It is honest to say Kia performed a little bit of a blinder within the early days of the industry-wide race to construct mainstream EVs. In truth few if any producers pounced on the electrification shake-up fairly as properly.
In 2018, forward of the competitors, it launched the e-Niro crossover, which with nearly 300 miles of vary, strong ergonomics, surprisingly severe efficiency and really canny pricing, shortly grew to become the most effective all-rounder EV wise cash may purchase. Certain, it wasn’t essentially the most polished product, but it surely was in all probability adequate to be thought-about the model’s very first-class chief.
Now that others are catching up, Kia has determined the simplest manner ahead might be to not go upmarket (though in the event you do need to try this, the brand new 4+ trim degree for the e-Niro is price investigating), the place illustrious names equivalent to Mercedes and Polestar lurk.
As an alternative, it has prolonged the e-Niro vary downwards, mainly by shrinking the automobile’s lithium ion battery pack from 64kWh to 39kWh, the principle consequence of which is to drop the claimed vary by 102 miles to 180 miles.
This new entry-level mannequin is merely as often known as the e-Niro ‘2’, and its arrival is well timed. That is as a result of the authorities not too long ago determined to drop the higher value restrict for vehicles eligible for its £2500 plug-in grant from £50,000 to £30,000. It means the 39kWh 2 is the one mannequin within the e-Niro vary to qualify, as a result of it prices £30,345, whereas the e-Niro 3, now with none type of subsidy for consumers, prices £37,100 and the 4+ £39,395.
Nonetheless, although the two is now significantly cheaper relative to the remainder of vary than Kia initially deliberate, driving vary isn’t the one attribute house owners will sacrifice. Energy additionally drops from 201bhp to a extra sedate-sounding 132bhp. Apparently, torque stays the identical, at 291lb ft, which is a wholesome determine nearly equal to what you’ll discover within the new Volkswagen Golf R.
Don’t get too excited, although: kerb weight continues to be mighty for one thing of the Kia’s modest dimensions, at nearly 1700kg, and the 9.8sec 0-62mph time seems to be ponderous at finest.
