Nice review. We are soon to cross 8,000 miles with one oil change. Also smelled a little bit of gasoline but the Blackstone labs oil report said everything was perfectly normal for the first ever oil change. Absolutely loving this vehicle. When in EV mode, if you press and hold the mode button you can get into EV+, which prevents the engine from kicking in until you press the accelerator all the way to the floor.
Fascinating discovery with the EV mode button. I will try that. For its size, that electric motor is pretty impressive I would say. Thanks for the comment
Great review, thanks for sharing. Have not experienced the transmission late shifting issue, therefore I have zero complaints about the vehicle. Have 6,000km on the odometer and still have half of my original tank of gas…my commute is 30km return and it costs about $1.40 for the overnight 120v charge. This little gem has exceeded all expectations but like you, the proof is in the reliability and performance over the next several years. Cheers!
Nice! Yeah, so far, I am thrilled too. Getting into a warm comfy car (Winter work commute) of this design is so nice each morning. It has really been good to us. Very grateful so far
Thank you for your detailed videos. They've been really helpful for me as I've been trying to decide on this car. Just bought one. Really looking forward to driving it.
Please keep up the videos. I love the deep dive and research you've done. This powertrain PHEV and HEV (which I have) will prove to have excellent longevity if well maintained. I am personally concerned about the clutch actuator fluid being an Achilles heel (e.g. particulate in the reservoir), so I am looking closely at that. I have 24k after 12 months on my HEV and have changed the clutch fluid twice. My only design complaint is that with my trim package (with the fancy stereo), the designed space for aftermarket spare tire storage is unavailable due to the stereo amp. Out in the country, a spare tire on board is way more important - I've recently learned. After my tire was destroyed (bolt thru side wall) I put on Bridgestone blizzak unstudded snow tires that seem great in the PNW, but did reduce mileage by about 10% (5mpg), I will go back to a stock tire in late spring. Please keep thinking of ideas and posting. We love it.
Yup, I hear you, I changed my actuator fluid at 3,000 miles and it has started developing milky white sediment again around 9,000 miles. I am ordering a long syringe with thin clear tubing to do cleaner extractions. Changing this fluid may have to hand in hand with doing oil changes.
Good to hear your Niro has been running well and overall yo've had a positive experience. It sounds like the tire performance has been very good too, both gas mileage and traction. I'm curious to know if you had the oil analyzed again. Following your lead, I sent in a sample to Blackstone Lab recently, the first oil change on my 2024 Niro at about 3500 miles. If they analysis is significantly different than the results you got, I'll post them somewhere. I haven't noticed any prolonged shift intervals but haven't driven on hilly terrain yet. Generally, I think small engines run better at high rpm even if they might be annoyingly buzzy. But also, loading up an engine on an incline with too high a gear might lead to preignition (knocking) and something I'd try to avoid. I don't operate in sport mode often but I think if I were driving in the mountains I'd probably opt for manual shifting much of the time. Thanks for your report and hope to see your update at 20,000 miles.
Hi, yes I did one other analysis right after the first sample after only putting another 707 miles on the car to see how they would compare. The fuel dilution was under .5% so it barely registered and the rest of the numbers were (maybe obviously) very low and and in line with healthy oil. I will be doing another lab test when I get a full 5,000 miles on this AMSOIL 0W-16 hybrid oil I am now using. hoping to get good results from this next test. I am looking at other labs as well to compare samples from the same oil change, but I will need to find Blackstone competitors. OK, thanks for the comment. take care
Today is my first visit to your channel. Living in Michigan, I'm jealous of your Vermont purchasing incentives. We own a 2020 Honda Clarity PHEV, which we bought new. At that time it qualified for the $7500 federal tax credit. The Clarity mechanically is very different from how Hyundai/Kia does it with limited direct propulsion through the transaxle. I am grateful that Honda stuck with an indirect injection engine for that application, as I think the fuel dilution issue would worry me a bit. I'm thinking that your experience with high revving for hill climbing is related to the Atkinson valve timing that's used for hybrid cars, including the Niro. They tend to not have as much low end torque. I'm planning on buying a Niro EV to replace our aging Nissan LEAF sometime in a year or so. I briefly toyed with the idea of the Niro PHEV as an alternative but have concluded that I'd prefer to maintain just one gasoline engine in my fleet. Thanks for your content.
Yes, the choice to go with a GDI engine is unfortunate. Really do love the powertrain layout. Really don't like the idea of intake valve carbon issues or fuel dilution. Time will tell, very happy with car overall.
@@KiaNiroPluginHybrid I admit, their driving the wheels with the electric motor thru the 6 speed transmission is really unique. It must be an interesting feeling. Here's a review you may not have seen: ua-cam.com/video/rHjQALdL0tc/v-deo.htmlsi=CYEWIlE7yU4jEsW-
I got an analysis from Blackstone on the initial oil change on my 2024 Niro PHEV at 3,327 miles. The results were very similar to those you reported earlier, copper at 29ppm, and silicone at 83ppm. Molybdenum, calcium, boron, etc were very similar. The report on my oil indicated 2.3 % fuel dilution, somewhat higher than your oil. Because I tend to drive on battery power much more than the gas engine, I wonder if gas is starting to accumulate in the crankcase. I'd think that gas (fuel) would be removed if the engine were run at operating temperature, by evaporation and then burned up through the EGR system. I took my first extended road trip up your way to watch the eclipse last week, quite spectacular! I averaged just under 52mpg on the 600 mile round trip, mostly I93 and Rt 3 in NH. The drive home was a painfully slow crawl for 6 hours! I have to say the car was thoroughly tested in slow speed, bumper to bumper traffic. I was somewhat concerned about the dual clutch transmission but the gas engine was mostly off and the car operated using the electric motor to move the car slowly so there was never a chance of overheating from slipping the clutch. I found for driving up short, steep hill climbs on the secondary roads, putting the car into sport mode made easy work of them.
Wow, great update, lots of info, thanks for taking the time, useful stuff. I would think the Positive Crankase Valve would allow some of this crankcase gas/fuel to be burned on intake... I believe these crankcase gasses are reintroduced near the intake valve at cylinder 3 ( I found a soft black carbon streak on the number 3 plug when I pulled them for a look at 7,000miles ). Believe it or not, the electric motor utilizes the 6 speed dual clutch just as the ICE engine does. The engine clutch can separate the ICE engine from the electric motor, but both get power to the wheels through the 6 speed transmission. I hear you about concerns slipping the automated clutch. I think at slow speed the electric motor can deliver power to the transmission and between gears much smoother than tracking the high RPM power band of our 1.6 liter engine transmission.
@@KiaNiroPluginHybrid I haven't pulled spark plugs yet, maybe before the next oil change. I am curious to see how they look as well as the combustion chamber. The use of the transmission with the electric motor works very well. I agree, the electric motor can provide plenty of torque at low rpm to move the car at slow speeds with very little clutch slippage, certainly less than would be required if the gas motor was running at its low rpm range of 1200 rpm or so. What i noticed while creeping along is the engine starts occasionally and runs at about a constant 1300 rpm to charge the high voltage battery in order for there to be enough battery charge to run the electric motor. The gas motor does not actually move the car at all in the low speed situations I encountered. If the car were a gas only powered vehicle, I think the DTC might suffer in stop and go traffic. I'm really impressed how well Kia designed and executed the power delivery system in this car.
Great reviews. Keep em coming. Can you periodically check the 12v battery? Looking at getting a Niro, but hate how Huyndais and Kias keep suffering from phantom battery drains. Had to jump my Ioniq hybrid battery once every few months.
Thanks for sharing all your info! I have a 2023 niro HEV. You seem to be very protective in your maintenance, have you ever thought about installing a catch can to help reduce build up on the valves that happens to GDI engines? I had to walnut blast the valves on my mazdaspeed and i’d be happy to never do a job like that again.
Yes, but elected not to go that route. Just don't know how effective it would be. I will do an endoscope of the cylinders looking back through the intake valves soon. Unfortunate that it is a GDI engine, but they are trying to squeeze the most out of every drop of fuel, I guess. Its not great news down the road.Thanks for the thoughts and comment.
My previous Kia w/ GDI had 85k (dreaded Theta 2) before I traded on my Niro hybrid. I did intake valve cleaning from 10k onwards every 10k to prevent the build up vs trying to battle the build up. If that makes sense. Berryman sells one with a kit that allows you hand free usage once it’s set up properly, empty’s can in 5-10 mins and once you drive it you see the white smoke like 10-15’ high and for a solid half of a mile before it tones down a bit. And again, that’s only at 10k intervals from new. Hope this helps! 😃✌️edit: I did scope my intakes at 50k or so and they were in fantastic shape. Just wanted to add that. I got 20k on my Niro did my second treatment recently, no scoping yet.
@@jsj297 Thanks for this insight... really proactive move there, seems smart.Need to look into this. So far I am very happy with this 1.6 liter engine. We are only at 18K but has been a good engine/trans combo so far. I will endoscope the back side of the intake valves as best we can, but I imagine we have some build up. Thank you!
Thx for the reviews - I have been doing some testing of my own related to the charging of the car - plz do some videos with a "kill-a-watt" meter as you charge - my testing has shown that the kw I'm getting from the wall plug are more than the battery can fit?? Doesn't make since? If you park the car at 10% on the PHEV screen you should only be able to charge it full with 9.99 Kw (90% of the 11.1 Kw battery) - my meter is showing that it sometimes takes over 13 Kw to completely charge the battery (so I'm going to pay for 13Kw and only get 9.99Kw worth of driving. Would be nice to have someone else confirm or object to my testing - where does all that extra Kw go????
There's going to be some inefficiencies in the system. There's apparently fans and such to keep the battery at the right temperature range while charging. The L1 charger box feels warm, so that means some energy lost there. And just converting electricity into lithium ions in the battery isn't 100% efficient either. I think I read that part could be 90% efficient. You're showing more loss than that overall, but it's still a whole lot better than gas engines, which are 30% efficient at converting stored fuel energy into motion.
I just did a quick test - at the "10" setting on the L1 A/C charger, it was only pulling 9.1 amps for me. I should do some more measurements at the various settings, and maybe at different temperatures. YMMV
I live in northern California which has some highways with decent hill climb grades. Any issues keeping highway speeds (65-75mph) while ascending hills? Love what you're doing with the channel. Cheers.
Zero issues. My morning work commute is through hilly Vermont and it is quite sporty if you ask me. The combined 180hp for a car that is 3500 lbs is smooth and strong in my experience. Climbing hills at speed is not a problem,,, I do however plan my car passing strategically. Adding 20 mph when your doing 50 already is not lightning fast, so you get to know the car, and pass the car in front of you when you have plenty of open road. For all the "ho, humm" ing about this cars power, I think it is quite nimble over all.
I have a 2018 Hyundai Ioniq PHEV, 48,000 miles. 60 HP EV motor, 6 speed dial clutch automatic transmission. The best MPG in hybrid mode and best miles per kilowatt in EV mode is at 64 mph, cruise control. 5 to 8 higher speeds achieve little as to trip time and really cut’s efficiency. I can get 60 mpg highway, my wife gets 51 mpg highway because she speeds, changes lanes, etc. In perspective, I can drive 100 miles more than her on 10 gals of fuel. Data verified by the car’s records. Kia/Hyundai share PHEV technology. Best of luck.
How do you find this in wintery cold conditions being in Vermont? Living in Canada a bit north of you and very interested in one. Forgive what may be an obvious answer, but does the Niro PHEV have a heat pump, or is heating supplied as normally with any other ICE? Any cold weather observations you would want to share? Thanks!!
I don't believe it has a heat pump. It has heated seats, and you can get a cold-weather package on the EX (standard on the SX) for heated steering wheel, etc. and that will help you feel warm without blasting a lot of air.
Hello, you talk about using Sport mode to recharge the battery. I tried on different occasions cruising at 70 and 80mph and I only manage to recharge to about 26-27%. I read on forums that you can fully charge the battery this way but never managed to go past the 27% even after dozens of minutes stuck. Did you try it ? Were you able to get more than 27% ? Thanks (Sorry english isn't my native language)
Hi, yes, this is a tricky thing to get reliable numbers on. It does appear that if the ICE engine is running and sustained at 2800-3400 rpm with little load (i.e.climbing hills) then the HSG (hybrid starter generator) can send 1000's of watts of power (up to 8000 watts) back to the battery back. I have never charged like this over 75% I believe. There are conditions when I have put 11 miles of range on the battery in around 15-20 miles of driving at around 28-32 mpg. Wish I could be more precise and technical in my understanding...but these numbers are not always accurate.
Skip the uhm uhm all the time, you don't need it and what is the table in the top left corner? It's pretty annoying. So for the rest I don't know I couldn't watch it.
This is how you know the guy is an actual Kia owner describing his own experience, and not a polished media influencer being paid to promote something.
Nice review. We are soon to cross 8,000 miles with one oil change. Also smelled a little bit of gasoline but the Blackstone labs oil report said everything was perfectly normal for the first ever oil change. Absolutely loving this vehicle.
When in EV mode, if you press and hold the mode button you can get into EV+, which prevents the engine from kicking in until you press the accelerator all the way to the floor.
Fascinating discovery with the EV mode button. I will try that. For its size, that electric motor is pretty impressive I would say. Thanks for the comment
Great review, thanks for sharing. Have not experienced the transmission late shifting issue, therefore I have zero complaints about the vehicle. Have 6,000km on the odometer and still have half of my original tank of gas…my commute is 30km return and it costs about $1.40 for the overnight 120v charge. This little gem has exceeded all expectations but like you, the proof is in the reliability and performance over the next several years. Cheers!
Nice! Yeah, so far, I am thrilled too. Getting into a warm comfy car (Winter work commute) of this design is so nice each morning. It has really been good to us. Very grateful so far
Really appreciate you doing this man! We're supposed to be getting our '23 Niro this week. Looking fwd to more videos!
I think you will really love it. We have had ours over 6 months and 12,000 miles and it still feels new.
@@KiaNiroPluginHybrid I'm excited to pick it up! I'll be checking back for more videos! Thanks again!!
About to get a 2024 tomorrow and found your channel. Grateful for the work you've done. Following with interest.
Thank you for your detailed videos. They've been really helpful for me as I've been trying to decide on this car. Just bought one. Really looking forward to driving it.
Please keep up the videos. I love the deep dive and research you've done. This powertrain PHEV and HEV (which I have) will prove to have excellent longevity if well maintained. I am personally concerned about the clutch actuator fluid being an Achilles heel (e.g. particulate in the reservoir), so I am looking closely at that. I have 24k after 12 months on my HEV and have changed the clutch fluid twice. My only design complaint is that with my trim package (with the fancy stereo), the designed space for aftermarket spare tire storage is unavailable due to the stereo amp. Out in the country, a spare tire on board is way more important - I've recently learned. After my tire was destroyed (bolt thru side wall) I put on Bridgestone blizzak unstudded snow tires that seem great in the PNW, but did reduce mileage by about 10% (5mpg), I will go back to a stock tire in late spring. Please keep thinking of ideas and posting. We love it.
Yup, I hear you, I changed my actuator fluid at 3,000 miles and it has started developing milky white sediment again around 9,000 miles. I am ordering a long syringe with thin clear tubing to do cleaner extractions. Changing this fluid may have to hand in hand with doing oil changes.
Good to hear your Niro has been running well and overall yo've had a positive experience. It sounds like the tire performance has been very good too, both gas mileage and traction. I'm curious to know if you had the oil analyzed again. Following your lead, I sent in a sample to Blackstone Lab recently, the first oil change on my 2024 Niro at about 3500 miles. If they analysis is significantly different than the results you got, I'll post them somewhere. I haven't noticed any prolonged shift intervals but haven't driven on hilly terrain yet. Generally, I think small engines run better at high rpm even if they might be annoyingly buzzy. But also, loading up an engine on an incline with too high a gear might lead to preignition (knocking) and something I'd try to avoid. I don't operate in sport mode often but I think if I were driving in the mountains I'd probably opt for manual shifting much of the time. Thanks for your report and hope to see your update at 20,000 miles.
Hi, yes I did one other analysis right after the first sample after only putting another 707 miles on the car to see how they would compare. The fuel dilution was under .5% so it barely registered and the rest of the numbers were (maybe obviously) very low and and in line with healthy oil. I will be doing another lab test when I get a full 5,000 miles on this AMSOIL 0W-16 hybrid oil I am now using. hoping to get good results from this next test. I am looking at other labs as well to compare samples from the same oil change, but I will need to find Blackstone competitors. OK, thanks for the comment. take care
Today is my first visit to your channel.
Living in Michigan, I'm jealous of your Vermont purchasing incentives.
We own a 2020 Honda Clarity PHEV, which we bought new. At that time it qualified for the $7500 federal tax credit. The Clarity mechanically is very different from how Hyundai/Kia does it with limited direct propulsion through the transaxle. I am grateful that Honda stuck with an indirect injection engine for that application, as I think the fuel dilution issue would worry me a bit.
I'm thinking that your experience with high revving for hill climbing is related to the Atkinson valve timing that's used for hybrid cars, including the Niro. They tend to not have as much low end torque.
I'm planning on buying a Niro EV to replace our aging Nissan LEAF sometime in a year or so. I briefly toyed with the idea of the Niro PHEV as an alternative but have concluded that I'd prefer to maintain just one gasoline engine in my fleet.
Thanks for your content.
Yes, the choice to go with a GDI engine is unfortunate. Really do love the powertrain layout. Really don't like the idea of intake valve carbon issues or fuel dilution. Time will tell, very happy with car overall.
@@KiaNiroPluginHybrid I admit, their driving the wheels with the electric motor thru the 6 speed transmission is really unique. It must be an interesting feeling.
Here's a review you may not have seen: ua-cam.com/video/rHjQALdL0tc/v-deo.htmlsi=CYEWIlE7yU4jEsW-
I enjoy your videos. How about an update buddy ?
I got an analysis from Blackstone on the initial oil change on my 2024 Niro PHEV at 3,327 miles. The results were very similar to those you reported earlier, copper at 29ppm, and silicone at 83ppm. Molybdenum, calcium, boron, etc were very similar. The report on my oil indicated 2.3 % fuel dilution, somewhat higher than your oil. Because I tend to drive on battery power much more than the gas engine, I wonder if gas is starting to accumulate in the crankcase. I'd think that gas (fuel) would be removed if the engine were run at operating temperature, by evaporation and then burned up through the EGR system. I took my first extended road trip up your way to watch the eclipse last week, quite spectacular! I averaged just under 52mpg on the 600 mile round trip, mostly I93 and Rt 3 in NH. The drive home was a painfully slow crawl for 6 hours! I have to say the car was thoroughly tested in slow speed, bumper to bumper traffic. I was somewhat concerned about the dual clutch transmission but the gas engine was mostly off and the car operated using the electric motor to move the car slowly so there was never a chance of overheating from slipping the clutch. I found for driving up short, steep hill climbs on the secondary roads, putting the car into sport mode made easy work of them.
Wow, great update, lots of info, thanks for taking the time, useful stuff. I would think the Positive Crankase Valve would allow some of this crankcase gas/fuel to be burned on intake... I believe these crankcase gasses are reintroduced near the intake valve at cylinder 3 ( I found a soft black carbon streak on the number 3 plug when I pulled them for a look at 7,000miles ). Believe it or not, the electric motor utilizes the 6 speed dual clutch just as the ICE engine does. The engine clutch can separate the ICE engine from the electric motor, but both get power to the wheels through the 6 speed transmission. I hear you about concerns slipping the automated clutch. I think at slow speed the electric motor can deliver power to the transmission and between gears much smoother than tracking the high RPM power band of our 1.6 liter engine transmission.
@@KiaNiroPluginHybrid I haven't pulled spark plugs yet, maybe before the next oil change. I am curious to see how they look as well as the combustion chamber. The use of the transmission with the electric motor works very well. I agree, the electric motor can provide plenty of torque at low rpm to move the car at slow speeds with very little clutch slippage, certainly less than would be required if the gas motor was running at its low rpm range of 1200 rpm or so. What i noticed while creeping along is the engine starts occasionally and runs at about a constant 1300 rpm to charge the high voltage battery in order for there to be enough battery charge to run the electric motor. The gas motor does not actually move the car at all in the low speed situations I encountered. If the car were a gas only powered vehicle, I think the DTC might suffer in stop and go traffic. I'm really impressed how well Kia designed and executed the power delivery system in this car.
Great reviews. Keep em coming. Can you periodically check the 12v battery? Looking at getting a Niro, but hate how Huyndais and Kias keep suffering from phantom battery drains. Had to jump my Ioniq hybrid battery once every few months.
Yeah, I will keep an eye on that. I have bumped into that issue while reading the KIA forums, but no issues to be found on my end yet. Thanks
Thanks for sharing all your info! I have a 2023 niro HEV. You seem to be very protective in your maintenance, have you ever thought about installing a catch can to help reduce build up on the valves that happens to GDI engines? I had to walnut blast the valves on my mazdaspeed and i’d be happy to never do a job like that again.
Yes, but elected not to go that route. Just don't know how effective it would be. I will do an endoscope of the cylinders looking back through the intake valves soon. Unfortunate that it is a GDI engine, but they are trying to squeeze the most out of every drop of fuel, I guess. Its not great news down the road.Thanks for the thoughts and comment.
My previous Kia w/ GDI had 85k (dreaded Theta 2) before I traded on my Niro hybrid. I did intake valve cleaning from 10k onwards every 10k to prevent the build up vs trying to battle the build up. If that makes sense. Berryman sells one with a kit that allows you hand free usage once it’s set up properly, empty’s can in 5-10 mins and once you drive it you see the white smoke like 10-15’ high and for a solid half of a mile before it tones down a bit. And again, that’s only at 10k intervals from new. Hope this helps! 😃✌️edit: I did scope my intakes at 50k or so and they were in fantastic shape. Just wanted to add that. I got 20k on my Niro did my second treatment recently, no scoping yet.
@@jsj297 thanks for that info! I’ll check out the berryman kit.
@@jsj297 Thanks for this insight... really proactive move there, seems smart.Need to look into this. So far I am very happy with this 1.6 liter engine. We are only at 18K but has been a good engine/trans combo so far. I will endoscope the back side of the intake valves as best we can, but I imagine we have some build up. Thank you!
Thx for the reviews - I have been doing some testing of my own related to the charging of the car - plz do some videos with a "kill-a-watt" meter as you charge - my testing has shown that the kw I'm getting from the wall plug are more than the battery can fit?? Doesn't make since? If you park the car at 10% on the PHEV screen you should only be able to charge it full with 9.99 Kw (90% of the 11.1 Kw battery) - my meter is showing that it sometimes takes over 13 Kw to completely charge the battery (so I'm going to pay for 13Kw and only get 9.99Kw worth of driving. Would be nice to have someone else confirm or object to my testing - where does all that extra Kw go????
Hi, excellent research. I'm trying to figure this out myself. I'll report back with any findings. Thanks
There's going to be some inefficiencies in the system. There's apparently fans and such to keep the battery at the right temperature range while charging. The L1 charger box feels warm, so that means some energy lost there. And just converting electricity into lithium ions in the battery isn't 100% efficient either. I think I read that part could be 90% efficient. You're showing more loss than that overall, but it's still a whole lot better than gas engines, which are 30% efficient at converting stored fuel energy into motion.
I just did a quick test - at the "10" setting on the L1 A/C charger, it was only pulling 9.1 amps for me. I should do some more measurements at the various settings, and maybe at different temperatures. YMMV
I live in northern California which has some highways with decent hill climb grades. Any issues keeping highway speeds (65-75mph) while ascending hills?
Love what you're doing with the channel. Cheers.
Zero issues. My morning work commute is through hilly Vermont and it is quite sporty if you ask me. The combined 180hp for a car that is 3500 lbs is smooth and strong in my experience. Climbing hills at speed is not a problem,,, I do however plan my car passing strategically. Adding 20 mph when your doing 50 already is not lightning fast, so you get to know the car, and pass the car in front of you when you have plenty of open road. For all the "ho, humm" ing about this cars power, I think it is quite nimble over all.
@@KiaNiroPluginHybrid Appreciate the reply. Thanks for answering and sharing your experience.
I have a 2018 Hyundai Ioniq PHEV, 48,000 miles. 60 HP EV motor, 6 speed dial clutch automatic transmission. The best MPG in hybrid mode and best miles per kilowatt in EV mode is at 64 mph, cruise control. 5 to 8 higher speeds achieve little as to trip time and really cut’s efficiency. I can get 60 mpg highway, my wife gets 51 mpg highway because she speeds, changes lanes, etc. In perspective, I can drive 100 miles more than her on 10 gals of fuel. Data verified by the car’s records. Kia/Hyundai share PHEV technology. Best of luck.
How do you find this in wintery cold conditions being in Vermont? Living in Canada a bit north of you and very interested in one. Forgive what may be an obvious answer, but does the Niro PHEV have a heat pump, or is heating supplied as normally with any other ICE? Any cold weather observations you would want to share?
Thanks!!
I don't believe it has a heat pump. It has heated seats, and you can get a cold-weather package on the EX (standard on the SX) for heated steering wheel, etc. and that will help you feel warm without blasting a lot of air.
Hello, you talk about using Sport mode to recharge the battery. I tried on different occasions cruising at 70 and 80mph and I only manage to recharge to about 26-27%. I read on forums that you can fully charge the battery this way but never managed to go past the 27% even after dozens of minutes stuck. Did you try it ? Were you able to get more than 27% ? Thanks (Sorry english isn't my native language)
Hi, yes, this is a tricky thing to get reliable numbers on. It does appear that if the ICE engine is running and sustained at 2800-3400 rpm with little load (i.e.climbing hills) then the HSG (hybrid starter generator) can send 1000's of watts of power (up to 8000 watts) back to the battery back. I have never charged like this over 75% I believe. There are conditions when I have put 11 miles of range on the battery in around 15-20 miles of driving at around 28-32 mpg. Wish I could be more precise and technical in my understanding...but these numbers are not always accurate.
Skip the uhm uhm all the time, you don't need it and what is the table in the top left corner? It's pretty annoying. So for the rest I don't know I couldn't watch it.
This is how you know the guy is an actual Kia owner describing his own experience, and not a polished media influencer being paid to promote something.
All people do sometimes is hate, huh? 😟😔