[Tubaryan12]

I had the good fortune yesterday to stop by the Spitzer Kia in Cleveland, OH and they had their training Niro in the showroom. It was unlocked and I got to sit in it. I am currently in a Kia Soul, and I am a former Rondo owner. This car looks and feels like the love child of a Rondo and a Forte 5. As far as I'm concerned, it is perfect in every way. High enough off the ground to make entering and exiting easy. It has plenty of front seat leg room. The cargo area behind the 2nd row seats is large. It is better than I could have imagined. It will be my next car provided the price isn't too high with the features I want. If it is, I'll wait until a used one comes available.

 

[Broncos]

Please tell me you took some pictures ! Lucky duck, thanks for the insight though, that's greatly appreciated !

 

[Alex]

Have you by any chance been in any other vehicles in the segment? That's the sort of comparison i'm looking more for at the moment. Would be great if you did since a lot of us are deciding and comparing models.

 

[Tubaryan12]

I have no pictures. Pretty much, it looks like every picture that is on the web when you Google Kia Niro. I didn't notice any changes.

The only other vehicle in the segment I've been in is the Ford C-Max. The Niro will have much better cargo capacity than the C-Max. The Ford has a more upright seating position, but the Niro is not bad. The Ford feels more like the Rondo from the driver's seat, and the Niro feels more like the Forte, but higher off the ground.

 

[Tubaryan12]

By the way, on the Kia website, it lists the dealerships where a demo model will be. I have a couple in my area to look at, including the dealership where I purchased my Soul.

 

[Neuron]

It seems to be only available in the states, can't even find the Niro page on the Canadian website. Too bad they didn't let you turn it on to play with the infotainment system.

 

[Broncos]

Hopefully the infotainment system isn't subjected to bugs like majority of the new cars coming out are now.

 

[Alex]

We'll just have to deal with them as they come up but I rather have infotainment problems than problems with say the powertrain, drivetrain, suspension, etc. and unfortunately being a new vehicle those latter areas will be also something prone to problems. New car woes.

 

[Broncos]

That is true. Plan on waiting a year or so for them to fix "some" of the kinks ?

 

[Alex]

I'll give it about 6 months or so, by then a number of batches should be out, providing a good sample size of Niro's to really have a say in if I want to make a move at that point or hold back a bit longer. At the end of the day that's what its all about.... volume.

 

[Broncos]

True.. once there's a good amount out there and enough owners have had them for a 6 month period of time, a bit of the issues should surface. At least if we can wait out a few early hitters, it'll be beneficial. Prices would be a little lower too hopefully and maybe some new incentives ?

 

[KiaKrazy]

Prices will definitely be lower after 6 months, especially after a year. But you'll still be getting some of the first batchers without fixes. They'll just be TSBs that you'll have to take back if you find the symptoms. The only reason I'll be waiting the 6 months is to see what issues I MAY have to deal with. If the issues are too serious and could inconvenience me enough, I'll have to pass for now and maybe tackle one the year later.