Pretty sure I know what car my wife is getting...in a year

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein) 09/29/2020 at 12:14 • Filed to: None

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My wife’s 2018 Mazda CX-5 lease ends in August 2021. We had been leasing new, mainstream-brand cars for her so she could get the active safety nannies that are extremely important to her, but now that those features have been consistently available for a few years, we want to buy something CPO (or maybe new if there’s bonkers incentives) so we can keep her next car for longer.

I went down a rabbit hole of attempting to identify the car that ticks as many feature boxes as possible, and I arrived at a “yes this is definitely probably likely perhaps the choice” kind of answer: a loaded up Kia Niro Touring.

Here are the features that are important to us in her next car:

MUST  

Hatchback or crossover, but a little smaller than her CX-5. Not that the CX-5 is big but it has a kinda tall, long hood that to her feels bigger than the car really is.

No euro brands. She’d consider a VW but there’s nothing in their lineup that would work here. The Alltrack is the right size but lacks active safety gizmos. Preference for Asian over American but willing to consider American if it’s the right move.

Active safety gizmos

Active cruise

Android Auto

Power driver seat with memory

Heated seats

Auto headlights

Dual zone climate control

Proximity key

Auto-dimming mirror (fine if it’s an accessory)

PLUS

Power hatch/tailgate

Sunroof (I’m obsessed with sunroofs but my wife could do without)

Ventilated seats

Surround view camera

Of all the things on this list, the memory seat proved to be the most difficult to locate among mainstream brands. Generally speaking, we tend to share my wife’s cars more than mine. She doesn’t drive stick, and the last time I had a fast automatic car, she tried driving my 135is DCT exactly twice. Both times she ended up going way faster than intended, which she didn’t like. She also doesn’t love driving on long highway trips. Now that I have my Civic Si which is a perfectly good stick shift road trip car, it’s fine to take that, but if we need more room or want to switch drivers, her car it is. She would be over the moon to have a seat memory so she doesn’t have to fiddle at length getting her seat just right after I drive her car.

The only things on this list the Niro Touring lacks are the power hatch and the surround view camera. But it does have front & rear parking sensors in addition to the rear view camera so that’s better then nothing. Apparently the non-power hatch is very easy to open and close. (I embedded this video so it should start right where he talks about the hatch.)

If we really wanted a power hatch even though the non-power hatch is super easy to deal with, supposedly there’s a way to add an aftermarket power hatch opener, or possibly even integrate the factory power hatch hardware from non-US markets. But whatever, this is fine. The power hatch on her CX-5 annoyingly doesn’t let you open it from the button on the dash while the car is running, so like, if we drop someone at the airport and need to get their bag out of the trunk, it does nothing except beep at you until you figure out, “oh I gotta turn the fucking car off to open the trunk.”

Also, we are hippies, and anything environmentally friendly especially appeals to her, including driving a hybrid or electric car. Wasn’t a requirement, but it turned out that of all the stuff that meets her shape/size requirements, the Niro and its sibling the Hyundai Ioniq are a couple of the very few options that offer seat memory. Compared to the Ioniq, the Niro is much better looking, she likes the little bit of extra ride height, and the Ioniq doesn’t offer ventilated seats. We have a 1-car garage, and switch off whose car goes in the garage each week. During the summer when her car is parked outside, she’ll either want to take my car, or if we’re specifically wanting/needing to use her car, plan in advance to put her car in the garage the night before we need it so it’s not all roasty. When I described ventilated seats to her, which I already love, she was very very interested.

So, based on all this box-ticking, looks like the Niro Touring is our move. I showed it to my wife and described the various options, that it’s a hybrid, etc, and she’s pretty excited about it.

When it comes time to buy, since the Niro’s been out for a few years, we could buy a CPO one for a solid price. Kia’s CPO warranty extends the powertrain warranty to 10 years/100k miles from in-service date, and gives you 1 year/12k miles of bumper-to-bumper coverage from date of CPO purchase. When my brother bought his CPO Sportage earlier this year, the dealer offered a “full wrap” warranty that extended the bumper-to-bumper warranty to that same 10 years/100k miles from in-service date for $1500. Not sure we’d go for that but there are !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! for extending some or all of that coverage.

A quick scan of current new and CPO pricing tells me that best guess, a CPO with extended warranty would be about $4-5k less than a new one. That’s not nothing, but maybe it would be worth springing for a new one , because t he Niro was refreshed for 2020. The exterior changes aren’t a huge difference, but they do make the car look a bit more modern. The interior tech was upgraded a lot though. The gauge cluster went from analog/digital gauges + small LCD screen to full LCD screen, and the infotainment grew from 8" to 10.25" with newer software. There’s also some silly red accents and more fingerprint-attracting gloss black plastic.

Old interior:

New interior:

So maybe by next year there could be some 2020s available for CPO, or, since her CX-5 lease is up in August, there could very well be some solid incentives on new 2021s. But the pre-facelift version still ticks all our boxes, so whether we try to get a 2020+ one really just comes down to how much money we want to spend, or not.

To be honest, I’m slightly kicking myself that we didn’t look at the Niro when we were shopping for what became her CX-5. The Niro was available then, and I just think overall it’s a better fit for her than the CX-5. Oh well, the CX-5 has still been good to us.

Between my Civic Si and her (very likely) Niro Touring, I feel like we’ll be well equipped with cars that we can keep for a nice long time and not have to worry about buying anything else for a while. That way the only other car we would maybe buy would be some stupid fun toy for me in addition to the Si. Yay!

newnamesameme > Textured Soy Protein 09/29/2020 at 12:38

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im looking at the same car for next year when my Outback will be 13 years old. Im considering this or the new crosstrek w/the 2.5L engine. At least on paper that is. Come 2021 ill start actually seeing these in the flesh and test driving and all that. My gf doesn tdrive a manual either so automatic/cvt is the way to go for what will be more of a road trip/DD vehicle for us.

Good write up!

Bryan doesn't drive a 1M > Textured Soy Protein 09/29/2020 at 12:43

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My wife’s had her Niro EV for about a year now and we’ve absolutely loved it. The EV drives quite a bit nicer than the hybrid, but I’m sure you understand the sacrifices an EV requires, including cost.

Everything else, shared with the hybrid, is fantastic. The build quality, packaging, feature set, ergonomics are all excellent. Ventilated seats are so so nice to have.

We even managed a camping trip last weekend with 2 kids and a fully loaded roof rack. Yes, the roof rack reduces range by a lot on the highway. Yes, we had to make an unplanned 30 minute stop to recharge. Yes, we still love living with an EV (and I love effortlessly and silently passing unsuspecting bro-trucks).

Svend > Textured Soy Protein 09/29/2020 at 12:47

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As long as nobody is buying the Ford Puma ST.

What has the world come to. First they destroy the Puma name and then this.

1.5 turbo charged, 197bhp Puma ST with underpinnings of the Fiesta ST. 

LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com > Textured Soy Protein 09/29/2020 at 13:04

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the memory seat proved to be the most difficult to locate among mainstream brands

I hear you . I was very happy to find memory seats available on my new Outback. It really should be an option on any car with power seats, I think. It can’t add THAT much more to the cost.

Textured Soy Protein > Svend 09/29/2020 at 13:04

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The only Ford STs available here in ‘murrica are the Edge & Explorer. We don’t get the Puma. In that segment, Ford only deigns to grace us with the EcoSport.

I almost posted here on oppo about the Puma ST but hadn’t gotten to it yet. 

Textured Soy Protein > newnamesameme 09/29/2020 at 13:10

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The Crosstrek 2.5 should be adequately not-slow. My wife had a ’16 Impreza hatch before her CX-5. It was the previous generation but very similar power to the current 2.0. It was slow as balls.

The CX-30 is a great entrant in the bigger end of the subcompact CUV segment and actually the only other car like this that I found with driver’s seat memory. The upcoming 2.5T version should be peppy. But Mazda’s interiors tend to be more cramped than other vehicles of similar size. Subaru is way better at giving a smallish car a big back seat. We often drove another couple around in the back of that car, and on the few occasions I rode back there I was perfectly comfy. The CX-5 doesn’t really even have appreciably more back seat room than that Impreza did, although the trunk is a good bit larger. 

That turbo CX-30 appeals to my inner gearhead, but since it’s just now coming on the market, next summer there won’t be CPO examples available for thousands less than new. Plus Kia’s CPO program is better than Mazda. That amount of power is totally unnecessary for my wife, the Niro is a better fit for her, and we’ll be able to buy one for way less than a new CX-30 turbo.

Svend > Textured Soy Protein 09/29/2020 at 13:17

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Sorry mate.

I don’t think being graced and having the EcoSport go together somehow.

They’ll be doing it to the new Ford Kuga/Escape soon.

Yep, just looked. The new Ford Kuga will get the ST treatment, dear god.

While not an ST image, there does seem some difference between North Americas new Ford Escape and the rest of the worlds new Ford Kuga.

Textured Soy Protein > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M 09/29/2020 at 13:18

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Nice data point. The EV has some appeal for us but our current parking situation isn’t the best for EVs.

We live in a townhouse with a 1-car garage and a small driveway. “Street” parking consists of visitor spaces. We have a parking pass to use one of those overnight. We live in walking distance to a subway station where it’s not cheap to park, so the HOA has to be real strict on parking enforcement to deter commuters from hogging the limited number of spaces.

A few of our neighbors have Model 3s, and I guess whatever they’re doing about parking works for them, but for us, we trade off weeks of who gets to use the garage. We could set up some kind of outdoor charging situation for the driveway, but if my car were in the garage and her EV were charging in the driveway, we’d have to move her car to get mine out of the garage, as I’m the first one to leave.

This is all of course describing how things would be if we weren’t both full WFH like we are now, but we plan to keep her next car for a good long while so eventually this could become an issue. 

newnamesameme > Textured Soy Protein 09/29/2020 at 13:19

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The only things on our list are:

2x the mpgs of our xterra (not hard to do!)
heated seats
automatic/cvt
AWD <<- we live in CO and spend the majority o f our free time in the mountains or the desert and after driving my Outback for 10 years i find the Subee AWD to be very reliable in all sorts of conditions.

We have a big dog who gets into the Subaru easier than the Xterra as well so basically unless we are going to a 4x4 trailhead we’d like to take something else that both my gf and myself can drive.

Im intrigued by the Mazda but i think we can get a new crosstrek 2.5 for thousands less. 

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > Textured Soy Protein 09/29/2020 at 13:25

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Wife drives 2017 Niro EX. It’s a solid no- nonsense choice. Has all the safety and tech stuff you need . Only complaints I have are it’s not very quiet and the DcT is jerky especially at the start and if it’s colder.

I havent checked the updates they made but that new exterior and interior looks so much better.

Textured Soy Protein > Svend 09/29/2020 at 13:30

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“Grace” was very much used in jest . 

Other than the name, I spot a few minor differences between the Kuga & Escape:

Escape has ugly unpainted plastic cladding. Kuga’s cladding (on most trims) is painted.

Different grille inserts.

Different lower bumper shapes.

Different exhaust tip shape.  

Escape fully surrounds the windows with chrome trim. Kuga only has chrome along the top of the windows, or none, depending on trim.

I’m sure there are also different powertrain options as well.

But...I think Fords, generally speaking, are shit heaps. 

Textured Soy Protein > newnamesameme 09/29/2020 at 13:31

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Well you may have to cross the Niro off your list as it’s only fwd.

You can get awd on the Prius now though. 

newnamesameme > Textured Soy Protein 09/29/2020 at 13:37

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is it? what kia am i thinking of? I mean ill google it real quick. So many small CUVs out there its hard to keep track.

I had no idea an awd prius existed.. not sure it can get to trailheads that arent 4x4 but might still be rough’ish though. But who knows! Im just in the looking around stages. 

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > Textured Soy Protein 09/29/2020 at 13:42

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Can someone explain to me the memo ry seat thing? I sold so many goddamn trucks to owners who just had to have it, even though no one but them ever drove the vehicle.

I get it if you swap drivers 2 or 3 times a week, but is it really that big of a deal to adjust a seat every once in a while?

I get that it is a luxury, and it has a value, but to put it on a “musts” list seems odd to me.

Textured Soy Protein > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 09/29/2020 at 13:42

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The pre-refresh Touring front end is a little better looking than the lower trims. To my eyes the fog lights look a little dated but otherwise I don’t have any objections.

The refresh has new headlights, grille, fascia & fog/DRLs.

In the back the changes are more subtle. The first pic is the old version. Sure they’re different but I don’t think either one is appreciably better or worse. If anything I slightly prefer the old one.

Oh, and the refresh ditched the chrome door handles. That does look cleaner.

The new interior does look a lot more modern, but the old one still has all the features we want so it’s not a dealbreaker. Especially if we spent several thousands less to get it.

Good looking out on the noise—I’m not above taking it to a car audio shop for a nice layer of dynamat haha.

Moltenburn > Textured Soy Protein 09/29/2020 at 13:43

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Niro is available with AWD, started about 2 years back

Textured Soy Protein > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI 09/29/2020 at 13:49

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I drive her car frequently enough that it’s a big benefit to her. It’s not really a must but it was a very desirable feature for us, and memory seat or not, the Niro is right in her wheelhouse anyway.

I had memory seats on my 335xi, and while I was the only person who drove it, I did at least appreciate having my ideal position dialed in so if for some reason the seat got moved it was easy to get back to where I wanted it. But it’s not a must for me—my Civic Si has manual seats.

Textured Soy Protein > Moltenburn 09/29/2020 at 13:54

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It’s most definitely only fwd. Here’s the brochure.

Textured Soy Protein > newnamesameme 09/29/2020 at 14:04

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Maybe you’re thinking of the new, slightly-smaller-than-the-Sportage, Seltos?

It  ticks most of our boxes but no vented seats or seat memory.

Here in DC we really don’t need awd. It snows infrequently and on the rare occasions it does we have no great need to push through the worst of it. The mpgs + features make the Niro the best move for my wife.

Bryan doesn't drive a 1M > Textured Soy Protein 09/29/2020 at 14:08

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Hybrid probably makes more sense for you, but level 2 charging from empty to 80% (about 200 miles range) takes about 7 hours. Depending on usage, that could be something that only happens once a month. Or 1 hour at a time weekly to keep it topped up.

Cost-wise including purchase price and depreciation, the hybrid makes way way more sense. Dat torque, though...

Textured Soy Protein > Bryan doesn't drive a 1M 09/29/2020 at 14:17

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One other small consideration with EV vs hybrid is on the rare occasions we take long road trips, we’d be taking her car so we can switch drivers, and charging stops might be less desirable than fuel stops. Not that we do that often or that charging would be a major hassle, but it’s a consideration.

If anything, parking situation aside, the main knock against the EV for us is we’re planning to keep her next car a long time and I’m not sure current-gen EV tech is something we want to lock into for a long time.

But I could definitely see this Niro, if/when we do get it for her, being her last ICE car before switching to EV once range & charging have matured more.

I just took a quick peek at a local dealer, and right now they’re advertising 2020 Niro Tourings with about $4k off sticker which brings them down into the $25s. Next year it might be worth getting a new one with that kind of discount to get the newer interior tech and the long Kia new car warranty. CPOs are listed around $19-20k so when you tack on the extended warranty to bring it up to par with a new one you’re talking maybe $21-22k which isn’t that much savings. We’ll see. 

Bryan doesn't drive a 1M > Textured Soy Protein 09/29/2020 at 14:39

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Yep, that makes perfect sense. Also, o ne unexpected downside to charging outside of location and charging time is the reliability of the charging stations. Crowdsourcing apps have helped a little , but when you’re getting low and you just found your 3rd broken charging station in a row ...

Next gen with 350 mile range and a more robust charging network will be much more palatable.

newnamesameme > Textured Soy Protein 09/29/2020 at 15:01

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ah, thank you! Yes, this is the one i was thinking about. Its a great time to be shopping for cars. So many quality choices out there.

The fanciest car i have ever owned is my 2015 xterra so as you can imagine vented seats or memory seats are just vaporware to me. :) I just need heated seats. 

Moltenburn > Textured Soy Protein 09/29/2020 at 15:16

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you are correct, I was getting this confused with the Kona. Damn near the same car though.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Textured Soy Protein 09/29/2020 at 15:43

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Silly question to anyone....seat memories.....when you get in and set the car to a pre-remembered seat (you or your wife, or whoever), does it also re-adjust the exterior electric mirrors back via memory as well? Because if it doesn’t, you still have to manually adjust your power mirrors to suit you anyway....and if that’s the case, are you really saving that much time and effort by getting a power seat...?

I get that it can be useful when switching vehicles a lot, but I am one of those people who likes basic, so I guess I just don’t get the point if you still have to adjust other stuff manually anyway...you’d only really be saving yourself a few extra seconds of time for a option that could (potentially ) cost a lot of money.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Textured Soy Protein 09/29/2020 at 15:48

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Not bad at all! :)

I don’t mind the Niro, but I think if I was going the same route as you, I’d get a Soul....I prefer the styling and like ‘cars’ more than SUVs. The higher trim Soul might get most of the same tech the Niro does as well? No hybrid though, and the Soul EV is a expensive (but good!)

Textured Soy Protein > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 09/29/2020 at 16:22

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In my experience yes the seat memory usually also does the mirrors. On cars with power adjustable steering columns that’s also often in the memory as well. 

Textured Soy Protein > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 09/29/2020 at 16:23

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The top level Soul with the turbo is appealing to me but sadly no seat memory on it. 

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Textured Soy Protein 09/29/2020 at 18:01

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Ah, that would make more sense then :)