Kia Niro VS Holden Equinox
Kia Niro
Likes
- Decent driving range
- Pleasant interior design
- Easy-to-use tech
Dislikes
- Rougher ride
- Doughy acceleration from a full stop
- Expensive compared to rivals
Holden Equinox
Likes
Dislikes
Summary
Kia Niro
Kia has released the newly updated Niro, which is the smaller and less sporty sibling to Kia’s popular, EV6. As far as EVs go, it has a decent driving range and specs that should entice first-time electric vehicle owners to dip their toes into the EV pool.
However, the updated model does come with a price hike… which might not excite a budget-conscious buyer, especially with such affordable competitors like the MG ZS EV and Hyundai Kona Electric also available.
I’ve been hanging in it for a week with my family of three to see how it handles!
| Safety rating | |
|---|---|
| Engine Type | — |
| Fuel Type | Electric |
| Fuel Efficiency | —L/100km |
| Seating | 5 seats |
Holden Equinox
Make no bones about it; the new Holden Equinox is a very important car for the Holden brand going forward. The medium SUV is dropping into an ultra-competitive, an ultra-popular segment of the Australian marketplace, and it really needs to bring its A-game in order to compete on level terms with incumbents like Mazda's CX-5, the Volkswagen Tiguan and Nissan's X-Trail.
We're also interested to see how the car does in the day-to-day role as an adventure vehicle. Can it cut the mustard when it comes to competing with the best in the class?
| Safety rating | |
|---|---|
| Engine Type | 2.0L turbo |
| Fuel Type | Premium Unleaded Petrol |
| Fuel Efficiency | 8.4L/100km |
| Seating | 5 seats |
Verdict
Kia Niro7/10
The Kia Niro S Electric is a solid little SUV that has decent space inside and some nice specs, but it's more expensive than its nearest rivals. The EV powertrain can take a little getting used to and I would have liked a smoother ride, but the 460km driving range is good.
For first-time EV owners, this wouldn’t be a bad option if you wanted to dip your toes in the water but it will suit urban dwellers and smaller families, like mine, best. This gets a 7.5/10 from me.
My son wasn’t in love with this one. Not enough buttons for him to press and he did comment on how bumpy the ride was in the back. He gives it a 6.0/10.
Holden Equinox6.5/10
The Equinox is a box jump in front of the old-school Captiva… but we wonder if it’s enough to stay up with current crop of medium SUVs. Its adventure chops, too, are restricted to light gravel and snow work, though its sheer capacity for luggage stands it in good stead.
Has the Holden Equinox made enough of a jump to get onto your consideration list? Let us know below.
Design
Kia Niro
It’s a compact SUV with a footprint that's 4420mm long, 1825mm wide and 1570mm tall. But while small, I wouldn’t call it cute. It’s boxier than its sibling and without any of the swoopy design elements that make the EV6 look cool.Â
I do like the way the two-tone body panelling, which is seen most prominently on the C-pillar, breaks up the ‘blocky-ness’ and creates areas of interest. As do the high-mounted rear LED lights.Â
Speaking of lights, the base model makes do with halogen headlights, which unfortunately stand out against the LED daytime-running lights. You’ll notice the dimmer light at night, too.
The 17-inch alloy wheels are thick for better aerodynamics but the clever two-tone colouring stops them from looking unfashionable.
The interior has a lot style cred with the curvature of the door panelling blending in almost seamlessly with the dashboard.
The gently sloping panelling that houses the multimedia systems and switchable touchscreen interface for the controls creates a very pleasing cabin space.
There are some harder plastics mixed in here but enough soft touchpoints that you won’t be bothered by them.Â
Holden Equinox
While Holden was able to have some influence on the nose and tail treatment, you’re looking at a Detroit special that’s meant to do business in all four corners of the world. It’s inoffensive enough... but inoffensive may not be enough in such a hard-fought retail space.Â
Traces of GM’s dalliance with split grilles remain, but thankfully it’s underplayed, while the side profile still allows for plenty of light to get into the cabin.
Inside, it’s better than the long-serving Captiva... but again, it’s a tough space, and the Equinox needs to able to compete against resolved, confident interior spaces from the likes of Mazda and Volkswagen. It’s more shapely and stylish, sure, but it already feels a couple of years old... and the Equinox will be with us for some time yet.
Read More: Holden Equinox reviews
Practicality
Kia Niro
It’s surprisingly roomy inside and all passengers will enjoy decent leg and headroom, but taller passengers will find the backseat cosier than the front.
As such, two child seats will fit best but you do have ISOFIX child seat mounts on the outboard positions and three top-tether points, if you need them.
The synthetic leather/cloth seat trim cleans well and is nice to touch. The seats themselves, front and rear, are well-padded and super comfortable.
The backs of the front seats can double as coat hangers and have hardened kickplates, which are always practical for little feet.
The front row gets the most amenities and tech. The 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system has clear graphics but is different to other Kia’s I’ve sampled recently. It seems to have been simplified but you’ll get used to it quickly.
There are plenty of charging options available, too, with a USB-A and C port, plus a 12-volt socket. Not needing a cable for the wireless Apple CarPlay is a bonus, too!
The front row also has the most storage space with two retractable cupholders, dedicated phone tray, glove box, middle console and skinny drink bottle holders in each door.
Back seat passengers enjoy two USB-C ports, reading lights, drink bottle holders in each door plus an armrest with two cupholders. As well as, a standard three-pin socket in case you need to run electrical gear or charge anything up on the go.
The windows are wide and offer good visibility but I really like the 150mm ground clearance. It was super easy for my six-year old to climb in and out, plus he got a good view this week!
The boot is good for this size SUV with 475L of capacity available. It does look more like a hatchback, because while you can readjust the floor to sit lower, the back still slopes up.
However, it was fine for my weekly grocery and school run. The 'frunk' storage is small at 20L, which is just big enough for a charging cable.
You don’t get a spare wheel but you do get a puncture repair kit. And being the base model, it’s not a powered tailgate but it’s not heavy to close.
Holden Equinox
You'll find five seats aboard the medium-sized Equinox SUV, and there’s no third-row option available in this particular shape. The US-designed and Mexican-built Equinox presents well enough when you jump aboard, with plenty of subtle and not so subtle curves, creases and folds adorning the front of the cabin.Â
The ergonomics in current Holdens aren’t quite as resolved as they once were, given that its cars are now plucked from other markets rather than being designed from the wheels up for local use. The Equinox, for example, is sold in several other markets and this does lead to knock-on ergonomic differences as GM attempts to create a one-size-fits-most profile.Â
For example, the indicator and wiper stalks are awkwardly positioned behind the steering wheel. The steering wheel itself is oddly parallelogrammed in its profile, and its very thick rim makes it more difficult for small hands to get comfortable with it.Â
The seats themselves are very short in the base, too, and don't offer a lot in the way of lateral support. They’re also mounted high in the Equinox, pushing drivers and passengers towards the roof, while the sunroof that's fitted to the LTZ-V drops the headlining down to uncomfortably low levels, both front and rear, for taller occupants.
Luggage space is an excellent 846 litres, which beats the CX-5, Tiguan, Nissan’s X-Trail and Mitsubishi’s Outlander.
Both front and rear seaters are treated to heated and vented seats, while the second row can be dropped with the tug on the lever in the boot area. However, we found it necessary to pull out the weirdly large centre seat headrest in order to get an almost-flat cargo area of some 1798 litres (or one large mountain bike with wheels on) to work with.Â
Second rowers get a pair of USB ports and a 12-volt charging point, and even though there’s a 230v household socket in the rear of centre console, we couldn't actually make it work with an Australian-spec plug.Â
The door pockets are very small, and the front doors can only hold bottles in reality. It’s a similar story for the rear. There's a map pocket behind the passenger seat, but not behind the driver. There are two cupholders in a centre fold-down armrest, and there are also ISOFIX baby seat mounts on the outside seats.
A space-saver spare wheel resides under the boot floor, under what has to be noted as quite poorly executed plastic trimming.Â
When it comes to rear seat occupants, three can sit across the second row quite comfortably, although as mentioned, rear headroom is a little compromised for taller passengers thanks to the sunroof.Â
Price and features
Kia Niro
There are two variants for the Niro, our base model, the S, and the range-topper GT-Line.
Despite being the base model, the Niro S will still set you back $65,300, before on-road costs. Which makes it about $5K dearer than the equivalent Kona Electric, and $20K more expensive than the ZS EV.
There is a hybrid Niro (also available in two grades), if you’re not quite ready to commit to a full EV life. The price isn’t as eye-watering, either, being just $44,380, before on-road costs.
The Niro is well-specified, though, and the driver will enjoy an electric seat with adjustable lumbar support while the passenger side remains manual.
The regenerative braking is customisable (levels 0-3), there’s an 'iPedal' function, a dual-zone climate system, reversing camera and the backs of the front seats even double as coat hangers.
The tech is also good, with an 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system, 10.25-inch digital instrument panel plus wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto all coming as standard equipment. More on the tech below.
Holden Equinox
The Equinox LTZ-V is offered here with a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine and part-time AWD transmission, along with GM’s excellent nine-speed automatic gearbox.
The LTZ-Z tops the tree for the Equinox range, and sells from $46,290 plus on-roads. Compare that to the CX-5 Akera at $46,290 and the VW Tiguan 162TSI Sportline at $45,990, and you get the idea of how competitive the space is.
There’s plenty of gear aboard the LTZ-V, including Holden’s MyLink infotainment system with Apple Carplay and Android Auto mirroring and sat nav, automatic lights and wipers, LED headlight, DRLs and taillights, leatherette seats that are vented and heated front and rear, an inductive phone charger, Bose six-speaker audio, active cabin noise equalisation, dual-zone climate control with rear vents and four USB ports.
Standard safety kit includes AEB with forward collision alert, rear cross-traffic alert, lane keep assist, roll over mitigation, front and rear parking sensors and auto high beam.
The LTZ-V rides on 19-inch alloys.
Under the bonnet
Kia Niro
The Niro is a full EV and has a front-wheel drive drivetrain with a maximum output of 150kW/255Nm. It’s not as powerful as its stablemate and only has the single-motor which is powered by a 64.8kWh lithium-ion battery but going from 0-100km/h can still be achieved in 7.8 seconds. With specs like those, this is most suited for an urban setting.
Holden Equinox
The 2.0-litre turbocharged four-potter is good for 188kW at 5500rpm, and a healthy 353Nm of torque from 2500-4500rpm. It’s actually the same engine Holden uses in the new Commodore – and like its sedan cousin, the Equinox also uses GM’s truly excellent nine-speed auto ’box.
It’s sold as an AWD, but unless you press the button on the dash, it’s a true front-driver; the rear axle is completely disconnected from the rest of the system in the interests of fuel saving.
Speaking of which, the Equinox demands a diet of 95 RON premium fuel, wich will add to running costs compared to some rivals which will happily accept cheaper 91 RON.
Efficiency
Kia Niro
Such is the EV life but you can’t escape the charging.
The onboard DC charger has up to 85kW of capacity and that means on a 50kW fast charger station, you can get from 10 to 80 per cent in 65 minutes.
However, if plugged into a 350kW ultra-fast charger, you’ll only save 22 minutes because it can’t accept that faster speed.
On a 7.5kW system, you’ll go from 10 to 80 per cent in approximately nine hours, 25 minutes. On an 11kW, you’ll see that figure drop to six hours, 20 minutes.
The charging port is a Type 2 (CCS Combo2) and the car comes with an emergency charging cable that can plug into a standard three-pin domestic socket, if needed.
However, it’s slow going and you’re looking at a wait time of up to 27 hours, 30 minutes to get to a full charge. All other cables cost extra.
The official kWh/100km consumption is 16.2kWh and my average on-test figure was 14.3kWh after a mix of urban and open-road driving.
However, I did see figures getting closer to 20kWh on longer trips. Still, I would consider my average to be efficient.
The Niro S has a driving range of up to 460km (WLTP).
Holden Equinox
Over a brief stretch of 210km of on-road driving, we logged a dash-indicated figure of 12.8 litres per 100km, against a combined fuel economy claim of 8.4L/100km.Â
Its 55-litre fuel tank needs premium unleaded fuel, and it has a theoretical range of just over 650km.
Driving
Kia Niro
This is a pretty simple car to drive but it doesn’t feel as fun as some other EVs I’ve driven. It can even feel sluggish when you accelerate from a full stop and that makes it feel laggy in stop/start traffic.
Once you’re on your way, the acceleration is fairly responsive. You feel confident overtaking on the open road, too.
The car feels connected to the road with minimal shuddering through the steering wheel. The car responds in a timely manner when you have to make sudden moves, which I like.
Sometimes, the lane keeping aids make it feel jerky and I turned it off in some situations.
The regen braking delivers a big physical presence like the EV6 but isn’t as refined and can feel almost ‘bunny hoppy’ at times.
You can customise it up to four levels, zero being low regen and four being the iPedal. I’m not overly fond of the iPedal, so didn’t use it that much this week and kept it at level 3.
You do have to change up how you drive an EV, so this wasn’t that surprising and something I’m sure you’d get used to.
The ride comfort is pretty mixed. Around town, it’s good but there’s quite a bit of passenger movement in this. You kinda feel like you’re bobbing along sometimes, which is jolting.
You also feel the road but the seats are so comfortable, they stop it from feeling too rough.Â
Surprisingly, the cabin gets very loud with wind and road noise. You can still chat but you won’t forget that it’s there, which is a shame.
I didn’t notice much difference between the drive modes, so it was kept on 'Normal', too.Â
This is very easy to park! It’s a good size for even a tight car park with a 10.6m turning circle and the reversing camera is super clear, which is great.Â
However, I would have liked to have seen front parking sensors, as well as the rear sensors. You can get them on the GT-line though.
Holden Equinox
People are voting with their wallets and snapping up medium-sized SUVs in droves, in part because of the wagon shape, and also because of ease of use. The Equinox, unfortunately, lets itself down in this regard, thanks mainly to a turning circle that is frankly ludicrously big.Â
We initially suspected that perhaps the 11.4m turning circle was a result of fitting the vehicle with all-wheel drive, but every Equinox suffers from the same malady. It's a frustrating experience to turn into your regular carpark spot and find that you've missed it by a metre or more.
Holden's engineers have localised the feel and the ride of the Equinox, and they’ve done a very good job considering that the LTZ-V rides on 19-inch alloys. Well-tuned and matched shocks really soak up the small around-town bumps that are so common in urban environments. On the open road as well, the 1735kg Equinox is controlled, comfortable, and reasonably quiet, though it can wander at the helm a little unless you're keeping an eye on it, thanks to an overly light steering feel.
Safety
Kia Niro
The Niro EV S has a good list of safety features, with the following being standard: LED daytime running lights, lane departure alert, lane keeping aid, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, a reversing camera (with dynamic guidelines), rear parking sensors, driver fatigue alert, check rear occupant alert and adaptive cruise control (with stop/go function).
It has auto emergency braking with car, pedestrian and cyclist detection as well as junction turning assist, which is operational from 5.0-85km/h.Â
The Niro was recently awarded a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2022. It has eight airbags and that does include the newer front centre airbag.
There are ISOFIX child seat mounts on the rear outboard seats and three top tethers, but two seats will fit best. And while there will be room for a 0-4 rearward facing child seat, it will encroach on front passenger comfort.
Holden Equinox
Standard safety in the Equinox is commendably high, and it has held a maximum five-star rating from ANCAP since December 2017. Six airbags, AEB with frontal collision and rear cross traffic alert are fitted as standard, while a haptic seat alert vibrates under your butt should you stray over a centre line or attempt to back into traffic, among other warnings.
Ownership
Kia Niro
The ongoing costs are great on the Niro. It comes with Kia’s ‘better-than-average-for-the-market’ seven-year/150,000km warranty, which also covers the battery.
You get a seven-year capped-price servicing plan and services average $250 per year, which is good.
Servicing intervals are more in line with a petrol car at every 12 months or 15,000km. It’s usual to see those intervals doubled on an EV but it’s still reasonable.
Holden Equinox
Holden increased its warranty duration in July 2018 to five years and unlimited kilometres, and five years of scheduled services will cost $1259, according to Holden’s fixed price service menu. Holden would like to see your Equinox every year of 12,000km.
Bear in mind the additional cost of premium unleaded, though.