2017 Kia Niro Hybrid Car: Built to Challenge Prius and Prius Prime As Green Car Leaders [Video]

Dec 30, 2016 06:30 AM EST | Leonora Puno

The 2017 Kia Niro Hybrid car, Kia's first vehicle to be designed as a hybrid, first made its public appearance at the 2016 Chicago Auto Show. With everything about it looking like a normal car guzzling gas, it is difficult to know at first glance that this car is a hybrid that might unseat Prius and Prius Prime as green car leaders.

Considered as the first SUV to be a dedicated hybrid crossover, the 2017 Kia Niro Hybrid is expected to lure customers looking for fuel-efficient cars that do not shout hybrid. In fact, the 2017 Kia Niro Hybrid can be mistaken as an ordinary SUV because of its elegant crossover styling compared to Toyota Prius and Hyundai Ioniq. The interior looks conventional as well with its high-quality materials. The design gave this cross-over a confident and safe look, according to The Car Connection.

When it comes to its powertrain, the 2017 Kia Niro Hybrid gets its power from a 1.6 liter inline-four and an electric motor that produces a combined horsepower of 135 and a torque of 195-pound feet. It is matched with a dual clutch transmission with six speeds. For its engine and motor to work to the fullest, light weight materials and aerodynamics features were used in the car. It has a 1.56 kWh battery pack and is placed under the rear-seat without crowding the cargo room, according to Auto Blog.

The 2017 Kia Niro Hybrid sports the Eco-DAS or Driver Assistance System that tells the driver when to coast and when to brake, resulting to less fuel consumed at more mileage. Its Predictive Energy Control which can tell in advance the topography of the road and handle the flow of energy. It has an excellent infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and boasts of huge music storage and WiFi connectivity, according to Car and Driver.

With the 2017 Kia Niro Hybrid car, this South Korean Company will be joining the group of potential leaders in the field of making hybrid cars.

See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?

© 2024 Auto World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Get the Most Popular Autoworld Stories in a Weekly Newsletter

Join the Conversation

Real Time Analytics