Niro Automatic Features vs. Kona

  • Thread starter Thread starter Toolworker
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Toolworker said:
Online discussion of the Kona's automatic features cite a number of flaws. I'm deciding between these two vehicles and wondering if the Niro has any of these issues.

Problems reported on the Kona EV in that thread include:
  • Lane Keeping Assist and Warning:
    • Too restrictive. It tries to keep the Kona on a narrow track rather than accepting most of the lane.
    • Sometimes gets confused when lane expands to include an exit lane.
    • Assist uses too much force on the steering wheel. Have to fight it to override.
    • Warning beep is the same sound as other warnings. Hard to know what it's alerting to.
  • Adaptive Cruise Control:
    • Can pulse when temporarily holding a speed substantially above the set speed, particularly in sport mode.
    • Doesn't brake soon enough when heading toward stopped traffic.
  • Forward collision prevention: Can jam brakes on prematurely.
Does the Niro have any of these issues?
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I'm pretty sure that, just like others said here, the sensors and software are either identical or close to identical between the Kona and the Niro. The difference between the cars is the body and the interior and software interface to access all the functions but they do share almost exactly the same technology. There are settings on the Kona (and I assume on the Niro as well) where you can for example set the sensitivity of the FKA. You can set the sensors to "early" or "late" detection. LKA on the Kona is flawed but as others said, it's a tool to make you pay attention. Neither on the Kona or Niro it's meant to be what the Autopilot is on a Tesla. I have driven several other cars of other brands and the LKA had the same flaws as the ones on the Kona. Those systems aren't perfect or even close to perfect.. The closest you'll find is on Tesla cars. When it comes to the advanced features, Tesla is the most advanced. Nobody comes close. And... as we know, even Tesla's advanced system is not 100% perfect.. There have been accidents with autopilot, so, I would not "rely" on any of those features.. If you are worried about those features causing an accident, you can always turn them off. I have driven 25k miles in my Kona so far in less than 9 months and I have had no issue with any of them. Yes, the FKA warning goes off prematurely in some cases but it has never actually slammed the brakes prematurely, it just issued the warning fairly early..
I think that if you are deciding between the Kona and the Niro, it really only comes down to 2 things.

a) do you want slightly more space for passengers and cargo
or
b) do you want slightly more range

Maybe, some may have a preference for the software interface and dash layout of one or the other.
From a pure technology perspective, both are just about the same car.

You really can't go wrong with either one.
 
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BlueKonaEV said:
IWhen it comes to the advanced features, Tesla is the most advanced. Nobody comes close. And... as we know, even Tesla's advanced system is not 100% perfect.. There have been accidents with autopilot, so, I would not "rely" on any of those features.
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If you visit any Tesla forum you see many complaints about phantom braking and other Autopilot issues. Nobody has a perfect system and the dream of self-driving cars will likely remain for a very long time. In some ways the KIA/Hyundai implementation may actually be safer because it doesn't lull you into a false sense of security. Tesla's marketing department should really have just called it smart/adaptive/dynamic cruise control like everyone else.
 
My son has a Tesla model 3 and has experienced some of the autopilot bugs, like phantom braking, and many others. Haven't heard him talk about it recently, though, so maybe they are getting better with their testing. And yes, autopilot implies autonomous driving, and it definitely is not that. It is just a set of driver assist features, which all manufacturers are pursuing and implementing. These are all important steps towards ultimate autonomous driving, but FSD is still a long ways off.
 
I find all of the above discussions very interesting and puzzling as well. I watched a video U tube showing real time automatic braking for cross trafic and pedestrian crossings using several autos including the above and a Mercedes. Every vehicle stopped within a safe distance without hitting or running over the pedestrian except the Kia and Hyandai .......the latter two ran right thru and over.....it was unbelievable. !!
 
Suggest you check out this AAA study. Only car that could be considered "passing" this automatic braking test is the Toyota. Tesla Model 3 performed very poorly. Unfortunately, they didn't test any Korean brands.
 
Hi.....your AAA study is totally different from the one I mentioned. This U-Tube video is fascinating and funny at the same time.
 
chuckh007 said:
Every vehicle stopped within a safe distance without hitting or running over the pedestrian except the Kia and Hyandai .......the latter two ran right thru and over.....it was unbelievable. !!
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The brake squeal on the Hyundai is, unfortunately, something I've heard on my own car.

This Kona EV is my fourth plug-in - two Volts and one of the first plug-in Priuses. I love the Kona, but aspects of the engineering have a half baked feel that the other three did not. In addition to the auto braking features, the Rube Goldberg system for keeping the 12v battery charged repeatedly causes it to go dead, also a problem on Ioniqs. And there are a lot of complaints about various noises in the powertrain. #HyundaiBetaTester
 
Hate to say it but this needs government regulation to force all auto manufacturers to offer properly working automatic braking as standard on all cars - just like seat belts and air bags. It's especially important in recent years as more drivers operate their vehicles while distracted by their phones or in-car infotainment screens. The tests show that even non-luxury brands can do this correctly so there is no excuse.
 
David T in Silicon Valley said:
??? I have not had a problem with my 12V battery . What is going on with yours?
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This long and rather technical thread includes at least three people who have had their 12v battery go dead. I've thoroughly documented my particular failure.

Long story short, it's stopped doing Auto Battery Saver when plugged into an EVSE. Occasionally instead of just not doing ABS, it gets into a loop which kills the battery.

You can look at my first complaint, and there's a lot more further down in the thread. And there's a graph and amusing video of the car in the act of killing the 12v battery starting here.
 
Toolworker said:
This long and rather technical thread includes at least three people who have had their 12v battery go dead. I've thoroughly documented my particular failure.

Long story short, it's stopped doing Auto Battery Saver when plugged into an EVSE. Occasionally instead of just not doing ABS, it gets into a loop which kills the battery.

You can look at my first complaint, and there's a lot more further down in the thread. And there's a graph and amusing video of the car in the act of killing the 12v battery starting here.
Click to expand...
Don't forget to through this one into the 12 V compiling list :(
https://insideevsforum.com/community/index.php?threads/dead-kona-ev.6991/
 
Thank you for the links. I have not heard of this in the Niro thread , so it might be Kona specific...or it might be since fewer Niros have sold, we just aren't seeing this particular failure in any numbers.... Yikes.
 
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