[sailmaster]

Hi Group
Looking seriously to buy a 2023 Kia Niro base EX Hybrid. Drove one today. We love the car. Looking for reviews regarding the good and the bad [if there is any].
Thanks in advance

 

[SDeemer]

For me, improved sound-absorbing front door window glass, H-K sound system, heated steering wheel, driver seat memory (my wife and I are fairly different in size), perforated/ventilated upholstery, power folding mirrors, and power liftgate were well worth the added cost of the SX. The only downside to the H-K sound system is that it puts a subwoofer box over the wheel well where a spare would be (except that Kia doesn't offer a spare for any trim).

 

[sailmaster]

For me, improved sound-absorbing front door window glass, H-K sound system, heated steering wheel, driver seat memory (my wife and I are fairly different in size), perforated/ventilated upholstery, power folding mirrors, and power liftgate were well worth the added cost of the SX. The only downside to the H-K sound system is that it puts a subwoofer box over the wheel well where a spare would be (except that Kia doesn't offer a spare for any trim).

Would a compact spare fit in that well.

 

[SDeemer]

The only way a spare will fit would be if I removed the Harmon Kardon subwoofer. The car (like all 2023 Niros) comes with a flat fix kit.

I have had three flat tires on cars in the past 2 decades. If something happens, what I do will depend on where I am at the time. If I am near a town, I'll fill the damaged tire and look for a tire shop. If I am in a remote area, I'll call Kia's 800 number for help and wait.

About 15 years ago, I had a catastrophic flat after a piece of oak penetrated through two steel belts of the rear tire on a motorcycle while riding on Skyline Drive in Virginia. Fortunately, after waiting by the side of the road for 4 hours, a tow truck finally came by to rescue me before the sun set.

 

[sc489]

Would a compact spare fit in that well.

Yes, I just bought the approved Kia compact wheel & tyre in the UK for my HEV but it cost £280. There are cheaper compact wheels & tyres available in the UK which claim to fit but are not the size recommended by Kia.

 

[SDeemer]

As you can see, the H-K subwoofer fills about 1/3 of the spare tire well:

​

 

[clhyer]

The wife & I just purchased a '23 EX about two weeks ago. I would love to have the memory seats...
As of now we really like the car. Bought it out of state (FLA), got 49.6 mpg driving home. Been averaging 52.6 since.
Shop around! All the dealers we talked with in Georgia wanted to tack on $1500-$3000 "market adjustment". Drove to Florida, night in hotel, good restaurants, drive home & still saved thousands!

 

[FlNiro]

The wife & I just purchased a '23 EX about two weeks ago. I would love to have the memory seats...
As of now we really like the car. Bought it out of state (FLA), got 49.6 mpg driving home. Been averaging 52.6 since.
Shop around! All the dealers we talked with in Georgia wanted to tack on $1500-$3000 "market adjustment". Drove to Florida, night in hotel, good restaurants, drive home & still saved thousands!

What dealer did you get it at in Fl.?

 

[clhyer]

Got it at Orange Park Kia in Jacksonville. If you want to contact them ask for Kelton Powell or Sarah Mitchell. It was a good car buying experience for us.

 

[dblackfl]

Got it at Orange Park Kia in Jacksonville. If you want to contact them ask for Kelton Powell or Sarah Mitchell. It was a good car buying experience for us.

Speaking of new ones in FL, yesterday I went to Deland Kia and test drove a green '23 PHEV EX. I was also in town to see what Honda was test-driving at the motorcycle dealer down the street. Too bad they didn't have it charged (so it drove as an HEV). Of course they wanted to make a sale that day. Chatting with him, I believe the rep would have sold it to me at MSRP or slightly below.

This was my second test drive of a '23 PHEV EX. Overall a good impression - differences vs. my '21: a little more power (motor+ICE), ICE is quieter, more regen options incl. hold left paddle to stop (liked that). More room under the hatch for the battery moving to under the rear seats. Overall many well-considered yet incremental improvements - good job Kia! The added EV range - nice yet what I have suffices so I'm not paying for more. Add yet another 10 mi and maybe we'll talk. Exterior styling improved yet also now looks even more like every other CUV on the road. I'm actually starting to more like the quirky gen 1 rear end for its uniqueness. Dislikes: the dashboard redesign - still prefer the gen 1 setup - this looks cheap (sorry), and the display layout in front of me was less intuitive, a step backwards. Regen settings on that display were almost illegible - too much info in a tiny space. That non-metallic green color doesn't float my boat either and looked terrible with Florida spring pollen and dirt on it. Still not enough for me to shell out another 13K on an est. 22.5K trade-in, sales tax deductible yet loss of the tax credit.

 

[FlNiro]

Deland Kia, is VERY good. They always treat me very good in service. I bypass Daytona Kia to go there. Also Deland Kia gives you free oil changes for life. The same owner also owns Daytona Toyota and Palm Coast Ford so you can get your free oil changes at any of the dealerships

 

[adhack]

Too bad they didn't have it charged (so it drove as an HEV).

Unless someone just drove the car, it’s ridiculous for a dealership to not have at least one PHEV charged up enough for someone to get a decent test drive. Same thing happened to me. When I went back a second time I called the day before and asked to have it charged up. It was and I bought it.

 

[dblackfl]

Unless someone just drove the car, it’s ridiculous for a dealership to not have at least one PHEV charged up enough for someone to get a decent test drive. Same thing happened to me. When I went back a second time I called the day before and asked to have it charged up. It was and I bought it.

His excuse was they have a number of (PH)EVs, one EVSE, and this one hadn't been on for a while "in the rotation." My take is no one indicated an interest in the car since it was last driven to HEV mode and it was forgotten.

Same thing happened for the used one I bought. Like you, I told them only way I'd seriously consider it is to get in again fully charged, and to let me drive it to test EV range. They got it ready next day and I bought it the following.

Very busy at the Deland dealership yesterday, most deal desks occupied. Too bad they're an hour's drive away give or take. If and when I go shopping for another Kia, it's likely I'd make the trek.

 

[stargate125645]

As you can see, the H-K subwoofer fills about 1/3 of the spare tire well:

View attachment 8344​

​

Is there a way to change the wiring to go to an external subwoofer in a custom enclosure? That would free up the well for a spare. Of course, you'd have to figure out how to tie down the enclosure.

 

[craigabben]

No one helped. 🙁 I have an ex. I test drove both an ex and sx. I decided to save 3 grand or so and went with the ex. The car is great. Very quiet road noise inside, handling and ride are very smooth. The semi automatic driving is amazing. I set the cruise speed and the following distance and the car essentially drove itself for an hour on the freeway. I even hit stop and go traffic and it slowed almost to a stop and it steered and followed the car in front of me flawlessly. I'm usually a great driver but was distracted the other week and the front end collision warning system probably saved me from rear ending someone. The safety features are amazing. Make sure to buy a wireless android auto unit(50bucks) that plugs into the USB plug and makes it android wireless rather than corded. I'd say the only thing I wish it had was the upgraded sound system and seat memory. For me that wasn't quite worth the extra money for the sx. My only dislikes of the car are the dual function controls for the heat and stereo controls. Not a big deal since I mainly use the steering wheel. Don't expect the gas mileage to be as advertised. They never are. In real world driving I get 43 to 52 depending on how cold it is and trip length. Very short and frequent trips of a few miles here and there drives the mileage way down since it has to re warm the car to heat it every time. This makes the engine run more than it needs to. I bet once it's warm out here I will do much better. I took it fully loaded on a ski trip and still got 45 mpg on a few hundred miles. Overall great car and recommend it. good luck.