Kia Niro Plus

Kia Niro Plus: which version to buy

If the choice is between the three current Kia Niro Plus versions, the split is simple on the numbers: 1.6 GDI AT PHEV and 1.6 GDI AT share the same 141 hp / 270 Nm / 1,580 cc figures, 11.5 s to 100 km/h, 154 km/h top speed and 1,510 kg kerb weight; Electric is the only version that changes the arithmetic, with 204 hp, 403 Nm, 7.8 s, 167 km/h and 1,815 kg.

If the choice is between the three current Kia Niro Plus versions, the split is simple on the numbers: 1.6 GDI AT PHEV and 1.6 GDI AT share the same 141 hp / 270 Nm / 1,580 cc figures, 11.5 s to 100 km/h, 154 km/h top speed and 1,510 kg kerb weight; Electric is the only version that changes the arithmetic, with 204 hp, 403 Nm, 7.8 s, 167 km/h and 1,815 kg. There is one generation (from 2022-05-01, still in production), one body (SUV 5-doors) and three versions — so “which generation” is not the question. “Which powertrain” is.

Which Niro Plus version: the three options

1.6 GDI AT PHEV is the Plug-in 1,580 cc version: 141 hp (103 kW) at 5,700 rpm, 270 Nm at 4,000 rpm, Inline 4, 4 valves per cylinder, Turbo, Front, transverse, Direct injection (direct), compression 13, 72 x 97, fuel 95, Robotic 6, FWD, tank 45 L, kerb 1,510 kg.

1.6 GDI AT is the Hybrid 1,580 cc version. On every measured engine, gearbox, drive, tank, kerb, 0–100 and top-speed figure in this dataset it matches 1.6 GDI AT PHEV. The labelled difference is powertrain type: Hybrid versus Plug-in. City, highway and mixed consumption are not measured for either; CO2 is not measured for either; eco class is not measured.

Electric is the Electro version: 204 hp (150 kW), 403 Nm, fuel Electro, Automatic 1, FWD, tank 45 L, CO2 0, kerb 1,815 kg. Displacement, cylinders, cylinder layout, valves, engine position, injection, compression and bore × stroke are not measured. Boost is labelled Turbo in the data. Peak rpm for power and torque is not measured.

Buy Electric if you want the higher output and the faster 0–100. Buy 1.6 GDI AT PHEV if you want the Plug-in label on the same 141 hp hardware as the Hybrid. Buy 1.6 GDI AT if you want that same 141 hp / 270 Nm / 1,510 kg package labelled Hybrid rather than Plug-in.

Specs comparison: engine, gearbox, drive

Electric has 63 hp more than 1.6 GDI AT PHEV and 1.6 GDI AT (204 − 141). In kW that is 47 kW more (150 − 103). Torque is 133 Nm higher (403 − 270). Displacement on the two 1.6 versions is 1,580 cc; specific output is 141 ÷ 1.580 ≈ 89.2 hp per litre. Electric has no measured displacement, so hp per litre is not measured.

All three are FWD. The 1.6 pair uses Robotic 6; Electric uses Automatic 1. There is no AWD version in the data, so drive type does not separate the buyers.

The 1.6 pair is Front, transverse, Direct injection (direct), compression 13, 72 x 97. Those fields are not measured on Electric. Do not treat the two 1.6 names as different engines: they are the same numbers with different type labels (Plug-in vs Hybrid).

Performance: 0–100, top speed, mpg

Electric is 3.7 s quicker to 100 km/h (11.5 − 7.8) and 13 km/h higher at the top (167 − 154). That is the only performance gap in the table. 1.6 GDI AT PHEV and 1.6 GDI AT are identical here; choosing Plug-in over Hybrid does not change 0–100 or top speed in this dataset.

Mpg / consumption is not measured for any version (city, highway, mixed all not measured). You cannot rank economy from these figures. CO2 is 0 on Electric and not measured on the two 1.6 versions — that is a labelled gap, not a calculated mpg ranking.

Dimensions and weight: what the extra mass buys

Kerb weight is measured; gross weight, ground clearance and wheel sizes are not measured on all three.

Electric is 305 kg heavier (1,815 − 1,510). Weight per horsepower: 1.6 GDI AT PHEV and 1.6 GDI AT are 1,510 ÷ 141 ≈ 10.71 kg/hp; Electric is 1,815 ÷ 204 ≈ 8.90 kg/hp. The heavier version still has the better kg/hp and the better 0–100, so the extra 305 kg does not cancel the extra 63 hp on these numbers.

Tank is 45 L on all three, including Electric. Ground clearance and wheel sizes are not measured, so ride height and tyre size cannot decide the purchase. Front suspension is Independent, spring and rear is Semi-independent, springorts hélicoïdaux, sem on all three; front brakes Ventilated disc, rear Disc — chassis labels do not split the versions.

Generations: what changed (and what did not)

There is 1 generation of Kia Niro Plus, from 2022-05-01, with stop not measured (still listed as current). Body is SUV 5-doors. That generation has 3 versions. There is no second generation in the data, so there is no “newer generation is X hp stronger” comparison. The only comparison is inside this generation: two 141 hp 1,580 cc FWD Robotic 6 versions versus one 204 hp Electro FWD Automatic 1 version.

If you are choosing “generation vs generation,” the dataset does not offer a later generation. The choice is version vs version in generation 1.

Which version to choose, by the numbers

Choose Electric if the brief is pace. It is the only version with 204 hp, 403 Nm, 7.8 s to 100 km/h, 167 km/h and CO2 0. You accept 1,815 kg kerb (+305 kg vs the 1.6 pair) and unmeasured displacement, cylinders, layout, injection, compression and peak rpm. Gearbox is Automatic 1, not Robotic 6. Fuel is Electro.

Choose 1.6 GDI AT PHEV if the brief is Plug-in on the lighter 1,510 kg car. You get 141 hp at 5,700 rpm, 270 Nm at 4,000 rpm, 1,580 cc, Inline 4, Turbo, Direct injection (direct), 95 fuel, Robotic 6, FWD, 11.5 s, 154 km/h, tank 45 L. Versus Electric you give up 63 hp, 133 Nm, 3.7 s on 0–100 and 13 km/h of top speed. Versus 1.6 GDI AT you do not change any of those measured figures — only the Plug-in vs Hybrid label.

Choose 1.6 GDI AT if the brief is Hybrid rather than Plug-in, with the same 141 hp / 270 Nm / 1,510 kg / Robotic 6 / FWD package as 1.6 GDI AT PHEV. There is no measured consumption, CO2 or eco-class gap between these two names. If a buyer expected the Hybrid to be slower or heavier, the data does not show it.

Do not choose on mpg, clearance, wheels or gross weight. Those are not measured. Do not choose on body or generation: all three are SUV 5-doors in the same 1 generation from 2022-05-01.

Short ranking on measured deltas only: Electric for power, torque, 0–100, top speed and kg/hp; 1.6 GDI AT PHEV or 1.6 GDI AT for lower kerb weight (1,510 kg) and the 1,580 cc 95-fuel Inline 4; between those two, the data does not give a numerical winner — pick the Plug-in or Hybrid label you actually need.