Aside from the comedy of hearing Andre say “Haba-niro,” the 2023 Kia Niro is a serious jump in the automaker’s portfolio. The main reason is their absolute desire to take the fight to Toyota. Being that Toyota has the new BZ4x that compliments their line of hybrid and PHEV vehicles (mainly, the Prius and RAV4) the Kia Niro responds in kind. Still, it’s a hatchback, and not a “crossover” as advertised. As such, it does not offer an all-wheel drive variant like Toyota does.
Still, if we’re looking at the tea leaves properly, the 2023 Kia Niro trio will be a value leader in its class.
For 2023, Kia completely redesigned the Niro. It is larger, with more passenger and cargo space. On top of that, all three cars come with a ton of new tech.
We expect the 2023 Kia Niro hybrid to be the base model. It will come with a 1.6-liter I4 that makes a total of 139 horsepower and 195 lbs-feet of torque. It has a 32Kw electric motor and can get up to 53 MPG. Kia says it will have a maximum range of 53 miles. The Kia Niro PHEV is next, and while it has the same 1.6-liter gas engine, it has a beefier electric motor. Total torque remains the same, but horsepower jumps to 180. It comes with an 11.1kWh battery, 33-miles of maximum electric range and level II-capable charging.
Finally, there’s the 2023 Kia Niro EV or BEV (battery electric vehicle). This all-electric variant comes with a 64kWh battery that makes 201 hp. Although 85kW charge speed isn’t considered that fast, Kia says it can go from 10-80% charge on level III in about 45-minutes. The 2023 Kia Niro EV will have a maximum total range of 253 miles.
The current 2022 Kia Niro base model has a starting price around $23,000. Unfortunately, Kia did not announce pricing for the new Kia trio, but we expect it to be competitive with Toyota.
Check out this video!
