves a little fun.
Kia is a bit sensitive with the word fire 😂
I wish they kept the old body shape!
I would love to see you all get the 2023 Niro Plug in Hybrid for your next vehicle.
Does it sell in AZ?
Yes it will be sold in every state
Do the canoo! It's 35k! Plz!
How about the Santa Fe.
This thing is gorgeous. I would take this over a Model Y. Will definitely have better build quality and don't have to wait at over crowded tesla superchargers, which have longer waits than electrify America all the time.
great car...wish they would have chosen a planetary gear set instead of a DCT
AoA is the go to when u want to quickly learn about a model and "see" what is being described. I did not bother looking at the Niro until I was watching Prius 2023 videos...I do not want to watch lots of Niro videos, AoA will provide the most info in the shortest time. The only other channel with this depth is Driven Cars Reviews with Tom Voelk.
The rear is very CRV.
Can you also comment the tax credit available and compare it to buying an older used Kia Niro plug-in hybrid?
Totally depends on where you live
By a Niro Plug In Hybrid. Take it on occasional long trips so that those of us who might buy one for a commute but then need to do the occasional long haul know what to expect.
I probably typically drive 50 or 60 miles a day BUT if I've got a doctor's appointment in the nearest big city then it might be 300 miles in a day and wouldn't want to inconvenience my wife by swapping vehicles with her. Could a plugin hybrid work?
It’s a plug in HYBRID, you put gas in it and drive the wheels off, you really never have to plug it in if you don’t want to, don’t know why you would do that but you could so, no range anxiety with this vehicle as it burns gas after the battery is depleted
Now I wonder if that gas tank will explode on rear impact made me think of ford pinto
My vote is for a dodge hornet, altho I doubt you can get one in december.
Using only the ICE motor the 0-60 is two lunar cycles
I feel for automakers like Kia who have designed and priced a brand new vehicle for a world with a $7,500 tax credit, and now they don’t have one. Without that, the upper trim is priced WAY too high, and I’d guess the lower trim is underspec’d to compete with vehicle that have the tax credit.
Either the production will move to the US or KIA will push their PHEV’s and BEV’s at the rest of the world rather than the US. The rest of the world is a much bigger market anyway.
Crossoveified?
What happens on long road trips after the battery is depleted? I understand that the engine charges the battery when it's low, but it also powers the car. It doesn't seem likes there's a lot of hp left over for say large hills or strong head winds. 104 HP is going to do all of those things and still get 47 or so mpg on the highway?
It operates like a regular hybrid after that which is how you get the 48 MPG combined. The battery charges and discharges just like a regular hybrid when needed. So floor it on the freeway and you still get 180 HP. Keep it floored up the continental divide and yes eventually you’ll only have 104HP but it requires dedication to get there.
Go with the Kia Sportage PHEV
Concentrate on AWD plug-in hybrids, and affordability.
I must be living in the past, sht auto prices are going crazyyyyy.
As was said, we're critically🔋supply constrained. PHEV haters didn't do the financial, nor carbon calcs. Carrying a ton of extra🔋around for occasional trips is poor resource allocation.
How often will you get into the depleted battery situations, with only 100HP to propel the car?
Probably never.. I suspect the car will keep the battery charged enough to give you full power all the time. Perhaps, if you somehow were climbing an endless mountain grade that required full power to do it.. you would eventually deplete the battery. But in normal driving I doubt it would happen.
Even in my Old Prius I don't run into that situation too much in normal stop and go driving.. But it does happen on steep mountains, OR if you happen to do a bunch of stoplight drag races without giving the car a chance to recharge the battery.
See Alex's reply to the other commenter asking almost the same question. Basically: never -- unless you intentionally try to force the battery empty, which is still difficult to do. If you use the techniques Alex shares at 12:00 and 13:00 in the video, it becomes essentially impossible.
Some with a better memory of the formulas than me can probably confirm the maths. But I’m pretty sure the HP needed to go at 60 mph up the steepest freeway grade is less than 100hp at a steady state. The extra hybrid power is only needed for occasional acceleration.
@@ATH_Berkshire My wife had a Prius, which on long uphill sections, was only propelled by the gas engine.
Sure, it can drive up, but you could not pass slower trucks and could only drive below 60 in some sections.
@@kens97sto171 Happened on long uphill sections when my wife drove a Prius.
I can see it happening in some specific locations in the mountains, especially where uphill switchbacks are involved, when accelerating after every turn.
The drivetrain is probably less advanced compared with the Prius, but it had a much smaller battery, so I wonder how they compare.
With no Federal Tax Credit I would consider the Hybrid.
What is this 2012? Chevy Volt had this 10+ years ago.
Alex, Once again, you have dutifully put Toyota's woeful lack of leg and head room to shame. 🤨
Agreed. Whatever next generation Toyota is coming out already lost badly in practicality
Tuscan hybrid.
I like it, but I don't want a black interior.
Alex: The aeroblade
1st generation Audi R8 owners starts peaking around corner
You may found this blades also at Audi Q2
Si you think that you could do Uber with that car ?😊
South Korean owners of the Kia Kona had to file a class action lawsuit because of all their EVs catching fire. Let’s see how long it takes for the Niro to be added.
This is not an EV
The only drawback is that the Niro doesn't have AWD.
I was curious about what AWD system this uses and if it has different modes available for weather conditions. I am not sure that was covered or perhaps I missed it.
It's fwd only.
I wonder how much he's gona sell his ev6 for
Does it get 7500 tax credit?
No, not a US vehicle in the sense of the tax credit law.
We ordered this vehicle February 2022 and they called to tell us that we would get the 2023. The price has changed they will not accept the same deal that we had in place and on top.of that we are not expecting our car until June or July. Basically almost 1 1/2 years. But we are not holding out hope . But considering that even for a gas car we are waiting 7 to 10 months for most manufacturers we are sort of stuck right now. If a kia dealer says 2 to 3 months they are lying.
It's nice to see Americans waiting for once ~
@@georgehofgren6123 Canadian bro Canadian.
shi . YOu can get a tesla for about 37k next week,Friend just order one
It's like they took styling cues from Peugeot
Lol. That's not a 1/4 panel. That called a fender
This seems like a great plug-in if you can't get a Prime or Tuscon phev, and if you don't like the escape phev. Honestly people should just buy the electric niro or a rav4 prime.
Why?
Another SUV I can't tow with?
Been wailing on this review. Love the niro. The corolla cross is the worst toyota ever made
I though this was the competitor to the Prius. Why does he keep comparing it to SUVs? Like RAV4 or Crv.
Tucson and Sportqge are the real RAV4 and Crv competitor.
I would not trade in my Prime for this.
The Hyundai Ioniq was the vehicle designed to compete with the Prius, the Niro was designed to compete more with the HR-V and similar small CUVs
@@alexdhutanu Why? Alex made a good case for this being a better PHEV than the Prius.
@@ATH_Berkshire the Kia niro is a better car than any Prius period. It’s worth giving up the Prius and get a superior car full stop.
The Prius’ time has come and gone
48mpg sucks. A prius hybrid effectively gets 60mpg plus.