The all-new Kia e-Niro, the first fully electric crossover utility vehicle produced by Kia has arrived in Ireland.
With a range of 455 kilometres on the WLTP combined cycle, the all-electric e-Niro combines driving enjoyment, eye-catching design, crossover utility and a zero-emissions powertrain – to create one of the most capable electric vehicles on-sale worldwide.
The e-Niro occupies a unique position in the market as an all-electric crossover, with intelligent packaging, high practicality, and a long-distance driving range.
Buyers will also benefit from a range of dedicated electric vehicle (EV) in-car technologies, new safety features, and stand-out exterior and interior design.
Kia Motors Ireland are marketing one generously equipped trim level for e-Niro with a choice of either mid-range or long range power plants.
e-Niro with the mid-range power plant (35kw/289kms) sells at €33,495 (including VRT relief and grants) with long range version (64kw/455 kms) with same reliefs costing €37,495.
Both models come with the same generous package of styling, comfort and technology features including 17” alloys, leather upholstery, heated front seats and steering wheel, 7” inch screen featuring Android Auto/Apple Car Play and Tom Tom Navigation.
Safety features include LKAS, Smart Cruise Control, forward collision-avoidance assist and Autonomous emergency braking.
The new e-Niro joins existing Plug-in Hybrid variant of the car – which is Ireland’s best-selling PHEV.
“Kia Motors Ireland are delighted to launch both the e-Niro and e-Soul into the Irish market. There is built up demand in the country for a wider range of EV vehicles to choose from and public reaction for these new cars has been tremendous. Already demand for 192 cars has exceeded demand and we are now seeking interest for 2020,” commented Kia Motors Ireland, Managing Director, James Brooks.
“We are also happy to offer customers the choice of a Plug In Hybrid variant of Niro and this choice will widened early next year with the arrival of the new xCeed PHEV.”
Exterior design
Futuristic design inspired by 2018 Niro EV Concept
Designed at Kia’s design centres in California, USA and Namyang, Korea, the e-Niro incorporates the practicality and appeal of a crossover in a sleek, aerodynamic body with subtly sculptured surfaces.
The car demonstrates that, in seeking greater on-road efficiency, electric vehicle buyers need not sacrifice emotionally engaging design or crossover versatility.
The closed ‘tiger-nose’ grille design is housed within a newly designed front bumper, giving the car a clear family identity, while aiding aerodynamic performance, and providing a sleek and purposeful character to the front of the vehicle.
In profile, the slim character line, tapered rear windows and sturdy sill line help to emphasise and elongate the car’s sleek profile, while allowing greater room for the muscular wheel arches.
The e-Niro rides on new 17-inch aluminium alloy wheels with a diamond-cut two-tone finish, housing Kia’s smart regenerative braking system.
At the back, redesigned rear bumpers feature similar blue trim highlights to those found at the front of the car. A bold LED rear light design gives the e-Niro a distinct and recognisable rear light signature.
Interior design
Modern interior with dedicated electric powertrain technologies and crossover utility
Inside the Kia e-Niro, the cabin combines a modern design with generous space and technologies that complement its zero-emissions powertrain. The interior is differentiated from other Niro models with a range of new features and design elements.
The new panel requires no bulky transmission tunnel, enabling Kia’s designers to create a larger storage area at the base of the centre console.
The dashboard features eco-style blue trim around the vents, echoing the trim highlights found on the outside of the car. The cabin is trimmed in a choice of fabric and synthetic leather, full synthetic leather, or real leather.
In each guise it is available in black or dark grey, or in a dedicated new e-Niro interior colour scheme with black upholstery and bright blue stitching, echoing the colour accents on the exterior of the car.
For cars trimmed in leather and synthetic leather, the perforated upholstery features a vivid blue inlay, further complementing the blue details around the cabin and exterior of the car.
The fully-digital 7.0-inch Supervision driver instrument cluster shows driving and battery charge information on-the-move. The display also gauges the driving style of whoever is sitting at the wheel, attributing a percentage to the amount of ‘economical’ driving they manage on each journey.
For drivers preferring to enjoy the car’s low centre of gravity and instant off-the-line acceleration, the display also shows what percentage of a journey has been completed with ‘dynamic’ driving.
A charging indicator is integrated into the top of the dashboard, with three lights displaying whether the battery pack is recharging or fully charged when plugged in. This enables owners to quickly see the car’s charging status at a glance when charging.
Powertrain
455-kilometre driving range from next-generation all-electric powertrain
The Kia e-Niro has been designed to merge crossover-inspired design with long-distance, zero-emissions driving and enjoyable performance.
It achieves this with a next-generation electric powertrain, using new production technologies developed specifically for Kia electric vehicles.
The e-Niro offers buyers a convincing alternative to compact crossovers powered by traditional gasoline or diesel internal combustion engines.
It gives owners the opportunity to complete both long distance drives and daily commutes with zero emissions and ultra-low running costs.
The Niro is equipped with a high-capacity 64 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack. On the WLTP combined cycle, it provides a driving range of more than 455 kilometres (282 miles) on a single charge, producing zero on-road CO2 emissions.
On the WLTP urban cycle, the e-Niro is capable of driving up to 615 km (382 miles).
Buyers can also specify their e-Niro with a 39.2 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack, with a range of up to 289 kilometres (179 miles) from a single charge on the WLTP combined cycle.
Plugged into a 100 kW fast charger, it takes only 42 minutes to recharge the e-Niro’s battery from 20% to 80%.
Models equipped with the long-distance 64 kWh battery pack are paired with a 150 kW (204 ps) motor, producing 395 Nm torque, enabling the e-Niro to accelerate from 0-to-100 kph in just 7.8 seconds.
The standard 39.2 kWh battery pack is matched to a 100 kW (136 ps) motor, also producing 395 Nm torque, and accelerating to 100 kph from a standstill in 9.8 seconds.
Like the Niro Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid variants, the new electric model is front-wheel drive.
Ride, handling and NVH
Low centre of gravity with fully-independent suspension for stable ride and handling
The Kia Niro was engineered from the start to accommodate a specific range of hybrid and fully-electric powertrains. The Niro’s ride and handling therefore was always readily adaptable to the introduction of an all-electric powertrain.
Furthermore, the electric powertrain packaging means the new model benefits from a more favourable weight distribution and lower centre of gravity than its stablemates. Its flat battery pack is located beneath the cabin, giving the e-Niro’s a centre of gravity more akin to that of a sedan or a hatchback.
Combined with its relatively wide stance, the e-Niro offers drivers maximum stability and driving enjoyment on winding roads, and minimal body roll under cornering. The battery pack’s location means the majority of the powertrain’s weight is located between the two axles (instead of at the front of the car), enabling a more equal distribution of weight.
This helps to further restrict understeer and enables a linear and predictable handling character.
The car is equipped with fully independent rear suspension, tuned to deliver high stability and immediate handling responses and filter out small vibrations at higher speeds when travelling over poor surfaces.
For the e-Niro, Kia’s development teams have subtly adapted the suspension to accommodate the weight and weight distribution of the new powertrain, while maintaining the fundamental driving character of its Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid stablemates.
The Niro is refined and quiet at low speeds thanks to its all-electric powertrain. The e-Niro boasts an even lower drag co-efficient (0.29 Cd) than Niro Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid models (0.30 Cd), suppressing wind noise and enhancing its aerodynamic efficiency.
This is aided by laminated windscreen glass, a cowl over the front windscreen wipers, specially-profiled door mirror casings and covers over the holes in the roof rails – which sit flush on the bodywork.
Road noise is minimised further by high-insulation rigid bushes in the front subframe, high-strength steel in the rear wheel arches, to reduce high frequency vibrations around the rear of the car and additional sound insulation material in the A- and B-pillars.
Safety
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems
Matching the next-generation nature of its powertrain, the e-Niro offers drivers a range of Kia’s Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, supporting motorists in a range of driving conditions and scenarios to mitigate the risk of collisions.
The car is equipped, as standard, with Kia Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) for maximum stability under braking and cornering. If VSM detects a loss of traction, it uses the car’s Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system and the electric motor-driven power steering to help the driver retain control.
Other active safety systems available in the e-Niro include Forward Collision Warning with Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go, High Beam Assist, Driver Attention Warning, and Lane Following Assist.
Lane Following Assist is a ‘Level Two’ autonomous driving technology which tracks vehicles in front of the car in traffic, and detects road markings to keep the e-Niro in its lane on the motorway.
The system controls acceleration, braking and steering depending on the convoy of vehicles in front, using external sensors to maintain a safe distance. Lane Following Assist operates between 0 and 130 kph.
Warranty and manufacturing
On-sale in Europe with 7-Year, 150,000-kilometre warranty
The new Kia e-Niro is produced at Kia’s Hwasung manufacturing facility in Korea, and went on-sale in select European markets at the end of 2018. The e-Niro is covered by Kia’s quality promise, with the brand’s industry-leading 7-Year, 150,000-kilometre warranty as standard. The warranty also covers the battery pack and electric motor.
