Each hybrid car on the market is measured in the mirror of the Toyota Prius, although no one has managed to unseat as the reference. Will the Kia Niro the first to achieve it?

Everyone is aware that hybrid cars are no longer an anecdote. Its popularity is growing and already four out of every hundred new cars sold in Spain is hybrid or electric. And in this evolution the Toyota Prius has been an unchanged generation after generation, twenty years of reference, has been perfecting its original approach governed by its particular transmission with e-CVT.

The antithesis to this lead actor category is given by the newly appeared Kia Niro, developed from scratch to be hybrid, with its parallel engines like the Toyota Prius, although some draft differences between them. So battery Kia Niro It is Ion and it has a gear shift dual-clutch six relations which provides more traditional driving sensations with conventional breaks up in the phases of acceleration and a more active involvement of the driver, although it lacks a Brake mode as the Toyota retention increases engine braking.

Habitability of Kia Niro and Toyota Prius

Despite its technical similarities and logic operation between such engines, Kia Niro and Toyota Prius They do not look or his conduct or the effect they have on the driver. Because if the Toyota Prius acts as standard-bearer of modernity and exhibits its hybrid status with a spectacular design, especially in everything that surrounds the driver, Kia Niro ESCODE its currency after absolute discretion both outside and inside and has a more conventional appearance, as we would expect from an automobile thermal engine, marking the first line of distinction between the two.

The following is drawn rather than their appearance, how the car is going to be lived. Thus, the Kia Niro is more generous in width and internal height, which could make vented a trip, especially if we are talking about people of average height. In any case, it would be advisable not to travel with too much luggage because its trunk is clearly smaller than the Prius, although it would be enough for more than just the daily life of a couple. Japan is also imposed on such an important and rear legroom, which can increase the comfort of large people, like children who uploaded their retainers Keep off the front seatbacks with their little feet measurement.

At Toyota Prius, front passengers go on sitting, although access is not much less comfortable than the Kia, and has a few seats more generous in both height and width on top backs, thus allowing better support the upper of the back. Instead, their cm least two longitudinal steering wheel adjustment They can wear it a little more difficult for people with proportionately longer than the arms, which should make any extra settings to find your legs driving position.

The dynamic capability of Kia Niro and Toyota Prius

Speaking of hybrid vehicles, how much and how they are going to run you will have a secondary character compared with values ​​like silent march, the general comfort or how much fuel, especially in town, going to spend. In this case, both are able to get an impressive consumption, improve long values ​​that are capable turbodiesel power of around 120 hp, Although the Kia Niro gets to spend less, at just over 0.6 l / 100 km less than the Toyota Prius computer whose consumption is quite optimistic. In fact, the Kia Niro another milestone and stays below 4.5 l / 100 km average consumption (5.2 Prius) with a spectacular 4 l / 100 km in city (By 4.63 Prius).

The Kia Niiro is also somewhat faster in their accelerations (2 seconds faster in the 0-100 -10,2s against 12,2- and 1.7 in the recovery rate of 80 to 120 km / h -7.4 vs 9.1 s), which it could be assumed given the dozen extra horses that holds about Toyota and gear shift has a similar to a conventional automatic car, capable of climbing gear behavior when the high tour around desahogándolo engine and reducing the sound that reaches the passenger compartment . It also features a Sport mode, which is activated by sliding to the left aisle selector change, prioritizes the use of the gasoline engine, uses electricity as a support and allows manual-operated sequentially. Yes, you are missing the presence of cams that allow change without taking your hands off the steering wheel and it would be desirable a little more engine braking to downshift.

For its part, Toyota Prius It stays true to change e-CVT -of planetary gears and, although its operation reminiscent of a continued drive, which entails the preference for rather than by the more radical and progressive smooth accelerations if we are to avoid a sound. It empleándonos gently hand, keeps up traffic with a considerably lower internal sound that caused Niro both better aerodynamics (0.24 0.29) and the presence of more number of sound-absorbing materials, making the trip more pleasant than their Korean rival, especially in the rear seats.

Loudness is one of the keys to strengthening the feeling of refinement of the Toyota Prius. It has some inner linings and a frame accurate curve that Kia Niro, whose direction and brake feel has significantly improved compared to other Kia and is a little more comfortable in dealing bumps or speed bumps. But it’s not perfect and It shows its weaknesses well before the Prius when handily we are overcome legal speeds. Nevertheless, the pace of progress itself today has little to envy and is clearly cheaper, no less than 4,000 euros not justified by the equipment plus the Prius, available in a single equipment. And that difference could be extended to almost 8,000 if we did not mind the standard equipment. So, if the price difference we add driving sensations it brings change DCT and spend less gasoline victory Niro seems unquestionable despite the weight of tradition and trust that brings the experience of almost two decades making hybrid intangible increases for the Toyota Prius.