They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but in the case of the new-model-year Niro Hybrid and PHEV, that’s kind of all there is to go by.
Kia is taking the wraps off of revised models of the two vehicles in Geneva, and they don’t include any changes to the powertrain—just fresh new looks.
This isn’t to say that there aren’t significant changes. There are.
Both the Niro Hybrid and Niro Plug-in Hybrid have gone under the proverbial knife and come out looking a lot more like the Niro EV, with new bumpers; what the brand refers to as “ice cube” projector headlights; and LED DRLs that form a double-arrow. Full LED headlights and LED fog lights are available as options.
Spin them around and you’ll notice redesigned LED taillights, as well as light reflectors, rear fog lights and a silver skid plate. Plus new shoes: one of two standard 16-inch alloy wheel designs on the Hybrid, with 18-inchers as optional; and 16-inch alloys on the Plug-in.
Inside is where the story really gets interesting—though we’ve yet to see actual proof—as Kia has promised “new high-quality materials and numerous optical changes” including a soft-touch coating on the top of the dash, new gloss black trim with either silver or satin chrome highlights, paddle shifters, electronic parking brake and Red-Orange or Plum colour packs that add their respective colours to the interior (the Plum option more aggressively than the Red-Orange, with purple all over the upholstery, not just the stitching).
The infotainment system gets an 8.0-inch touchscreen as standard, and the instrument cluster a 4.2-inch TFT. Or you can upgrade to a 10.25-inch touchscreen and 7.0-inch TFT panel setup that functions with Kia’s Uvo Connect to provide live data like weather forecasts, fuel prices, traffic into and so on.
The crossovers’ driver assistance systems also learned some new tricks, including Stop & Go functionality within the adaptive cruise control; and Lane Following Assist.
So, though this particular book hasn’t been rewritten, there’s plenty to take in on the cover. Judge away.