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2019 Kia Niro EV First Drive Review | How to have fun in a practical EV

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — The Kia Niro EV rounds out the Niro trio, and is the most impressive on paper. With the same 64-kWh battery and 201-horsepower electric motor as the Hyundai Kona Electric, it's rated at 239 miles of driving range between charges. Granted, 239 miles is less than the 258 miles the Kona EV gets on paper, so we were eager to see what the differences were between the similar EVs. After spending an icy, frigid weekend driving (and falling in love with) the Hyundai Kona Electric around Michigan we hopped on a plane, and headed to Santa Cruz to try out the 2019 Kia Niro EV (and to escape the cold). With a longer wheelbase and greater overall length than the Kona, the Niro EV offers a little more rear legroom — about three inches extra. As a 6-footer, I didn't find it uncomfortable to squeeze in behind an even taller driver. This bodes well for those of us with car seats we need to install in the back of our EVs. The Niro EV also boasts more luggage space than the Kona, with 18.5 cubic feet behind the rear seats, and 53 cubic feet with the seats folded down. We were impressed by the large rear opening and the spaciousness of the cargo area. The driver's seating position took a lot of adjustment to get comfortable in, a problem we didn't have in the Kona. No matter what we did, we felt like we were sitting too high up in the vehicle, but eventually it began to feel natural as our focus shifted from the interior around us to the road in front of us. Still, every time we got back in the car, we felt the need to try to improve the seating position. At least the seats were comfortable and supportive. Thankfully, Kia didn't go overboard with the styling of the Niro EV, and that goes for the interior, too. The oddest thing is the big rotary gear selector. While it looks like it would be in the way of the cupholder, it didn't interfere with grabbing our coffee, and it's more intuitive to use than the Kona Electric's separate PRDN buttons. The rest of the interior is about what you'd expect. There's a lot of plastic, a center stack that's maybe just a little too busy with buttons and controls, a well-incorporated touchscreen and a digital instrument cluster. It's quiet when you turn it on and begin to drive away, as you would expect. Listen carefully and you'll hear the spacey hum of its pedestrian warning system at low speeds, which shuts off as you approach 20 miles per hour.

Hyundai Group invests $90 million in Rimac to develop electric halo cars

The Hyundai Group is the next large automaker to make pilgrimage to Croatia, all for the purpose of investing 80 million euros ($90 million) in Rimac. Hyundai has chipped in 64 million euros ($72 million), while Kia added 16 million euros ($18 million). The tie-up puts a much faster spin on the South Korean automaker's electrification goals, with current plans to get 44 "eco-friendly models" on sale by 2025. Developing products with Rimac means working up two proper halo models to lead the charge. The press release stated Hyundai's intent to "to lead the high-performance electrified vehicle market and enhance its status as a game changer in Clean Mobility." According to Thomas Schemera, EVP of the group's product division, "Our goal is to popularize electric vehicles and to create social value through world-class technology and innovation in performance." The Hyundai Kona Electric, Ioniq and Nexo, and the Kia Soul EV and Niro EV have all won praise, but won't be enough in their current forms to garner the attention Hyundai and Kia desire. We'll see first fruits as soon as next year. Two high-performance electric prototypes are expected to debut, one being a battery-electric vehicle, the other a hydrogen fuel cell EV. The battery-powered offering will be a zero-emission version of Hyundai's mid-engined sports car for the N division. This has been in the works for seven years now, with three concepts put on show starting with the Veloster Midship in 2014. The RM15 followed a year later, the RM16 N (pictured) a year after that. The automaker didn't indicate what the FCEV would be. The aim, however, is to bring both to marker "at a later time." On Rimac's side, the investment helps the small Croatian on its quest for Tier 1 Supplier status. Only ten years old and employing about 500 people, Rimac has supplied technology to Aston Martin for the Valkyrie, Jaguar for the E-Type Zero, Koenigsegg for the Regera, and Pininfarina for the PF0. Porsche bought a ten-percent stake in Rimac last year, following a 30-million-euro investment from Chinese battery maker Camel Group to take a 19-percent stake. The Eastern European concern remains focused on its own bowtie-inspired hypercars as long as founder Mate Rimac leads, though. As he told Motor Trend in April, "Of course I'm very passionate about helping other manufacturers build their cars. But if the shareholders decide it doesn't make sense to produce our own cars, they we'll have to find another CEO."

2021 Kia Seltos Review | Price, fuel economy, specs, pictures

The 2021 Kia Seltos proves you don't have to spend a lot of money for both function and fashion. Its price and exterior dimensions fall in between the subcompact and compact SUV segments, yet it boasts more interior volume than is expected and an abundance of special design details throughout that successfully counter some of the cheaper bits applied to keep the price down. Basically, it provides even more value beyond Kia's usual extra-long features list and warranty. In that way, the Seltos is in keeping with Kia's excellent Soul below it and Telluride above it. It's also a more competitive product than Kia's aging Sportage, which may have nicer interior materials and more powerful engines, but weaker interior packaging and design. Importantly, though, the Seltos is a compelling alternative to the crossovers in the two SUV size/price segments that it straddles, offering a hodgepodge of elements from each to create an appealing new whole. Its most direct competitor is the also-new and also-handsome Mazda CX-30, which is sharper to drive and has a higher-quality cabin. The Seltos' greater space likely makes it a better choice for more people, however. What's new for 2021? The Seltos is an all-new model in the Kia line-up. What's the Seltos interior and in-car technology like? If there's one area where the Seltos betrays its relatively low price, it's the quality of its interior materials. There's far more hard plastic throughout than you'll find in the slightly pricier Kia Sportage plus any number of like-priced compact crossovers. The door sills, dash tops, center console and cargo area are the most noticeable examples. However, Kia's designers cleverly made up for its accountants' dictates by elevating several key areas with upgraded materials and distinctive design elements. The 3D geometric pattern of the speaker grilles, the metal-look passenger grab handle, the sleek silver trim piece surrounding the air vents and starter button, and optional upgrades that include handsome heather-gray upholstery and the dash trim that can be glossy black, bright blue or stitched faux leather. There's also plenty of user-friendly technology. Standard on every Seltos is an easy-to-use 8-inch touchscreen packing standard Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Standard on the SX Turbo is the same 10.25-inch touchscreen available in the Telluride, which enhances functionality with its widescreen layout (it's also largely similar to the one offered by Hyundai).