I am a happy owner of a 2018 Leaf S 40-kwh but the onset of cold weather his me thinking about trading up for more range. On a lark I took a new Niro EV for a test drive and it seemed pretty damn good. The GOM was showing just over 400km range at freezing temperature and it only dropped about 5% flicking the heat on. I didn't like the way the regen worked. It wasn't very aggressive but I believe it can be stepped up with steering wheel controls? The salesperson didn't know how to do that. I've grown to quite like the Leaf's one pedal driving mode. Getting to the title of the post, the seats seemed to be a bit of a come down compared to the Leaf which is quite comfy. As tempting as the vehicle was I wondered what the seats would feel like on a longer trip. I would be interested how other Niro owners experience the seats on a longer trip.
We have both a 2017 Leaf and a 2019 Niro EV. I prefer the seats in the Niro (but I am tall for a woman at 5'10") so that may have something to do with it. Before covid, when I would visit any of our family I would drive 350+ miles in a day and found the seats very comfortable. My husband says he doesn't have a preference on seats (but he is a taller guy at 6'2" so your results might be different depending on your build). As for the regen, I have mine set to level 3 (or as my husband calls it aggressive mode) so yes, you can adjust it using the steering column paddles (and there are also drive mode settings - they probably have the tester in Normal or Sport which would turn down the regen).
The seats work for me...in terms of the Leaf, been driving long enough and been through enough blowouts where I didn't want one that I wouldn't consider a car with no spare tire. The Niro doesn't have a full size (outside of trucks that's pretty standard), but at least a donut can get me out of the middle of nowhere. I did drive the Leaf, but no spare =s no deal...
Regarding the regen, you can stop the car without using the brake pedal by pulling and holding the left regen paddle, at least on my 2020 US version. It won't stop as quickly as stomping on the brake pedal in all situations, but for many normal conditions you can drive without using the brakes.
I have both a leaf and a Niro, I find the e-pedal superior. Having to actuate another control to engage one pedal driving is the antithesis of one pedal driving.
I'm a 2 week niro owner here, my prior cars were Honda clarity and leaf. Both have more comfortable seating. Some says a seat cushion may help so I'll try that later before a really long road trip. I'm 5' 6".
I'll bet the lumbar area is in the wrong place. I'm 6' 2", this car is fine (not great), but in comparison the Prius had the lumbar support in place for a much shorter person. Lumbar supports should be adjustable up and down also until they genetically engineer all people to be the same height. Greg
What I would've like to have seen is thigh extension to support my knees a little better. Once you've driven a car that has that feature, you become spoiled as it really makes seating for longer drives much more comfortable. That being said, as a fellow 6' 2" person, I can echo your statement: the seats are good, but not great in the Niro. I have never found any car whose lumbar adjustments were comfortable to me; I just don't like that pressure on my lower back.
Yes, both of my other higher end cars have power thigh adjustment. I have the lumbar pretty well retracted in the Niro. I did find that fooling with the seat base and seat back angle, and the fore and aft adjustment it is comfortable enough, but as a poor American, I don't have seat memory, so I have to remember a bit when my 5' 2" wife drives it! Greg
