Clarity vs Kia Niro PHEV

The Niro was one of our options too. I like the car overall but the EV range isn't enough for us, especially in the winter when the EV range would likely drop below 20.

 

It probably closer to a Prius Prime as far as performance, however it seems to not have electric cabin heating so you have to turn the engine on for vent heat. If you live where it's cold then you may need then engine a lot more.

 

It looks like the Niro would only work if you live in a warm state. If so, you'll have to decide between the flexibility of the Niro hatchback over the luxury and better drivability of the Clarity.

 

One thing to consider is the Niro has no Electric heat so if you need heat in colder climate, you need to start the engine which means you will be using the gas engine the whole winter in you are in the north (this is according to Alex on Auto, he just reviewed the Niro not long ago). And this is true for the Ioniq PHEV and probably the Kona PHEV whenever it come out

 

I don't understand the obsession of a bigger gas tank (like one of the selling point is the Prius can go 1000 miles/km before fillup). How many people you know can drive 8-10 hours without stopping? With the Clarity's all electric range, you rarely go to gas station anyway so only long trip you need to get gas every 4-5 hours which I think most people wouldn't mind

 

I found the Kia to feel a bit like junk compared to the Clarity Touring.. well maybe not junk but just not as well put together.


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If you do a lot of long highway driving, then you will have to fill up every few days since the ev range is depleted every day. I used to drive 150 miles a day. With the range of the Clarity, that would only last 2-3 days if charging was done once a day.

 

One of the joys of the gen 1 Insight (500-700 mile range) is bothering with a gas station only once a month. At our current rate, our Clarity PHEV will be making the odious trip to the petrol dealer less than twice a year. Realistically, I'm sure we'll someday go wild and drive our Clarity out of the county and find ourselves at a gas pump, finally waiting for the fuel-door to open.

 

On our 1,200 mile trip last week I realized we were making logistics changes due to the 7 gallon tank.

Instead of locating highway rest stops for toilet breaks we simply changed to locating gas stations. No big deal. Potty brakes with three people in the car were in line with gas needs.

 

One nice thing about filling up the Clarity is that it doesn't take very long to fill the tank.

 

We were within a $1000 of getting the Niro, didn't quite get what we wanted for the price. That night I was thinking it over (planning to call the dealer the next day and probably go with the Niro). While doing more googling, for the first time I discovered the Clarity existed. Decided I had to test-drive that first and ultimately went with the Clarity. For me it came down battery range more than anything (I had already decided against a Volt, too small for my kids' carseats to be comfortable.) The clarity also felt like a more luxurious vehicle to both me and my wife. I never did a side by side comparison of features so that could be wrong. But between how it felt driving, and the range... I have no regrets.

 

I was looking at that car too when I was looking.
The Niro doesn't allow you to charge the batt from ICE. So if you are out of batt, then the only way to charge is by a plug or regen braking.

Since you are leasing then this doesn't apply but Niro won't get you the $7500 tax rebates. You only get like $3 or 4k.

 

With no electric heater, no liquid battery cooling, and short all EV distance, I really don't see the point of Kia making this version of the car.

On the Sonata Hybrids, some folks are seeing a lot of rock damage to the inverter radiator due to it's location and lack of protection from the front grill. You might want to see if this going to be a problem with the Kia. Costs $600 to replace a radiator.

As far as charging the battery using ICE, the Hyundai Sonata Plug-in does have that feature, so you might want to read the vehicle manual to verify whether or not the Kia has it or not.

 

I would take a look at the 2019 Outback PHEV when it comes out this year since you can charge the vehicle at work. The 2019 Outback comes with a bigger ICE, and a little bigger traction battery.

 

Huge difference in the body styles. Why not consider a Prius Prime?

 

Was deciding between them as well and the Clarity really is a better value for several reasons:
1) Longer range
2) Nicer interior
3) Quieter ride
4) The Honda should have better resale value
5) The transmission in the Kia has some issues which will likely get fixed via a software update, but they do exist; there are also some charging issues in the Clarity that will be fixed via a software update as well

The biggest thing I think the Kia has going go it is that it quite honestly is a "prettier" car than the Clarity, but at the end of the day the Clarity will be the better car to drive.