The revamped 2023 Kia Niro is slated to debut in the United States next week at the New York car show, bringing with it a dramatically different exterior appearance that you might not recognise as being from Kia.
The redesigned Niro made its global debut at the Seoul Mobility Show in South Korea in the latter weeks of 2021, therefore its appearance in New York will mostly focus on US market features rather than exterior styling.
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2023 Niro is all set to impress everyone
The 2023 Niro followed the Haba Niro concept of 2019 pretty closely, and during its debut in Seoul in November, we’ve also learned it will be longer and wider than the outgoing model. The most striking element of the redesigned model will perhaps be the vertical blade covering the entire C-pillar, one that will be painted in a contrasting color on some versions of the model.
A radically restyled fascia will see two angular headlights positioned lower on the front, along with a two-tier grille design. It’s doubtful you’ll ever confuse the outgoing Niro with the new one, at least visually.
The hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric powertrains will be available for the 2023 model, with the hybrid version combining a 1.6-liter gasoline four-cylinder with a six-speed dual-clutch automatic and an electric motor producing 139 horsepower.
The EV version, on the other hand, is projected to have a 64.8-kWh battery and a 201-hp electric motor with 188 lb-ft of torque—numbers that should be recognizable to existing Niro EV owners. In Europe, this setup gives the new Niro EV a range of 287 miles in the WLTP cycle, but EPA numbers won’t be known until next week at the earliest.
It’s worth noting the current model is rated at 239 miles in the EPA cycle, but we don’t expect the new one to beat it by some giant margin, as the battery and motors are staying the same.
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But a little bump in range would be nice
In Europe, the PHEV model received a 1.6-liter GDI gas engine paired with a 62-kW electric motor and an 11.1-kWh battery, with this setup offering a combined output of 183 hp. US specs may differ a bit, but the EV-only range in the European model has been rated at 37 miles in the very optimistic WLTP cycle.
We’ll see the US-spec Niro in the metal in New York on April 13, and that’s when Kia is expected to reveal all the details about the 2023 model. But count on the EV version to get quite a bit of attention this month as Kia continues to electrify its range.
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As for pricing, expect Kia to continue delivering a lot of cars for the money with its new Niro, particularly the EV.