2023 Kia Niro PHEV and EV specifications issued by Kia Sweden
Last month, Kia shared some of the improved specs that come with the second-generation 2023 Niro Hybrid (pictured), but not the Niro PHEV or Niro EV. The the carmaker and its Niro has been hanging on or near the top of the sales lists in Sweden since last summer, so it makes sense Kia Sweden is first (translated) to provide information on what will happen to the two additional powertrains. Starting with the PHEV, its 1.6-liter four-cylinder will benefit from a larger 11.1 kWh battery and a more powerful electric motor with 80 horsepower. Based on Kia Sweden’s specifications for the Niro PHEV, these figures represent increases of 2.1 kWh and 23 hp. The sensible claim is that the all-electric driving range increases by 11 kilometers on the WLTP cycle, to 60 km (37 miles).
The claim we can not figure out is when Kia Sweden says that the more powerful engine increases the system’s power to 183 horsepower. Back to the specification, the current Swedish Niro PHEV makes the same 139 combined horsepower as ours from 104-hp ICE and 60-hp e-engine. Kia Sweden did not mention an increase in production for the four-cylinder ICE; the outcome of our 2023 Niro Hybrid engine did not change. Without it, we are unclear how 23 more electric ponies give up to 44 more system ponies in Scandinavia. It’s almost as if someone simply added the ICE output to the e-engine output.
There is a point of confusion with the Niro EV specifications we also get. The Swedes say that their e-Niro still uses the same 201-hp electric motor as the current model, but mentions a torque of 255 Nm, when their own brochure for the current model shows torque of 395 Nm, or 291 pounds – so we agree us to the larger figure. However, a slightly larger battery is credited with 64.8 kWh instead of 64 kWh, which encounters the estimated WLTP electric mileage from 455 kilometers to 463 kilometers, or about five miles.
What’s takeaway here? That incremental improvements are coming for 2023 Niro PHEV and EV, and we need an official announcement to know what is being prepared for our market. PHEV uses the same engine and transmission as the hybrid and we know that the engine and six-speed dual-clutch gearbox are improved, the gearbox is said to be lighter and more efficient. Kia claims a 4% improvement in fuel economy on the South Korean hybrid cycle, so we could see further gains on the PHEV specification in addition to pure power figures.
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