MOTORING
Super-Boost S-Crossby Ian Beasant , BUSINESSFIRSTMAGAZINE motoring correspondent
T
he SUV market must be the most competitive market in the motor trade at present as virtually every manufacturer has at least one model in their range . The markets are always driven by demand and the demand and interest is for practical , good looking , affordable , economical SUV ’ s . Well I can see the reasoning behind this especially in the last three years when the SUV market has really taken off . Customers are now looking for a vehicle to all things well and are capable of
Hybrid Kia
Tboth worlds ; a petrol engine that
he new KIA Niro is a hybrid , which essentially means you have the best of
charges an electric motor . Yes similar to the Toyota Prius which at one time was hailed as changing the face of the motor industry , not too sure if that happened .
Anyway , back to the new KIA Niro . Kia has developed this car on a brand new platform to accommodate the electric motor and the batteries which go along with it . The beauty about Hybrids is that they charge themselves and unlike fully electric vehicles you never have to worry about plugging them into a charger and hoping the range is good enough to get to where you want to go .
Kia has aimed the Niro at the family market as it is nearly a crossover , maybe not as tall . It is smartly styled and on the inside it far more spacious than it looks from the outside . The Niro is powered by a 1.6 petrol engine producing 104bhp add to that 1.56 KwH motor – all driven through a six speed double clutch auto gearbox . The Niro is certainly the smoothest of Hybrids I have driven easily changing from petrol driven to the Electric mode quietly and without any fuss around town . The only time I actually
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being as good as having two cars without the expense ; it ’ s the way of the world .
Suzuki took all this on board as below the surface was a great chassis , what was needed was a facelift and with the success of their brilliant Booster jet engines which offer amazing power and economy for their size add these to the SCross , redesign the front of the car , Tweak the suspension and Suzuki now have a winner on their hands .
The SCross I chose was fitted with the 1.0 litre Boosterjet engine . This engine had really
was aware of the engine noise was when I was overtaking and using full power .
The Niro inside simply and tastefully designed , the dash layout is good and easy to use . I found a very comfortable driving position and the Niro is well equipped in every area . Passenger space is generous and the boot is a good size as well . Like all Kia ’ s the build quality is good and the Niro has a premium feel to it with high quality materials used throughout . impressed me in the recently released Suzuki Baleno and I was keen to see how it would react pulling a vehicle weighing in at 100kg more . Surprised ! You would not know , the engine revved freely , delivered power throughout the rev range , had a bundle of torque and was so economical I thought the fuel gauge was broken . I averaged 59 miles per gallon . Suzuki quote 060 mph should take 11 seconds , well it maybe does but it feels a lot quicker .
The interior is simply laid out and clutter free . The driving position is elevated as in all SUV ’ s which allow for good all round visibility . The five speed gearbox slick to use and the ratios are well chosen for the engine to give the best balance of performance and economy . The steering is light and offers good feedback .
The handling for an SUV is good as the S Cross offers sharp turn in , the brakes are good and on a B road with a lot of corners the tweaking of the suspension keeps the body roll in check . Suzuki have really got all the ingredients together on the SCross this time and it is a great SUV – Plenty of room inside , so it ’ s practical , it looks stylish and impressive , it drives extremely well , the Boosterjet engine is an absolute gem , it is economical . I think the SCross now really does tick all the right boxes , oh ; yes it ’ s great to drive .
On the road , I was a bit sceptical but that soon changed the more I drove the Niro . It may be a crossover and with the extra weight of the batteries which are packaged below the rear seats , I was expecting the Niro to do all it says it can but maybe be a bit boring to drive . Wrong ! Kia have done a great design job in keeping the weight central in the car and tuning the suspension to suit our roads and it handles really nicely and is good to drive .