The first-gen Kia Niro was always one of those small SUV Crossovers that, when you drove it, you thought "this is a really nice little car" and then you promptly forgot all about it and never thought of it again. It simply erased itself from you memory almost as soon as you stepped out of it, as if your brain simply decided it wasn't worth allocating space to remember it.
Because the Niro is a small crossover, it was never going to sear itself into your memory with stunning dynamics or searing performance, but it really was the styling that was doing the heavy lifting in the forgetability stakes.
To be brutally honest, the styling of the first-gen Kia Niro was as close to cloak of invisibility as humanity has been capable of inventing. Almost instantly forgettable, it took blandness to staggering new levels that would actually be exciting, if it wasn't so boring.
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But there is always a 'but' when things get this sarcastic, and this is a 'but' that Sir Mix-A-Lot would admire (yes, I am old), because it is followed by the words "Kia has made the new Niro interesting!"
While the general proportions of the new Niro are similar to the old one (it's a small SUV Crossover, after all - there's only so much you can do) it is slightly larger in every dimension except for height (where, if you couldn't guess, it's slightly lower), but from a styling sense, it is a world away from the first-gen car.
It has to be said that both automotive brands from the Hyundai Group are absolutely smashing it out of the park in terms of styling these days, churning out concept after concept with striking designs, and production models from those concepts that barely change in the transition from motor show stage to road. And the new Niro is no exception to that.
While it isn't quite as adventurous as the recently revealed EV9 all-electric large SUV, it sits somewhere between the more conservative Sorento and the slightly more aggressive Sportage in terms of its design, with a few touches that set it apart from both to give the Niro its own personality.
The gloss black strip that runs across from front and over the front wheel arches - but doesn't quite meet up with the rear wheel arches - is a quirky highlight, while the chunky Audi R8-style side blades that do meet up with the rear wheel arches are an inspired touch. And they are actually functional aero aids as well, with ducts that run behind them and exit from the side of the angular taillights. 
Of course, one of the cleverest things Kia has been doing with its styling recently is colour combinations that can actually make a huge difference to how interesting or not interesting their cars can look. So, of course, if all this boldness puts you off, you can have the side blade in several of the body colours as well. But whey would you want to do that to a small crossover that has blatantly lifted a styling cue from a supercar? Go with it and get the black side blades on the brightest colour possible, I say...
That newfound boldness of design continues on the inside of the Niro, with an interior reminiscent of the EV6 (and Sportage), with a big pane of glass spanning three quarters of the dash and housing both the digital instrument display behind the steering wheel and the 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen in the middle of the dash. Both are impressively crisp and easy to read, but while the touchscreen is nicely responsive, Kia's current user interface is somewhat unintuitive. You do get used to it with time, however.
The Niro is also absolutely packed with standard kit, and being the top-spec GT-Line (and costing close to $60k), nothing is left out. Luxuries like privacy glass, sunroof, a head-up display, heated seats and wheel, sports pedals and a powered tailgate are all included, as well as a full compliment of driver assists and safety tech.
It is when it is actually in operation that the Niro impresses the most, however, with the hybrid powertrain displaying Toyota levels of integration and refinement.
While the Niro is available in hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric forms across a number of grades, the one we drove here is the top-spec GT-Line hybrid which lands at $59,990+orc and scores a $3418 rebate. All hybrid Niro models are powered by the same 104kW/265Nm hybrid powertrain featuring a 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine and a 1.32kWh battery powering the electric motor, all driving the front wheels through a six-speed dual clutch transmission.
The Niro will run on electricity only for a surprising amount of time, happily tootling around urban areas at up to 50km/h before the petrol engine needs to kick in. And when that petrol engine does put in a showing it is impressively smooth and largely non-intrusive. In fact, on small throttle openings it was genuinely hard to tell if the petrol motor had fired up and, while it became a bit more obvious at larger throttle openings, it wasn't until you really gave it a boot-full that it ever became noticeable.
That refined smoothness is the absolute star of the show in the Niro, but the impressive fuel consumption has to rate a special guest star mention in the credits here, because the Niro is once again Toyota hybrid-like in its ability to pick a small number and stick with it. Kia claims 4.4L/100km for the Niro HEV and in a few weeks of real-world driving I easily saw less than that (around 3.8) with around town motoring, with it only creeping up to about 5.0 with a bit of longer distance open road driving thrown into the mix.
On the open road the Niro is equally quiet and refined, and is even capable of sailing along on battery power alone for quite a bit of the time (depending on your battery level, that is). The ride quality is impressive, with that "refined" word rearing its head again, while chucking it into a corner with enthusiasm reveals a predictable and neutral attitude.
In other words, the newest iteration of the Kia Niro still inspires that "it's a really nice little car" vibe the last one had when you drive it, but it now comes in a vastly more interesting wrapper.
KIA NIRO HEV GT-LINE
ENGINE: 1.6-litre petrol four hybrid
POWER: 104kW/265Nm
GEARBOX: 6-speed automatic, FWD
0-100KM/H: n/a
CONSUMPTION: 4.4l/100km, CO2 101g/km
PRICE: $59,990
