[Administrator]

If you can share a few things about your ownership of the Kia Niro, what would it be? The most liked or hated, share them with every one I am sure you won't be the only one.

 

[PAULRIDES]

I like it so far (6000 plus miles) with only some symptom of the stuttering, suging, whatever thing.

That said, when I see some problems posted on here - mainly the surging, stuttering, mis firing SERIOUS ISSUES, but other things also (handles breaking off, displays going wacky), I AM VERY CONCERNED about my decision to buy this in FEB.

Seldom do I at 78 years old fall in love with a new model and at early release (first of two at a local dealer) to trade without my usual negotiations ( did get a $2000 discount and fair trade value for mine - not great but fair), -- I feel dumb or at least immature as was about 50 or 60 years ago.

 

[jpear]

I like it so far (6000 plus miles) with only some symptom of the stuttering, suging, whatever thing.

That said, when I see some problems posted on here - mainly the surging, stuttering, mis firing SERIOUS ISSUES, but other things also (handles breaking off, displays going wacky), I AM VERY CONCERNED about my decision to buy this in FEB.

Seldom do I at 78 years old fall in love with a new model and at early release (first of two at a local dealer) to trade without my usual negotiations ( did get a $2000 discount and fair trade value for mine - not great but fair), -- I feel dumb or at least immature as was about 50 or 60 years ago.

I feel same as you, Paul. I'm apprehensive about the reliability/dependability/longevity of the Kia Niro. I don't think it was quite ready for rime time roll out!
I'm HOPING there will be software updates that will eliminate the stuttering problem. The handles are a big concern...Kia did something wrong here...

 

[NJ Niro]

I had my first experience with the automatic braking collision avoidance system in the Touring w/tech. The car gave me the warning beeps and then I hit the brakes but not enough according to the car. I slammed to a complete stop and momentarily had no control over the car. It was a little scary and I was worried the car behind me was going to hit me since it took a second or two to be able to get back moving again.

I'm glad I have the technology but it is definitely a little weird. I hope I need to use it again.

 

[bicepeak]

I haven't heard anyone mention this, but I really love that the Niro has a height adjustable PASSENGER seat. That is rare on a car in this price range

 

[CoffeeNiro]

The rear cross traffic collision warning is super-terrific. Mine has the auto braking collision avoidance, but luckily have yet to trigger that. I've been waiting (and WAITING) for a hybrid to replace a 2000 Honda CR-V and never loved the Prius look. Hopefully I won't miss the stability I feel in snowy conditions in the CR-V. I looked at the hybrid RAV4 last year, but could not get past the rear cargo not being remotely flat with the seats down (and the price was way more than a fully loaded Niro). Only downside so far with the Niro is that I've not fully closed the hatch on two occasions. Even at the dealership, the battery was run down because it hadn't been fully closed overnight. Has anyone else done that? It's nice that the car reserves just enough juice to get it going in that instance.

 

[Dar1]

Do any of you know if this car has any expensive problems like that battery in the Toyota Prius? That adds significantly to the cost of a car, and pretty much negates what you saved in fuel that made you want a Prius in the first place.

I'm a single girl, no kids, and I need fuel economy because of a long work commute. The crappy little truck I drive now is 18 years old and isn't going to last much longer, so I'm researching what to get next. Everything I've read about the Kia Niro is leading me to consider it, unless you guys can recommend something better. I would love another truck, but I'm not seeing any hybrid, super-fuel efficient small pick-ups in the near future.

 

[RedWouldForrest]

Niro's 10-year warranty on the battery should alleviate the battery issue, but...

If your commute is mostly highway miles at 75 MPH+, you won't get very good MPG in the Niro - at least, I don't.

I put on 1 mile in town to every 40+ miles on the highway, and I've never achieved better than 36 MPG/tank. I drive CONSERVATIVELY and NONAGGRESSIVELY.

Personally, I'm looking into getting rid of my Niro ASAP and maybe getting a 1980's VW Rabbit Diesel Pickup, which gets 55+ MPG. After the cost of engine & tranny rebuilds and any other reconditioning necessary, I'll be getting back roughly $10,000 on the vehicle swap, plus I'll be saving thousands per year in fuel as well.

But keep in mind I'm doing this because I strongly dislike new cars, the Niro included. I want to get REAL fuel savings for my situation, which the Niro has failed to achieve for me. I want to put my own stereo in my car, which I cannot do with the Niro. I want to be able to have complete control over the vents used with the heat/ac, which I cannot do with the Niro.

In short, buying a new car was a costly mistake for me. I suggest very careful consideration before pulling the trigger.

 

[fredct]

When I put my 2017 Niro EX in cruise control at 70-72 mph on the highway, I get 45-46 mpg typically. It was a little better in the warm weather I think. Not sure if there's a big dropoff between 70 and 75 mpg.

Might be an interesting experiment to try cruise control at a few different speeds and see how it impacts your mpg readout for that trip.

Not sure how long your commute is, but if it's 40 miles one way, then your time difference between 70 and 75 mpg is just a smidge over 2 minutes.

 

[RedWouldForrest]

I don't drive 75+ due to being in a rush but due to safety concerns. At 75, the big rigs fly past me all day long. I just try to keep up with traffic the best I can, this means driving usually over 80.

 

[fredct]

I don't drive 75+ due to being in a rush but due to safety concerns. At 75, the big rigs fly past me all day long. I just try to keep up with traffic the best I can, this means driving usually over 80.

While I understand, that does make sense, wind resistance is proportional to speed cubed, so the difference may be substantial. So even though 80 mph is only ~14% faster than 70 mph, it's ~49% more wind resistance (1.15^3 = 1.49). So even all other factors equal, a drop of ~35% in mpg is not unexpected. Meaning 50 mpg becomes 35 pretty easily.

If you're going 85, that's 80% more force from the wind meaning a drop of almost 50% mpg potentially (really ~45%, but who's counting).


Now I'm no expert on old cars, but the MPG ratings back before ~2007 did not test cards going faster than 55 mph, so old fuel economy ratings are greatly inflated compared to the newer ones. Now the gov't has gone ahead and used a best approach to adapt to new standards. Searching for VW Rabbits on FuelEconomy.gov yields a best case of 35 city/43 highway based on current definitions (which was originally advertised as 47/61).

But that 35/43 is attempting to simulate the same testing that got the Niro it's mid-upper 40s. It may well be that your personal experience is better with that car, and if so, by all means have at it. But unless you've tested it out at 80+ mph, I wouldn't start counting on it.

https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/PowerSearch.do?action=noform&path=1&year1=1984&year2=1989&make=Volkswagen&baseModel=Rabbit&srchtyp=ymm

 

[RedWouldForrest]

Yep, the 55+ I spouted is, in fact, based on my personal experience with one I owned in the past & did the math on every tankful.

Been dying to get another ever since it died (at just over 350,000 miles). I really should have kept it & rebuilt. Best vehicle I've ever owned, by far.

 

[Dar1]

My poor little Ford Ranger pick-up has 400,000 miles and I've had so many expensive breakdowns the past few years (incompetent mechanic left the oil drain plug off ($3000), transmission died ($2200), heater control valve blew which then ruined the heads ($2200), I could go on...) that my family is terrified of me getting stranded again and frankly I'm sick and tired of all this happening. Last week it was the clutch fan; it's something different ever few weeks. Every time I did an expensive repair job, I was hopeful that took care of expensive problems for a while, but no such luck. I've got to continue patching it up at least until the end of next year when my house is paid off. The house note is the reason I couldn't take on another note for a car, back when the first expensive problem happened. I really wish I could run over the incompetent who left the drain plug off, because it seemed like after that everything started falling apart.

I really like the looks of the 4-cylinder Rangers they're going to start manufacturing later this year for the US market, but MPG in those isn't going to be that great. My commute to work is 40 miles one way, most of it on interstate. It takes me 45 minutes to get to work because a chunk of it is slow driving on back roads before I get to the interstate, and I'm keeping my speed to 65 and below because my front end starts shimmying above 65 (probably tire out of balance). I'm trying to be as gentle on this poor thing as possible and stretch it out as long as possible.

 

[RedWouldForrest]

If you keep your speed @ 65 or below, you'll get much better MPG in a Niro than I do.

 

[RedWouldForrest]

Also, the Niro gets its best MPG on the back roads going slow. My LX is "rated" 46 MPG Highway and 51 MPG City, this is NOT a typo. Those that live in town & drive less highway miles DEFINITELY get better MPG than those who have long high-speed highway commutes.

 

[fredct]

Also, the Niro gets its best MPG on the back roads going slow. My LX is "rated" 46 MPG Highway and 51 MPG City, this is NOT a typo. Those that live in town & drive less highway miles DEFINITELY get better MPG than those who have long high-speed highway commutes.

Some of us drive on highways at city speeds (not by choice ;-) ). That's actually the time I find I get the *best* mileage. Highway driving in traffic allows for more gentle speed up and more coasting which way outperforms city where there's no lights with harder acceleration when it turns green.

 

[RedWouldForrest]

100% agreed. Thanks for clarifying & correcting my statement, those who are considering a Niro will find this info useful.

 

[tonepad]

I haven't heard anyone mention this, but I really love that the Niro has a height adjustable PASSENGER seat. That is rare on a car in this price range

THIS....is a big thing that we happened accidentally figure out. BTW it is not listed in the manual as a passenger seat adjustment. The book only refers to the Driver's seat. BUT in my Touring model the passenger side includes these manual "Driver's" adjustment for height. It's the bigger of the 2 levers and you just pull it up a few times and voila the P seat comes up about an inch or so. We first ran into this weird S. Korean "design" flaw when we rented a Kia several years ago. I had forgotten about this issue until my wife sat in my brand new '18 Touring yesterday. "OMG" she cried "it's like the crappy Rio we rented". Did a quick Google search and saw there are after market raise kits but I felt that with the cooling/heating seat options in the Touring config that might be a iffy hack. THEN I noticed the P seat lever and lo and behold the seat is a normal 5'.7" wife's height. She now fully loves the Niro as do I of course since the Driver's electric options are superb and well beyond the last 3 cars I've had. Things to not take for granted. It's not mentioned much on this Forum but it can turn out to be a big deal upon someone's first discovery so let's spread the word. Again unlisted as a P seat adjustment in the 2 inch Owner's book!!

 

[NNolan]

Just out of curiosity, do other Kia models have side view mirrors that fold in and out when you lock/unlock the doors, or is the Niro the only one that can "wiggle its ears"? I haven't seen any other Kia models in the parking lot at work with folded-in mirrors, but it's probably not a representative sample of late-model Kias.

 

[csj78748]

If you can share a few things about your ownership of the Kia Niro, what would it be? The most liked or hated, share them with every one I am sure you won't be the only one.

I love the mileage! I've had my Niro PHEV LX for a little over a month, have put about 1075 miles on it, and am still on my original tank of gas from the dealer (it's about 1/4 tank now). Most of my driving is city-driving and my daily commute to work is just under 8 miles each way (a very slow 8 miles some morning, but PHEV does great in in gridlock!). So far the only minor annoyance I've had is when I accidentally dropped my wallet between the driver's seat and center console.... it was incredibly difficult to retrieve!

I recall seeing some invention on Shark Tank that was designed to fill that gap---I may be looking into getting one of those.