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The Kia e-Niro offers another spin on full-electric technology to buyers in the mid-sized Crossover segment.

Ten Second Review
Kia's full-electric e-Niro offers nearly 300 miles of WLTP-rated battery-powered driving range and a progressive package that buyers prepared to consider paying over £30,000 for this kind of car will probably like. The full-electric part of the mid-sized Crossover segment is presently quite a small one, but you can bet it will quickly grow, and cars like this are the reason why.

Background
Kia hasn't set out to re-define the electric vehicle market with this e-Niro model, but it does want to try and further perfect what a car of this kind is capable of offering. We've already seen both hybrid and Plug-in hybrid versions of this Niro. Here Kia has completed its set of electrified powerplants with this full-electric version. It shares its engineering with Hyundai's Kona Electric, but is a little less overtly SUV than that car. Ready for a battery-powered vehicle yet? The tipping point is getting closer...

Driving Experience
If you're wondering how far it goes between charges, the answer is up to 382 miles (though that's rated on the WLTP city cycle); you won't get anything like that on the open road if you use the performance on offer. The e-Niro is equipped with a long-distance 64 kWh battery pack paired with a 201bhp (150kW) motor, producing 395Nm of torque, enabling the car to accelerate from 0-to-60mph in just 7.5 seconds. Like the Niro Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid variants, the new electric model is front-wheel drive.

The battery pack is located low down in the body, between the two axles, giving this crossover a centre of gravity more akin to that of a saloon or a hatchback. With a relatively wide stance, the e-Niro should offer drivers a reasonable feeling of stability on winding roads. The car is equipped with fully independent rear suspension, tuned to deliver high speed and immediate handling responses and filter out small vibrations at higher speeds when travelling over poor surfaces. The e-Niro's regenerative brakes - 305 mm in diameter at the front, 300 mm at the rear - exhibit a consistent, linear deceleration and braking feel, and harvest kinetic energy to recharge the battery pack on the move.

Design and Build
The exterior design of the e-Niro is punctuated by halogen headlights with Bi-Function projection, front fog lights, LED daytime running lights and LED rear combination clusters. Privacy glass for the rear windows and tailgate deliver a more upmarket appearance. The unique 17-inch alloy wheels have been especially designed and optimised for the pure-electric e-Niro, and the roof rails give a rugged and lifestyle-orientated appearance, accentuating its crossover stance.

The design of the centre console represents the biggest change for the e-Niro, with the all-electric powertrain not requiring a traditional gear lever and gear linkage. The physical transmission has therefore been replaced with a new 'shift-by-wire' rotator dial drive selector. The drive selector dial sits on its own highly-ergonomic panel which extends out from the base of the central armrest. In addition to the rotator dial, this new panel also houses buttons for the electronic parking brake, heated seats, heated steering wheel, drive mode selector, parking sensors, and the Niro's braking 'Auto Hold' function. The new panel requires no bulky transmission tunnel, enabling Kia's designers to create a larger storage area at the base of the centre console.

The dashboard features bright blue trim around the air vents, echoing the trim highlights found on the outside of the car. As for practicality, the rear seats handily fold down in a 60/40 fashion, with a luggage area load cover designed to hide items from prying eyes. There's a 451-litre boot that's bigger than most electric cars can offer.