For Kia’s first dedicated hybrid model, the brand decided to not go after the Prius, like some other automakers have tried and instead it took a different route – a hybrid crossover. It’s actually quite smart, since Kia’s new subcompact crossover hasn’t arrived yet, the idea of a small hybrid crossover would easily check two boxes: One a fuel efficient hybrid and two a smaller crossover. Pull off the covers and what we have here is the 2017 Kia Niro – a fresh alternative to the conventional Prius. Did Kia succeed? Here are five of the best and worst things about the 2017 Kia Niro:
4Almost matches the Prius in the MPG challenge
Even with its more upright, aka less aerodynamic shape, the Niro almost matches the Toyota Prius. The Niro FE model is rated at 52/49 compared to the standard Prius liftback that’s rated at 54/50 mpg. If you do decide to choose one of the higher trim levels, the MPG ratings suffer with the EX rated at 51/46 mpg and the Touring at 46/40 mpg.
Related: 2017 Kia Sportage SX Turbo – Review
Although on paper the Niro almost matches the popular Prius, I only averaged in the mid-30 mpg range in the least efficient Touring model, which was a little disappointing.
