[JMench]

Has anyone else noticed that when you sometimes slow down at a traffic light or are driving very slow into a parking space the car sort of "lunges forward" It's like the engine just gets a little boost but it's enough to scare you. I know that when the brake is pressed in far enough the transmission goes into neutral to save on gas...when you release the engine puts itself into drive again. I feel like it's doing it a little too early, before I have my foot totally off the brake. Does this make sense to anyone else?

 

[fernando]

Has anyone else noticed that when you sometimes slow down at a traffic light or are driving very slow into a parking space the car sort of "lunges forward" It's like the engine just gets a little boost but it's enough to scare you. I know that when the brake is pressed in far enough the transmission goes into neutral to save on gas...when you release the engine puts itself into drive again. I feel like it's doing it a little too early, before I have my foot totally off the brake. Does this make sense to anyone else?

This happens to me too. It like jerks especially at stop signs and when driving into my garage. I speculate it might have something to do with the hill assist thing. If you accelerate a second or two after stopping it doesn't do it, but within less time it does. This is one thing I don't like with the car.

 

[KeriD]

Yes mine does this.

 

[JMench]

I'm assuming that is a normal thing but I'm hoping that when they have a firmware update for the engine/drive train that this gets addressed...I've almost hit a curb or two when this happened.

 

[PAULRIDES]

Now that you mention it --- like when pulling into the garage slowly, say stop and go, I do notice quick acceleration when Imlet the brake off or maybe when I touch the gas.

Maybe it's the torque from a electric motor vs if you are use to gas engine only.

I don't consider it a problem, just take it easy when making slow maneuvers.

 

[KIA4X]

Still deciding on whether to purchase a Niro Touring and I am concerned with this "surge" issue. Especially because multiple Owners are talking about it. As a current Optima owner with 262,000 miles and still running strong I want to make sure it is the right choice. My question is, does anyone out there have any seconds thought or buyers remorse about the purchase of the Niro? All I hear from a positive standpoint is the terrific mileage you are getting, but forget about it being a Hybrid and the mileage, but do you love the car so far? This would be my 5th Kia and just like some feedback.

 

[NJ Niro]

Still deciding on whether to purchase a Niro Touring and I am concerned with this "surge" issue. Especially because multiple Owners are talking about it. As a current Optima owner with 262,000 miles and still running strong I want to make sure it is the right choice. My question is, does anyone out there have any seconds thought or buyers remorse about the purchase of the Niro? All I hear from a positive standpoint is the terrific mileage you are getting, but forget about it being a Hybrid and the mileage, but do you love the car so far? This would be my 5th Kia and just like some feedback.

I've only had my Niro Touring for a week and just over 700 miles but I have zero regrets at this point. It's the exact type of vehicle I was looking for. I gave my 2012 Optima EX to my daughter. While I really enjoyed the Optima, I was wanting a vehicle with a higher sitting position and better MPG. The Niro fits all those things for me.

I have noticed the "surge" thing but it is really minor and only when pulling into a driveway or parking spot. It's a non-issue for me at this point.

 

[alexvtr]

I don't own a Niro (yet?) but I road tested one recently.
In my opinion, the surge described is typical of the dual clutch transmission.
I have the same type of transmission in my current car (VW).
If you are used to conventional transmissions (I.E. with a torque converter) or a CVT, a dual clutch will never be as smooth and seamless, especially at low speeds.
It's just the nature of the beast.
Keep in mind that by design, it's a manual transmission. So like a manual (even with a good driver), it can be jerky.

 

[warby]

I think @fernando might have nailed it with the suggestion that the lunging behaviour may be related to hill assist. The delay I see between taking my foot off the brake pedal and the abrupt "lunge" seems to be the same as when hill assist releases the brake. So the behaviour is pretty much what you'd expect if the hill assist feature kicked in on a level surface!

 

[Jay]

I don't own a Niro (yet?) but I road tested one recently.
In my opinion, the surge described is typical of the dual clutch transmission.
I have the same type of transmission in my current car (VW).
If you are used to conventional transmissions (I.E. with a torque converter) or a CVT, a dual clutch will never be as smooth and seamless, especially at low speeds.
It's just the nature of the beast.
Keep in mind that by design, it's a manual transmission. So like a manual (even with a good driver), it can be jerky.

With a conventional drive train, the clutch of a DCT has to do torque multiplication to get the car underway. Sometimes this is not too smooth with some DCT implementations. But with a P2 hybrid system (such as Ioniq and Hyundai) the electric motor always gets the car underway. The DCT clutches do not do torque multiplication. A smooth, torquey electric motor handles all low speed duty and getting the car underway. The hybrid drivetrain engineers wanted to simulate the stall speed of a conventional hydraulic torque converter to make the car seem more normal to those used to a conventional torque converter auto. The simulation, evidently, needs more work. I didn't notice this problem with my test drive of the Ioniq or Niro, but some owners of both complain about the abruptness of electric motor power just after releasing the brake.

 

[jmcging]

I pull into my garage slowly as it's a tight fit and yes, sometimes I need to stop and adjust and when you start up again it's almost like it wants to accelerate when all I want is a crawl.. Now that I know how it behaves, I've got it down, but coming from a Chevy with a known lag and take up experience, it took a bit to realize how it likes to move from a stop and adjust my driving to make use of it.

 

[lccobb]

I LOVE the car. I traded in a Cadillac XRS and would say that I am more pleased with driving the Niro that the SRX. The small lunge is not a problem, just a very small feeling of acceleration. I had never driven a hybrid until I did the trade and ordered a Niro Touring with the Performance package and they gave me an Optima Hybrid to drive for 6 weeks until my Niro arrived. now have 1700 miles and am loving it.

 

[Kleduc]

Yes (buyer's remorse). 3 month old Niro with 4500 miles. Experiencing engine stuttering at all speeds, only in gas mode, and once lost all acceleration power altogether. See JosephO's post in General Discussion, for engine misfire that does not trigger the Check Engine light. Going back to the dealer for the 2nd time this Friday... 1st time was "inconclusive" as the symptons were not bad enough (on a warm engine) for the tech to discern.

 

[reiner99]

I have the Niro Touring. I love it. Handles well, milage lives up to the ads, every creature comfort you could want, and all for a reasonable price. I don't notice the surge, or at least its not a really big surge - it more or less happens when the engine changes from electric to gas at slower speeds.

 

[Cdowns1]

I traded in my 2014 Optima EX and I am totally satisfied with my Niro Touring Advanced. The surge thing is not a problem, you just need to be aware of it!

 

[mmathras]

I am having the very same stuttering problem on our Niro--now with over 6100 miles on it. Brought the car in a month ago for diagnosis...but the local Kia service department could do nothing about the issue with no error codes coming up. Taking it back this coming Saturday for its first scheduled maintenance AND a second check into the stuttering problem. It almost feels like a cylinder is misfiring or perhaps an issue when waffling between EV and gas modes.

 

[jpear]

So far, haven't experienced any "surging/lunging" as described above. i love my Niro!

 

[PAULRIDES]

Discussed this surging, jerking, etc. with my son who recently bought a Sonata and has been on that FORUM. He got a buy on a slightly used 2016 from a dealer (I think like $24,000 - list is like $37,000 on new one like his top of line model full moon roof, etc.). I COULD BE OFF ON THOSE NUMBERS, going from memory.

On the Sonata FORUM - There is talk about an extra Charcoal Filter (along with the paper air filter) and removing that helped with acceleration and smooth operation.

He sent this:

On the hyundai the second air filter is inside the cover you remove to get to bigger main one. It is charcoal pre filter for possibly capturing oil particles from crankcase before they hit the paper filter. Everyone on Sonata forum says better acceleration and no jerkiness.

 

[bicepeak]

Discussed this surging, jerking, etc. with my son who recently bought a Sonata and has been on that FORUM. He got a buy on a slightly used 2016 from a dealer (I think like $24,000 - list is like $37,000 on new one like his top of line model full moon roof, etc.). I COULD BE OFF ON THOSE NUMBERS, going from memory.

On the Sonata FORUM - There is talk about an extra Charcoal Filter (along with the paper air filter) and removing that helped with acceleration and smooth operation.

He sent this:

On the hyundai the second air filter is inside the cover you remove to get to bigger main one. It is charcoal pre filter for possibly capturing oil particles from crankcase before they hit the paper filter. Everyone on Sonata forum says better acceleration and no jerkiness.

Interesting fix. Would be cool to have this be the solution to everyone that has this problem on the Niro.

 

[Mechdork]

I think we're discussing two completely separate problems in this thread.

From what I've been reading the first is a "misfire" or "surging/lack of power" at speed. I'm guessing that they've had a few issues with the ignition systems on these. Luckily I haven't had any problems yet with that.

The second issue is a "surge" or "quick acceleration" at very slow speeds... we're talking like under 2MPH here. This is something I experience very regularly and I'm fairly convinced it's a programming "glitch" that will hopefully get corrected in a computer update in the near future.

I notice it most when doing a "rolling stop" maneuver.. like at a stop sign or of a car in front of me decides to start going right as I'm coming to a stop. I get down to almost a creep (under 2mph maybe even slower) and even if I take my foot off the brake pedal it still continues to come to a stop. The second it stops moving it will then accelerate a bit if your foot is not on the brake... nothing dramatic but it can really catch you off guard if you're not expecting it! It's almost as if the computer is convinced that you want to come to a complete stop and there's nothing you can do to change its mind. Seems very strange.

I experience this equally in both normal AND sport mode.