that's what I want to collect, all facts and it's the buyers to decide if they want to have a 90's era car in 2021. Make an informed decision.

And Kia management goes, "Ouch".

Personally I think that cars built in the 90s were built better. It'ss considered the golden years of imports. You had a much better blend of simple but durabl manufacturing and durable engines. Stuff today seems not as well put together quite frankly. Why not continue to use something that works? And why change it if it still works? There are advantages to having the shock and spring separate. The shock is going to fail long before the spring gets weak. So rather than having to pull the suspension apart to get a strut out, two bolts and a the shock comes out. Seems like a better design to me. This car came out in 2017 and as Sandy said it's a compromise between gas hybrid and Electric. The big thing for me is I don't like how far the battery box hangs below the car for an SUV. Even though it's a small SUV I would worry about getting it high-sided in the middle on something and puncturing the battery box. But there's no way this car is worth $44,000.

Compared to everything that is out there this Niro and its equivalent Kona still score really well on efficiency. Better in my opinion than the VAG group cars. You have to realize that the model itself is 3 to 4 years old and that Hyundai/kia now came with the Ioniq 5 and the KIA EV6 that can really closely match the Tesla tech

@@jean-paulvandeheijning5088 Exactly. If you spend enough time watching Bjorn in Norway he's done plenty of testing with these cars. And the Kia Hyundai powertrains are very efficient. They're comfortable to drive they have a lot of room in them. My only complaint is that they are overpriced compared to what you can get today. I would never spend $44,000 for this car. At that price point the $39,000 VW id4 is the better car I think. Even though it's slower, and I suspect we'll have lower reliability. Volkswagens are not exactly known for their stellar reliability. Although some of that is powertrain related on their gas powered stuff and maybe the electrics are better.

Yes, I've driven all manner of German and Swedish 'premium' cars in my working life, now retired I have to say the Kia e-Niro (Niro EV in USA) is as good as any of them and a heck of a lot cheaper to own.

If that is what it is for, he needs a sword !

@@Shadobanned4life Sandy relies on death by 1000 cuts 😜🤣

If you suggest using a screw on fastener , he’ll pull that blade out with the quickness ! 🤣

yesterday had a knife about twice that size to sharpen. Doc said he used it for autopsy. I laughed. When I got it had so many pits along the edge am sure it would not cut a pickle beet in half. He thanked me and said it had never been that sharp in 40+ years. I laughed. Sandy if you need your knife done let me know grins

@@maples328 pop ins work nicely so Sandy says Who knew?

I can only agree. We got one of the first batch into France in March 2019 and after 78,000 km it feels as solid as ever. I was surprised at how well it handled compared to the Niro hybrid I test drove and the Nissan Qashqai I had previously owned. The expectation is that these 'crossover/mini SUV' shaped cars will roll a lot but I guess with 435 Kg of battery under the floor the weight distribution is better that ICE powered equivalents. The ride is on the firm side and although I've never been in or driven a Tesla M3 or Y I heard the ride described as a bit harsh. The main roads in France and across most of Europe are flat and smooth so even in a firmly sprung car you are comfy for most of the time. I have recorded the ownership experience with all the costs and stats..with some of our trips in France, to the UK and Switzerland on 'Kia e-Niro Diaries' and Kia e-Niro Diaries Encore' if you're interested and can tolerate amateur camerawork..😊

I agree with the Post and comments. I own a 2019 Niro and its truly a fine machine

Confucius say, Why fix it , you you can hide it.

Makes sense.

10 year power train and battery warranty on it here in the US.

I agree 100%. Most poster here are from the States. We here in Europe have slightly different requirements and opinions - which is ok. We drive a 2020 Niro and are very happy with what we got. Most BEVs where first based on ICE platforms, except Tesla and BMW i3. But in 2 years nearly all BEVs will be on their own new designed platform. Thanks Sandy for all your insite you give us.

I like the Soul..

👍

Come on! Everyone know engineers don't have feelings.

@@LewdCustomer feelings no, ego’s yes. (I say this as an engineer by the way)

Such a terrible thing to say…

Exactly. Probably the best multiplatform vehicle. Which isnt saying much.

Kia gave him the car he didn't want, to review...

😁😉😍😍😍

I honestly think they have best chances out of legacy manufacturers to survive the EV transition. They are not asleep at the wheel and replaced their top management with dudes with EV background after Tesla battery day.

I agree. I have one and love it. I’ve had 2 Teslas as well and this car is surprisingly good

@@DTMnoFear The Legacy brands aren't going anywhere anytime soon.. EVs are still in a niche market. Until electric infrastructure is widespread and massive the masses are buying EVs.

@@DTMnoFear Yeah, I'm not so sure yet. They clearly design and build great EVs, but I think their ambition is way too low. Kia are aiming to sell 880.000 EVs... in 2030. That's what Tesla are selling this year without even having the Berlin and Austin factories online. They should be building capacity and securing battery supply to produce way more EVs; they have great technology to take strategic advantage of the transition, but they seem to be too hesitant. A great car like the Ioniq 5 (same Group) deserves a 500k car per year plant, but they're aiming for just over 100k per year.

@@mamadouaziza2536 EVs are niche in USA but have overtaken Diesel sales in major European nations, change is here

Lowkey and humble. That’s a nice way of saying slow and boring.

@@seantrumble3291 I think you’ll change your opinion once you drive the Niro on sport mode. That 0 torque can easily piss off plenty of “fast” cars at a red light. I’ve turned heads multiple time 😉

humble price of $44,000.

Solid observation 👍

gear tunnel? somebody got rivian on the mind! haha great comment I agree

Haha! That’s funny, I had just watched a Rivian thing, good catch I meant transmission tunnel. :-)

yes, if you sight any Kona EV or Niro it's def noticeable. it likely comes from the fact that Kona/Niro chassis also serve as platforms for their ICE versions.

hyundai engineering. dont fix it MASK it

Should have sent the EV6 or the Hyundai Ioniq5

Exactly

Those cars aren't shipped yet in the USA except for showroom reviews.

@@michaelreyes8670 This was a marketing thing. It increases EV credibility. Just like Ford's rep talking about the Mach E

@@michaelreyes8670 they are practically same 90s design. just different exterior and interior.

My bitch about them is, you can't set the charge timer unless you set a time for the climate control to turn on automatically.

@@brunohill3229 You certainly can

$41 KIA, $39.5K Tesla here (US). Can you guess which one has a 50% depreciation rate?

Sure the Niro is an ok BEV and would urge anyone to buy that over an equivalent ICE.. but.. you get what you pay for. That model 3 is worth the 10K more, and then some.. IF you can afford it. But.. that’s why many BEVs are needed to fill all the segments

@@fredpinczuk7352 Kia still has a $7500 federal tax credit....and like most dealerships you'll can still get additional discounts. Let's not forget either that KIAs can be serviced at any dealership nationwide. Tesla is riding high with depreciation, but make no mistake...that wont last forever.

@@mustangcrazy77 My local KIA dealers marked up by $5K+. No color choice, no options. "This is what we have on the lot" kind of attitude. The Tesla was still cheaper. and for a lot more standard options and performance. Kia was #1 on our list initially. But the depreciation is just horrible.

@@fredpinczuk7352 You should have expanded your search radius, ours was marked down $7k. As for tech, ours is fully loaded. There is nothing on a Tesla model 3 that we needed….and we HATE the all in one center screen. It’s absurd not to have a center display for your speed…and dedicated buttons for everyday items.

KIA leaned it in hard way.

No Kia is great. They are a very basic car generally with little innovation.

Packed in a Mazda design.

Like tesla without the batteries and the PlayStation and the IPod ALL

@@nexussymbiosis9270 better than 2021 shit? Its called perspective. Lots of people buy Toyotas for their perceived " reliability". How much of that is old tech? Would you buy a big pickup with rear drum brakes? ( i know Sandy thinks they are ok, but i think my life is more important than saving a few bucks) They are still being sold. Perspective.

Lol 90s electric car😅😂

polite way of saying, don't buy it.

Yes. I think sandy is 100% right that's its better to have purpose built ev. Which is the next kia ev.

Thank you! Cheers!

I agree. The price is the problem with this vehicle. This is a nice little car for a young person or and old person who both have somewhat limited needs. However, it is priced like a Tesla and that's not OK. Frankly, the hybrid is a better offering since it is $15,000 cheaper, gets good gas mileage (about as good as an old Prius) and the base model has all the stuff most people care about. If the Niro EV was $30,000, that would be a decent offering, but at $39K base, that's just not priced right.

@@TeodorSpiridon ICE manufacturers want their customers to buy ICE or PHEV , they're all pushing those cars.

@Teodor, I agree. I have a 2018 non-plug-in hybrid Niro. It’s a solid little car that gets mileage about as good as a Prius for a reasonable price. I like the form factor and it is very agreeable (if not exciting) to drive. But as a BEV for almost the price of a Model Y, it’s not a very good deal. I do have a neighbor who bought one on a very cheap lease deal, $298 per month, and she is very happy with it.

Kia et al really do need to find a way to make EVs less expensive. That won’t happen until batteries become much less expensive. The hybrid version has an almost $15K lower sticker price. It seems unlikely the price gap would ever be closed through reduced maintenance costs of the EV. I live in the central US and the EV version is very rare on dealer lots. For now the EV version seems to exist mostly for compliance in costal states and to build corporate experience in matters EV: nothing wrong with that, of course. It is a nice solid car, and I would be happy with it if a used one turned up for an attractive price.

@@wtmayhew It is not just the battery cost though. First people need to understand that the entire automotive industry has already been running on low margins for a very long time. A lot of that has to do with sunken cost. A manufacturer will spend billions developing a new platform, figuring out how to build the platform, and figuring out what vehicles it can put on that platform decades in advance. Then they spread out that cost over the next 20 to 30 years. The longer they can build with the same platform using the same engines, the more they operate in the black. Most manufacturers are barely halfway through the expected life span of their last platform and had hedged against pure EVs at that time. They hedged wrong and are now trying to meet rising market demand and regulatory pressure. That is expensive work. How we get cheap EVs in the future is expensive EVs today. Period. There is no magic formula to make a super budget car that would meet all of the high tech buyer and regulatory expectations in the US. And there's no good way to shortcut the market processes that create cheaper materials. Except for dramatic government subsidies which most of this new wave of EV investor fanatics is against, even though most of the stalwarts of the financial system have benefitted from dramatic and perhaps excessive government assistance for decades. Oil for over a century. 🤷

Exactly, owning this car for 5 months now (full options model), coming from a Mercedes C class, I have never regret the trade in. So much fun driving every day, more power, luxury and less costs.

sandy was spot on i didn't even know why i picked it. its the 90s look

Bad car experience? In some parts of the world one can still see Audi 80 or 100/A6 1st gen still driving in large numbers, despite road salting in winter.. Double sided zinc protection on the entire body does the job. Mechanically also simple '90 cars.

I have a mid 1980s car, no rust. Had a transmission leak years ago but had it fixed. Surprisingly, the car still has all its original parts including hoses, alternator, sensors etc., everything works.

Got a Toyota from 2000. That car never dies. And never was in a shop unless I wanted. Some old cars are made for life, not profit.

@@mamadouaziza2536 If you are running a mid 80's car with the original hoses and belts you are nuts!

@@michaelholliday100 Not nuts, its just all the hoses including the timing belt are in pristine condition.. I personally check every 3 months. The only sensor every needed to be changed was the one for the idling.. Water pump and fuel pump are all original. Original fuel injectors and spark plugs. Even the catalytic converter is original. All window motors are working, the same with the air conditioner, not once has it had to be refilled with refrigerant.. The car is built like a tank!

Our pleasure!

Welcome!

Thanks so much

@@MunroLive 🤗 YOU ARE VERY WELCOME MY FRIEND 🤗😍😍😍

You’re welcome 😊

its Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser.

Thank you so much 😊

They're efficient because they're small. You can see it decrease as you go from to ioniq to the Kona to the Niro.

I own a '29 Niro, and I agree, the next big change would b E-GMP based Niro. BUT lets hope they do not ruin the concept, the way VW did with the Beetle

Niro/kona EV are perfectly normal car. And among one of the best in efficiency. Way better than US & German Legacy makers. Excited for ioniq5/ev 6

He's rather his pension payout than insurance...

We need compelling EVs, not mediocre EVs. We want customers to compare EVs to ICE and then choosing EV to be a 'no brainer'. This requires EVs that are safer, more efficient, have better performance, less maintence at equal or less cost. Some current EVs already meet those criteria.

@@davidharris7249 so do you really think the mainstream has plus 40K laying around to buy a new BEV, that suffers a major depreciation in less than five years of usage?

​@@RogerM88 No what I believe is the average price for a new car in USA is the same as the price of a Tesla Model 3SR+, and for that price you get the better: safety, efficiency, performance, fuel costs, maintenance, OTA, tech, sound, and charging network, and no pollution, a battery that will last 200,00 miles plus and is recyclable, and best resale value. One doesn't need to pay up front, that is what leases and loans are for. If someone can't afford that price, then they can buy second have like I did for most of my adult life -- and if you are right about depreciation, then they ought to be cheap. BTW, Model 3's sell second-hand for almost as much as new, and in fat sometimes at more than the first owner paid for them. I am sick of people sounding off without actually looking into it. And I also think making mediocre BEVs is to purposely prop up sales of ICE cars.

Kia wants $44,000 for this junk. someone needs to go jail.

I noticed that, too.

There is normally a cover there to protect those

I think Munro removed the shield. I have a kia Sorento the under shield is enormous, I have to remove it every time I change the oil. Super annoying.

There is a plastic cover over the whole underside

That's why this is an "under the cover" footage :)

Sandy explained previously it is effectively a joke to say “nigh row” instead of the sound of “Nero” to avoid invoking the name of the Roman empower who allegedly played his fiddle while Rome burned. It is a not so subtle jab at the problems Kia and gm have been having with their volatile EV batteries. And yes, I drive a 2017 Chevy Bolt.

Glad you enjoyed it

How often do you use a knife? I am 63 if i carried one around for 50 years maybe use 50 times, it like using too many screws, not needed.. then again if I lived in Detroit burbs

Glad it was helpful!

As the owner of a Tesla 3 which happens to be a lemon, I’d rather have the Hyundai / Kia I think. Especially given the lack of responsibility shown by Tesla customer service for my rather expensive decidedly imperfect car.

more crowded ev market means more innovation or better prices. maybe they will stock an actual base model instead of the 50k platinum editions

$44,000 low end. or over priced , backward engineering piece of Junk. you decide.

Well, its a gas car, its just a conversion.. Wait until Sandy gets his hands on one of Hyundai/Kia' ground up electric cars..

The US version of the Kona / Niro apparently did not ship with heat pumps for some model years. Here in EU or in Canada all model years have heat pumps

thats why KIA cars are catching fire.🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Glad you enjoyed it

It's to tear engineers a new hole with his videos

As he mentioned, a perfect old person's car. If you limit the power you can make anything efficient.

@@michaelholliday100 I wouldn't call 150kw limited though. Still much faster than the Id3

@@WrathChild-NZ It does not matter what the Kw size of the electric motor is if the limit the power...

@@michaelholliday100 it's not limited though. 150kw is literally the output you can put out. Have you driven one?

@@WrathChild-NZ Yes, along with the ID3, ID4, MachE, i3... Any each time I have left the vehicles thankful for my Teslas...

Foregone conclusion...

Niros do not have an ICE only configuration in the states the rest of the world I’m not sure. they only come in Hybrid/ plug in / and full EV

good use for Kia.

Not to those who have E niros, but what do they know?

It has a trailing arm, two lower lateral links (one of which is the one carrying the spring), and one upper link per side. It is a common multi-link design, used for a couple of decades by several manufacturers. Sandy just doesn't show the rest of the details, mentioning only the spring and shock placement and spring link design in this brief report.