Got my new E-Niro today, so far so good!
Discussion
This is my new company car, delivered this morning, and if nothing else promising to save me a fair lump of BIK tax every month compared with the Ioniq hybrid that it replaces.
It's a Kia E-Niro, in 4+ trim with the 64kWh battery. And this morning was the first time I've driven either a Niro or any kind of fully electric car (we weren't able to have the usual extended test drive before ordering, thanks to COVID).
Driven about 40 miles today, and first impressions are that it's comfy and quiet, the interior is a very pleasant place to sit, and it accelerates remarkably well for 1800kg of slightly gawky looking crossover/SUV type thing. Having had a couple of hybrids previously, I keep expecting an engine to cut in at any moment and shatter the silence! The JBL stereo is really rather good too. And it's got a sunroof! Haven't had a proper sunroof on anything newer than my Capri. My Galaxy has a panoramic roof, as did my old Auris, but this Niro has a proper tilt-and-slide sunroof, which I'm inordinately pleased with.
I do like the higher driving position, both for visibility and because my knackered knee seems to prefer it. Although the trade-off is of course in body roll. The low slung battery helps in that regard, but this is not in any way a sharp-handling car. But then that's not the purpose of the Niro.
The car seems pretty efficient, too. Despite using the A/C and hoofing it several times for overtakes and, er, research purposes, it's averaged 4.1 miles per kWh so far. Various reviews suggest that more careful driving will push that figure up to 5, time will tell, although there won't be many occasions where I need to eke out every last mile of range. We're fortunate enough to have the Alfa (which my fiance drives daily) and my scruffy-but-useful Galaxy for any longer runs that wouldn't be practical in the EV.
Only real downside is the boot; Kia claim 451 litres, but a great deal of that must be accounted for by the under-boot-floor storage, as the actual load area is significantly smaller than the Ioniq (which was 440-odd litres). So I'll have to go through my various boxes and bags of work gear and thin out the amount of
Can't say I'm sold on the looks, but then I've never been a great fan of the crossover or SUV aesthetic. Would have been nice if it was available in red; this inoffensive but bland silver was the only "free" colour, and the optional colours were deeply uninspiring (several shades of grey and a dark blue). At least it's an inoffensive looking car unlike some of the bizarrely styled EVs on offer at the moment.
A couple of colleagues have also got new EVs this week. One has a Niro, same as mine, the other has the entry level Model 3. Will be interesting to see how we all get on with our first forays into EV driving over the next few weeks/months...
Edited by Jonny_ on Sunday 13th June 09:07
Yep, I am expecting a drop in efficiency once the weather turns miserable again. Or indeed when I have to go anywhere using the motorway.
The weather made a big difference in the Ioniq as well; a journey that showed MPG figures in the low to mid 60s during winter would result in high 70s and even into the very low 80s during this recent warm spell.
The weather made a big difference in the Ioniq as well; a journey that showed MPG figures in the low to mid 60s during winter would result in high 70s and even into the very low 80s during this recent warm spell.
Knock_knock said:
Remove the cover and you can take the first layer of polystyrene out, and a couple of plastic screws remove the remaining bits at the side easily. Then you can put the existing cover back on and you've gained a surprising amount of space - albeit by dropping the boot floor bit and creating a high lip. There's a further layer below which I think can also come out until you're practically on the tarmac, but I've not tried that...
Cheers, will have a look into doing this. Not overly fussed about having a lip at the boot entry, have lived with that in the Ioniq for the past 3 years!Nice efficient run to work this morning! 5.1 miles per kWh on a journey of just under 28 miles.
This was in pretty much ideal conditions, though. Certainly won't be able to maintain this as a long term average; I'm fully expecting cold weather and motorway runs to significantly increase energy consumption.
(The route to this particular site is made up of about 9 or 10 miles at 60mph along A roads, the remainder being a mixture of 30/40/50mph limits, and this was on a very pleasant June morning with no need for either AC or heating. The same run on a similarly nice morning in the Ioniq used to result in just over 80mpg on the dash readout.)
Also, I'm absolutely bloody loving the sunroof!
This was in pretty much ideal conditions, though. Certainly won't be able to maintain this as a long term average; I'm fully expecting cold weather and motorway runs to significantly increase energy consumption.
(The route to this particular site is made up of about 9 or 10 miles at 60mph along A roads, the remainder being a mixture of 30/40/50mph limits, and this was on a very pleasant June morning with no need for either AC or heating. The same run on a similarly nice morning in the Ioniq used to result in just over 80mpg on the dash readout.)
Also, I'm absolutely bloody loving the sunroof!
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