2022 Kia Niro Hybrid GT-Line Review

As the world turns toward electrification for its transport needs, it’s becoming more and more obvious that if you’re a car maker wanting to sell up big, you need at least a hybrid in your lineup. Kia realised this a few years ago and added the Niro small SUV to its lineup – even though it had been on sale overseas for years beforehand. Fast forward a short time later and the all-new second-generation Niro has been launched locally. The new Niro promises to be more efficient, have more tech and be overall better than before. We tested the 2022 Kia Niro Hybrid GT-Line to see if it should be at the top of your hybrid SUV shopping list.

The Niro Hybrid competes in the small hybrid SUV segment, which is becoming more populous every month. While the Niro was arguably the trend setter in this regard, other models like the Toyota C-HR and Yaris Cross, as well as the new Corolla Cross, the new Honda HR-V and even the Haval Jolion have recently joined the party. Should you be considering the Niro over these rivals? Let’s find out.

Price & Equipment: 7/10

The 2022 Kia Niro range kicks off with the base Niro S Hybrid for $44,380 plus on-road costs and stepping up to the top-spec GT-Line we tested here will cost an extra $5,650 for a total of $50,030 plus on-road costs (around $55,000 drive away).

What do you get for your fifty-five grand? 18-inch wheels with a space saver spare wheel, auto all-LED lighting with auto wipers, keyless entry and start with remote start and summon, eight-way power adjustable front seats with heating and cooling, artificial leather upholstery, auto-folding and heated exterior mirrors, a power tailgate, heated steering wheel, ambient lighting, wireless charger, four USB charging ports, a 10.25-inch infotainment screen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, digital radio, satellite navigation, a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display, a six-speaker sound system, a heads-up display, dual-zone climate control and access to Kia Connect remote functionality as standard.

Safety kit is also pretty extensive. There is eight airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, forward collision alert, front and rear cross traffic alert, rear AEB, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionality, front and rear parking sensors with a rear view camera, driver attention detection, auto high beam, rear occupant alert, safe exit assist, an alarm system and an SOS button.

Strangely enough, the electric version of the Niro GT-Line gains a sunroof and an eight-speaker Harmon Kardon sound system over the hybrid. We would like to see this given to the Niro HEV GT-Line’s standard equipment, as well as a 360-degree camera and LED interior lighting.

There are no options for the 2022 Kia Niro – the only personalisation options you can choose from are colours. ‘Clear White’ is the standard colour choice while an extra $520 will get you ‘Aurora Black’, ‘Mineral Blue’, ‘Intersteller Grey’, ‘Steel Grey’, ‘Runway Red’, ‘Snow White Pearl’ and our test car’s ‘Cityscape Green’. Grey/black faux leather is the only interior option.

Rivals to the 2022 Kia Niro HEV GT-Line include the $46,050 plus on-road costs Toyota Corolla Cross Atmos Hybrid 2WD and the $40,990 drive away Haval Jolion Ultra Hybrid. Both of these cars undercut the Niro in price by at least $5,000 – or around $15,000 less in the case of the Jolion – making them much better value. Despite its lesser asking price, the Corolla Cross Atmos Hybrid gains over the Niro HEV GT-Line a 360-degree camera, self parking ability, a nine-speaker JBL audio system and a slightly larger 10.5-inch touchscreen.

Performance & Economy: 8/10

Powering the 2022 Kia Niro HEV GT-Line is a 77kW/144Nm 1.6-litre petrol four-cylinder engine that is mated to a 32kW/170Nm electric motor. Combined outputs are 104kW of power and 265Nm of torque, which are reasonable for a hybrid, though a lot less than the 139kW Jolion and 146kW Corolla Cross. Power is sent to the front wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

The hybrid powertrain in the 2022 Kia Niro Hybrid is pretty good – it is great at choosing when electric and/or petrol power is needed and a sufficient amount of power to get you out of any situation. It is not fast but the combined 265Nm of torque hits low in the rev range and provides more than sufficient grunt, especially at urban speeds.

The shift between electric and petrol power is largely seamless and smoother than many Toyota systems we have experienced. The six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission that features in the 2022 Kia Niro HEV is relatively smooth and is more drivable than a lot of CVTs that we have driven with hybrids. It is responsive to throttle prods and doesn’t hold gears for too long.

The claimed average fuel consumption for the 2022 Kia Niro HEV GT-Line is 4.0L/100km and our week spent behind the wheel of the Niro saw a figure of 4.1L/100km, which we were very impressed with. Helping its low running even costs further are that it uses 91RON regular unleaded fuel. It has a reasonable 41-litre fuel tank, meaning you’ll see over 1,000km of range based on our consumption.

Ride & Handling: 8/10

The ride and handling balance in local-spec Kia models is tuned for Australian roads and the 2022 Kia Niro HEV GT-Line is the latest effort from the company. In true local Kia tradition, the Niro Hybrid strikes a good balance between ride and handling – it proves to be fun, and you feel much more connected to the driving than in the Jolion. But the trade off for that sporting prowess is that the ride can be firm, likely due to the 18-inch wheels of the hybrid GT-Line.

The handling ability is surprisingly good with a little body roll, but this is to be expected from a vehicle of the Niro’s body style. The steering is nicely weighted on the heavier side, which makes manoeuvring the Niro at slower speeds a little cumbersome but on the open road, it feels solid. The active safety tech on the Niro much like other Kia models works excellently. The forward collision alert is not too sensitive like some systems can be, the adaptive cruise control with lane centring makes longer trips a breeze and the auto high beam works well too.

Interior & Practicality: 8/10

Stepping into the cabin of the 2022 Kia Niro Hybrid GT-Line is like night and day compared with the model it replaces – it’s better quality, more stylish and more practical too. But it’s also ergonomically pleasing in a typically Kia way – all the major controls fall easy to hand and everything is easy to use first go, unlike the Haval Jolion. The quality inside the Niro isn’t amazing however, with lots of plasticky materials used lower down.

Interior storage is pretty good with is a wireless charging pad in front of the gear selector, two cup holders behind the gear selector (which can be adjusted to store larger items), a reasonably sized centre console, a big glove box and door bins with bottle holders.

Sitting in the electric driver’s seat will put you in view of the 10.25-inch digital driver’s display – the screen isn’t overly customisable but does offer good graphics and it’s also easy to gauge information quickly from it. Next to it is a second 10.25-inch infotainment screen, where the screen quality is great and the system itself is intuitive.

It’s also well featured with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite navigation with live traffic and digital radio. The sound system is adequate but we yearn for the Harmon Kardon system seen in the Niro EV GT-Line.

If you call the short straw and need to sit in the back of the Niro, you will be pleasantly surprised as there is a generous amount of knee, head and shoulder room for even taller passengers. Two adults or three kids could comfortably sit there. There are also two USB-C charging ports, air vents, a centre arm rest with cup holders, map pockets and door bins with bottle holders, making it a practical space.

The tailgate in the 2022 Kia Niro HEV GT-Line is power-operated and once open, there is 425-litres of cargo space on offer with the seats up and 1,419L with them folded – larger than the Corolla Cross’ 414L space. There are cargo tie down hooks and storage under the boot floor for even more practicality, and there’s also a space saver spare wheel as well.

Service & Warranty: 8/10

Like all other new Kia models sold locally, the Kia Niro Hybrid comes with a seven year/unlimited kilometre warranty with eight years/160,000km of warranty for the battery. It also comes with 12 months’ of roadside assistance which is extended at each dealer service up to eight years in total. The warranty is superior to Toyota’s, though Toyota does give you a seven-year drivetrain warranty if serviced through a dealership and up to 10 years of warranty on the hybrid parts if serviced at Toyota too.

Servicing the Niro HEV is required yearly or every 15,000km. The cost to service the Niro over the span of five years/75,000km is $2,645 or an average yearly service cost of $529. This is steep compared to the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid 2WD that costs buyers $1,150 ($230 per service) over the same period.

2022 Kia Niro HEV GT-Line DiscoverAuto Rating: 7.8/10

The 2022 Kia Niro Hybrid GT-Line is an important vehicle for both Kia and the Australian automotive industry. It combines hybrid driving efficiency, SUV practicality and Kia reliability and its good aftersales program. As days go by there are more and more cars entering this market so would we choose the Niro over the competition? It’s definitely worth consideration, even for the styling alone.

The new Niro is a big stylistic upgrade from the old generation of the car, but unfortunately, it’s also quite expensive. For the same price as this Niro, you could get a Toyota RAV4 Cruiser hybrid that sits in the class above. We like the Kia Niro and think it is ultimately a good car, but its pricing is expensive, so make sure you do your research before committing. But regardless, more efficient cars on our roads is only a good thing, and we applaud Kia for making such an improvement in just one generation.