[blinkme323]

Hi everyone!

My wife is currently in the market for a new vehicle and is having really tough time deciding between a Niro EX and a Rav-4 XLE Hybrid. Obviously, the Niro provides much better MPG, but by the same token, the Rav has AWD and more cargo volume.

Any thoughts on this one / has anyone gone through a similar decision making process? It's truly 50/50 right now...

Thanks

 

[jmcging]

I did much the same and my Niro Touring was driven off the truck today for me to pickup Wednesday. What made a difference for me was that while I wanted AWD, I also wanted the type and kinds of safety and tech features the Kia had at their price point. I'm going from a Equinox, and wanted smaller because 95% of the time, all I'm doing is hauling and heating empty space by myself. Smaller for me is simply better. And while having more space is nice if you need it, do you really need it? I've survived without AWD for 60 years, figured it was a tradeoff I could live with. And in that car category, I looked more at the pricier SE and Limited versions. Comparing those to a Touring was more equivalent. Point is that I've lived with capacity and found I simply wasn't using it. May find that after having the nIro I want more than it offers but I suspect not. And found that AWD wasn't a must have. Good luck.

 

[PAULRIDES]

So many things to consider and I did not.

I just liked the looks of the NIRO and thought about the MPG (not that we will save that mush when only driving 10K to 12K miles a year).

We don't go 4 wheeling and live in Knoxville area (generally mild winters where typically winter events only last a day or three). And, we are retired, so don't have to get out and about. So, just stay off the slick roads. In the past I have a set of Cable Chains for Emergency Situations.

AWD may get you around, but does not help you stop and does not keep the other idiots from colliding with you. So, that need depends on where you live and if you have to go.

I really did not price things too much --- but I think the NIRO is priced OK for a HYBRID with the safety features I got (I don't have everything on the EX) at $29586 discounted $2000.

Friend of mine drove my NIRO and liked it. Then he shopped everything and went with the HONDA CRV with I think everything on it (even sort of self steering --- it gives him an alarm that 'driver input' is needed). I have no ideas what he paid, probably negotiated more than I did.

He has been getting from 34 MPG to 36 MPG for about the same kind of driving I do (I got 51.4 first fill up and 53.6 second fill up). My guess is those MPG's will come closer together on trips, but we don't do a lot of trip driving. Then he does not have the complexity of a HYBRID system.

So, a lot to consider and what your needs are. Does not matter too much what someone else does, but does give food for thought.

 

[Ottyo]

Rav4 Hybrid vs the Niro

I bought a 2016 RAV4 XLE Hybrid last fall. When my wife needed to replace her Prius V last month we looked at options. She initially wanted to get another Prius V, but we discovered the Niro and after much consideration, research and many test drives we ended up buying a Niro EX with tech package. So far we are very happy with it. Here's my comparison between the RAV4 Hybrid and the Niro

RAV4
Pros:
Nice quiet ride, handles well has good pick-up
Comfortable interior and nice dashboard layout
Reasonable towing capability for a hybrid
Cons:
Terrible headlights (problem totally solved by replacing halogen bulbs with LED bulbs)Nice easy to use LCD display.
Cargo space utility is affected by the fact that the rear seats do not fold totally flat due to the hybrid batteries being under the seats.
Dashboard air vents push out minimal air. Had service check it and they could not find any issue causing it.
Good gas mileage (33-35 MPG)


Niro
Pros:
Lots of nice features including Apple Play, however, I like the RAV4 screen layout and function much better. I use a CD Player cell phone holder to display my cell phone to use maps. Waze and Google Maps are better than Apple Maps in my opinion.
Comfortable seats
Great seat heaters
Good heating system (haven't tried air yet)
Drives very nicely
Handles well
Nice flat cargo area
Much better warranty
Outstanding gas mileage (45-51 MPG)


Cons:
Busy, less than convenient main dashboard LCD display.
Other than the fact that it is a new model there have been no other cons that we have found yet.


Summary:


Both are great cars. Toyota seems to be slipping in it's refinement. Kia uses chimes to notify driver, Toyota uses obnoxious buzzers. I think you would do well with either vehicle. If you need to tow, the RAV4 would be the better choice. If you are ok with a slightly smaller cargo capacity, partly compensated for by a flat floor, than the Niro would be ideal particularly with the better gas mileage. Finally, the Niro safety features seem to be better engineered than Toyota's. For example the adaptive cruise control works much better than Toyota's which cuts out at 30 mph.

 

[Jay]

The RAV4 hybrid and Niro aren't really in the same category. The Rav4 hybrid and the new Honda CRV with the 1.5t are. The CRV will beat the Rav4 hybrid in highway FE and come pretty close in city FE. Those are the two you should be looking at if you need 4WD.