Can a Niro tow a caravan?
By
Elaine Knight
In today’s article, we will answer the following question: Can a Niro tow a caravan? We will discuss the Kia Niro specs, relevant features and behaviour on the road. Stay with us until the end of the article and we promise that this car will impress you.
Can a Niro tow a caravan?
Good news: the Kia Niro is a hybrid that can tow a caravan. With a towing capacity of 1300 kgs, the Kia Niro can tow any braked caravan or trailer within this weight limit.
The Kia Niro Hybrid is a pretty surprising car in many ways, even if at first glance it doesn’t seem to have anything special. The hybrid system is really efficient, the usefulness of the car is correct, and the plenty of modern equipment leaves one impressed.
Kia Niro Specs
| Engine Type | Hybrid |
| Transmission | 6-speed automated manual |
| Drive Type | Front-wheel drive |
| Cylinders | Inline 4 |
| Combined MPG | 49 |
| Total Seating | 5 |
| Basic Warranty | 5 yr./ 60000 mi. |
| Torque | 195 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm |
| Base Engine Size | 1.6 l |
| Horsepower | 139 hp @ 5700 rpm |
| Turning Circle | 35.0 ft. |
| Valves | 16 |
| Direct Injection | yes |
| Base Engine Type | Hybrid |
| Valve Timing | Variable |
| Cam Type | Double overhead cam (dohc) |
| Cylinders | Inline 4 |
What the KIA Niro looks like and how spacious it is
In recent years, KIA cars’ design has become very bold, the most popular models in Europe, the compact Cee’d and the Sportage SUV, being very attractive, especially for younger audiences. So the KIA Niro, with its good looks, which does not attract attention, seems more aimed at customers who want a discreet car.
In my opinion, only the taillights look more interesting. Otherwise, Niro looks discreet.
Things are pretty much the same inside, where a decent ambience greets you, the design of the dashboard relying on symmetry, and the overall quality of manufacture being pleasant – it’s true, this is also contributed by the fact that the test car was equipped top, benefiting from many features.
The interior, although sober, has enough high-tech elements. The 8.0 ”touchscreen dominates the dashboard.
The term “crossover” is appropriate for Niro because the car does not come with very generous ground clearance, while the space on the seat or in the trunk is comparable to that offered by compact class hatchback cars.
What modern gadgets and systems does the Kia Niro offer
Honestly, there is a big discrepancy between how classic the Niro looks and how many high-tech features the car offers, either standard or optional. I will review the most interesting ones.
- USA System (City & Urban & Pedestrian Mode): Optionally, the KIA Niro offers the Autonomous Emergency Brake system, found in more and more new cars. In short, the system is based on the front camera and front parking sensors, constantly monitoring what is happening in front of the car, at any speed.
- AEB (Autonomous Emergency Brake) system: Thus, if an imminent impact with the oncoming vehicle or an inattentive pedestrian appears on the car’s trajectory, the system warns the driver acoustically and visually, and if the driver does not react (and, most of the time, the driver reacts too late), the computer central controls the car’s emergency braking.
- LKAS (Lane Keeping Assist System): Once the system is activated from a button on the left of the steering wheel, it relies on the front camera (the same one that serves the previous AEB) to identify the limits of the lane.
- Multimedia system with 8.0” touchscreen and Android Auto: I don’t have too many comments to make about this system, which proves that “bigger is better” helps ergonomics and faster identification of commands on the screen. The menu seems intuitive and easy to use (like on an Android tablet), only the placement of the “back” button being a bit far, in the upper right corner of the screen.
Unfortunately, we did not see on the list of options the presence of an automatic parking assistance system. Given the very rich package of various safety and comfort systems offered by Niro, a strange omission for a crossover is designed, especially for the urban environment. Especially since such a system would not have to be expensive, and the necessary systems and sensors exist for the most part.
Kia Niro Road Behaviour
Kia Niro Hybrid has two operating modes: the default one, ECO, respectively the SPORT mode – which is selected by moving the automatic transmission lever to the dedicated “gate”.
By default ECO, Niro proves to be good in performance, but economical in terms of consumption.
In the urban environment, the ECO mode is perfect: the car proves to be sufficiently efficient in most situations, the gearbox changes very quickly and without shocks, and the heat engine is heard very little at accelerations.
In general, the departure is done with the electric motor, but the thermal one intervenes quite quickly, both as an electricity generator for the battery and as a traction motor.
In general, the Kia Niro Hybrid’s urban consumption is very decent, ranging from 5 to 6 litres / 100 km, depending on congestion, driving style and outside temperatures or consumers, especially air conditioning.
In my opinion, it is difficult to find an SUV or diesel crossover, comparable in size and performance and equipped with an automatic transmission, which has a better consumption in the city.
ECO mode starts to become inappropriate once out of the urban environment, especially on the highway or if you want a fast pace. In this case, the SPORT mode is the most suitable: the “stud” under the hood is lively, and in rapid overtaking, the contribution of the electric motor is very visible. In fact, the Niro Hybrid becomes a more dynamic crossover than I expected in SPORT mode, without becoming, admittedly, a sports car.
In SPORT mode, the gears can also be changed sequentially, but this will not mean sporty sensations…
It becomes obvious that we are not talking about low consumption. The average consumption is 8 litres / 100 km; one of the advantages of the alert style is that, when braking and decelerating, the battery charges very quickly, so the hybrid system works more efficiently, even at higher speeds.
The only aspect that needs to be improved is the suspension, which is slightly stiff for what I expected from a crossover. This means that bumps and potholes require more attention.
However, this observation does not refer to the hybrid system, which, in my view, is a competent one, which makes the Kia Niro Hybrid a powerful alternative to rivals with diesel engines. It’s just that a small “detail” has to be taken into account: the price.
Budget and conclusions
The base price for the Kia Niro Hybrid is over $23,000 for the Classic basic equipment level. The standard equipment for this equipment is at a normal level, and the Niro Classic does not have too many arguments in favour of its small price apart from the advantageous consumption in the urban environment.
But, once we look at the superior Comfort level (which starts at over $25,000), to which we add some exciting options, such as those mentioned earlier, we can already talk about a much higher price/equipment ratio.
I recommend you to make a correct comparison between Niro Hybrid and its rivals, diesel or petrol – that is to analyze the offers of cars with similar space, offering similar dynamic performances and, very importantly, which have automatic transmission.
If you have any questions or comments on the content, do let us know.
FAQ on Can a Niro tow a caravan?
Can a Kia Niro tow a caravan?
Yes, Kia Niro can do a decent job in towing a caravan. The towing capacity of a Kia Niro is 1300 kg, thus it can easily tow a small to medium-sized caravan
What can a Kia tow?
A Kia Carnival can tow a total of 2000kg braking capacity, a 2019 Kia Sorento can tow 900 kg and the 3.3-litre V6 engine with 290hp and Dynamax AWD offers a max hauling capacity of 5000 pounds (or 2200kg).
Is a Kia Niro a good car?
Yes, overall, Kia Niro is a very good car. It offers a great fuel economy, rides gentle and has decent handling even when towing. It’s one of the best electric SUVs on the market.
