Well the missus & I came to a compromise about what car we were going to buy, she wanted a petrol I wanted a full on BEV (I couldn't warrant getting a Skoda Superb that I fancied as I just don't do enough mileage these days) We met halfway & got a Hybrid, picked it up yesterday. It's the new Kia Hiro hybrid '3', We both liked how smooth/quiet & comfortable it drove.

It has a 6 speed double clutch auto box with a 'sport mode' that can be driven like a DSG box.

I also needed a car that had a higher seating position than a normal car because getting out of a low down car was getting harder & harder.

 

It was a bit weird at first mainly because I'm used to driving old bangers. there is no starter motor as such, it starts off in electric mode & just glides away silently then when it reaches a certain speed the petrol engine kicks in seamlessly & quietly and runs along with the electric motor.

The level of toys/gadgets & gizmo's will keep me happy for a while and it's a very well screwed together piece of kit. the ex chief of Audi  Peter Schreyer is at Kia nowadays and it shows in the design of this model.

 

The PHEV version of this Niro would have been nice but it was just a bit too expensive over the Hybrid.

 

 

 

My attitude is a preference for single drive train simplicity and a desire to eliminate entirely the ICE  - servicing aspect.

I just don’t see any savings with hybrid/phev as compared to pure battery.

At this relatively early stage a BEV would only be a second car but in a mere 10 years (when I was a kid, a year lasted a decade) I expect things to be dramatically different and even I should be able to do the ‘servicing’.

always nice to hear something of a "new" car   can't say I've seen one yet

32 minutes ago, cheshire_cat said:

always nice to hear something of a "new" car   can't say I've seen one yet

 

 

I took a few Pictures whilst out & about, the electric mode side of things when you come off the accelerator or come to a stop has my missus reaching for the ignition key because she thinks the engine has cut out

Well it has really,  the silent electric motor comes into play.

 

It's the first time I've been in a car with a reversing camera and I must say those are really good.

44 miles on the clock & it's dirty with mud after following a tipper lorry that came off a site.

 

Snowfoam time.

 

 

I don't know whether I'm happy or sad!.......... or just hand my man card in now.

 

Driving style in this Kia Niro hybrid

 

Economical  77%

Normal         23%

aggressive    0%

 

Edited 13 February, 20188 yr by lancpudn

sorry if this is a dumb question, but how does the battery get recharged - is it just recovering the kinetic energy when you brake ?

9 minutes ago, Wet Kipper said:

sorry if this is a dumb question, but how does the battery get recharged - is it just recovering the kinetic energy when you brake ?

 

 

Yes the battery gets charged by kinetic energy & brake re-gen plus the engine also recharges the battery.

You can get the animated re-gen flow information on the monitor to see when it's charging the battery or driving the wheels.

 

You can feel the regeneration when slowing down but nothing like on the scale of the Nissan leaf.

 

From the Kia  site,   Any time you slow down, the regenerative braking system charges Niro up. During deceleration, the electric traction motor captures the kinetic energy to recharge the battery. It’s one of the many energy-smart technologies that help maximize fuel economy.