This post was originally published on Autocar
Second generation of electrified compact crossover gains some much-needed style and attitude
With the Kia Niro, the Korean company beat most of its rivals to the wildly popular segment of small SUVs – and did so with reasonably priced hybrid options and an electric car with a long range.And that highlights something quite unusual about this car: there has always been a Niro Hybrid, a Niro Plug-in Hybrid and a Niro EV. Accommodating both combustion engines and big battery packs on the same platform can lead to an unhappy compromise, but the original Niro (2016-2022) managed to be both a convincing hybrid and an impressive EV when it came out, and this second-generation model aims to do the same.With this Mk2 Niro, though, Kia has more competition to be worried about, with a whole glut of rivals with all kinds of electrified powertrains. New arrivals in the class seem to arrive every week, and in the case of Kia itself it has since launched another similarly sized electric car to the Niro EV just two years after our test subject was launched in the shape of the Kia EV3. Progress is fast in the compact crossover world. For now, the Niro EV is the biggest seller in the range, with the hybrid close behind it. The PHEV sells in tiny numbers. It’s the two hybrid versions that are the subject of this review.