The new 2022 Kia Niro features a striking redesign, enhanced technology and a choice of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric powertrains
- Second-generation Niro features a striking new design
- Three levels of engine electrification confirmed
- On sale later this year
The 2022 Kia Niro has been confirmed with three levels of engine electrification, along with new technology and dimensions for its clean sheet design.
The next-generation Niro is expected to arrive in showrooms later this year, rivalling popular family SUVs like the Ford Kuga, Nissan Qashqai and Toyota C-HR. It’s a substantial departure from the current model, with striking styling, more interior space, new technology and improved practicality.
Kia has integrated several eco-friendly materials into the design of the new Niro and confirmed that it’ll be available with a choice of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric powertrains.
2022 Kia Niro SUV: design, dimensions and practicality
The exterior of the new Niro has been given a complete redesign influenced by the 2019 Kia Habaniro concept car. The nose features Kia’s signature ‘tiger face’ grille design, headlights mounted lower than before complete with an angular LED daytime running light design, and a large lower air intake. It also features a sculpted ‘clamshell’ style bonnet with a raised centre section.
The design makes the car look wider and this is complemented by black bodywork cladding and silver accents on the lower sections of the car, together with a pair of new alloy wheel designs. Other design touches include a black contrasting rear C-pillar, which features a new boomerang shaped vertical tail light design mounted at the top of the panel and an angular rear hatch.
Buyers will be able to personalise the new Niro in a choice of nine exterior colours, including the distinctive Cityscape Green shade seen here. There are also a choice of six contrasting colours for the rear C-Pillars, and three finishes for the bodywork cladding.
The new car is also larger than the outgoing model, measuring in at 65mm longer, 20mm taller and 10mm wider. It also features a 20mm-longer wheelbase (the distance between the front and rear wheels), which now measures 2,720mm. As a result of the increased dimensions, the brand says the new Niro is more spacious than before. Boot space has also been improved, increasing to 451 litres in the hybrid model, an improvement of 15 litres over the old car. A front stowage area will be available on the fully electric variant, bringing the total storage space to 495 litres.
Interior and technology
The dashboard shares plenty of design cues with the EV6, with a similar two-spoke steering wheel and dashboard design. The centrepiece is the dual-screen set-up, which merges the digital dial cluster and central infotainment into a single housing to give the appearance of a single ultrawide screen. In higher-spec models, this set-up will comprise a pair of 10.25-inch screens, which will feature sharper graphics designed to make the system more user-friendly.
Beneath this is a touch-sensitive control panel featuring a pair of rotary dials, together with a circular gear selector, an adjustable cupholder and a smartphone charging pad. The Niro EV will also feature a KIA Connect system that shows charge status and enables route planning to consider potential charge stations along the way. There are diagonal air vents in the upper section of the dash, along with ambient interior mood lighting capable of displaying up to 74 colour combinations.
The interior uses an array of recycled materials, including headlining made from recycled wallpaper, Bio PU (faux leather) seat upholstery derived from eucalyptus leaves and a water-based paint finish on the door panels, with a choice of seven upholstery finishes. Elsewhere, the front seats feature a new lightweight mechanism making them slimmer than the current car’s, which helps improve interior space, as well as USB sockets and rear-mounted coat hangers. Kia has also incorporated what they call a ‘special relaxation’ setting into the front passenger seat, which can fully recline it into a lying posture at the touch of a button.
A raft of safety features are to be included from Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) to Forward Collision Avoidance Assist (FCA). In addition a system to detect junctions means improved awareness of potential risks.
Engines
KIA is introducing three levels of electrification to its engine line-up. It claims this will ease the process of shifting to a sustainable mobility future. The simplified line-up means customers will have the option of hybrid, plug-in hybrid or full electric without variation in each. Both the hybrid and the plug-in hybrid will feature KIA’s 1.6 litre GDI petrol engine producing an identical 104bhp. This figure is increased to an overall 139bhp for the Hybrid and 180bhp for the Plug-In Hybrid. The entry level variant will be assisted by a smaller battery pack used to optimise efficiency and power. The plug-in variant will be quicker, with more assistance from its larger battery, and be able to cover up to 40 miles of range on a single charge.
A six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox is standard, along with front-wheel drive. Kia’s smart-regenerative-braking system will also feature, and is capable of maximising the energy recovered from the battery using onboard radar and road gradient information. Reverse gear has been removed from the transmission on all models – instead, the Niro is powered backwards by the electric motor, even on the entry Hybrid model, saving weight and cutting emissions.
Both the hybrid and PHEV models will have a new EV setting called ‘Greenzone Drive Mode. This works via the car’s sat-nav system and can automatically switch the car to electric power in preset ‘green zones’, such as residential areas or near schools and hospitals. The system also recognises the owner’s home and office locations as green zones too, once they’re registered in the navigation system.
The fully electric Niro is the quickest of all three options and offers 288 miles of range from its 64.8kWh battery. Unlike the hybrid versions that mount the batteries under the rear seat area, the BEV model will have them mounted centrally underfloor. KIA has utilised the new architecture for the Niro’s design so the BEV can benefit from a lower centre of gravity to deliver better performance.
Keyword: All-new 2022 Kia Niro: new details revealed for electric model