Popstars win Brits, actors win Oscars and now the Kia e-Niro is picking up awards at a rate worthy of the red carpet.
This year has seen the model named WhatCar? ‘Car of the Year’, Driving Electric’s ‘Car of the Year’, Auto Express’s ‘Affordable Electric Car of the Year’, ‘Best Electric Car’ at the UK Business Car Awards and it also picked up Carwow’s ‘Eco Award’. Impressive to say the least.
So, what exactly makes the South Korean brand’s offering worthy of all these prizes? We take a closer look at how this all-electric SUV is lighting up the industry.
More smiles to the electric gallon
The first thing for Kia to write home about is the miles you’re able to cover on a single charge. On the combined cycle you’ll get 282 miles – enough to get you from Leeds to Edinburgh – and on the urban cycle that figure increases to a substantial 382 miles.
The car is equipped with a high-capacity 64kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack, which is paired with a 201bhp (105kw) motor that produces 395Nm of torque. This allows the e-Niro to accelerate from 0-60mph in just 7.5 seconds. Decent.
The e-Niro can be recharged to 80% in just under an hour using a 100kW charger, and with a 50kW charger, the battery can get to 80% in just over an hour.
Top features for a top car
The award-winning SUV offers drivers a range of Kia’s Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, an almost must-have in today’s world as motorists look for extra safety in a range of driving conditions.
Regenerative braking technology allows the e-Niro to harvest kinetic energy and recharge the battery pack while coasting or braking, while the Eco Driving Assist System (Eco DAS) provides the driver with guidance on how to drive more efficiently.
The design of the centre console is one of the most interesting features, with the all-electric powertrain not requiring a traditional gear lever and gear linkage. The physical transmission has been replaced with a rotating drive selector, while the dashboard features bright blue trim around the air vents, echoing the trim highlights found on the outside.
The 8-inch touchscreen human-machine interface in the centre of the dashboard offers a series of mod-cons specific to the e-Niro. Perhaps most importantly it enables drivers to locate nearby charging points and monitor the level of charge and range.
Convenience features include rear parking sensors and a reversing camera system, electric windows all round, an auto-dimming rear view mirror and an engine start/stop button with a Smart Entry System.
Keeping it simple
Only one variant of the car has arrived on British shores so far – the ‘First Edition’ model that the manufacturer hopes will satisfy everyone. With the car already sold out until 2020, it’s either a case of everyone is happy or some are left disappointed because they can’t get their hands on one.
With an exterior design that features halogen headlights with Bi-Function projection, front fog lights, LED daytime running lights and LED rear combination clusters, an upmarket appearance is achieved.
Other equipment includes rain-sensing windscreen wipers, automatic headlight control, electrically adjustable, automatic air conditioning and heated and folding door mirrors.
A big hit for Kia
The e-Niro is so far a big hit for Kia – it’s stylish, feels poised yet powerful and is picking up awards that help the car almost sell itself. The only downside right now is that you will need to wait until 2020 to get your hands on one.
Find out when the e-Niro becomes available at Lookers by clicking here
