Fiddling around with the 2017 Kia Niro's UVO cabin tech

[MUSIC] Today we're taking a look at the technology in the 2017 Kia Niro. Now, this is an SE model, so it's as basic as it comes, with no options. So once again, we're tasked with nitpicking the entry point of an auto maker's tech. Fortunately for the Niro, the UVO technology in the dashboard is pretty good, so there's more positive, than nits to pick. Let's start with a thoroughly modern suite of media sources. There's USB and iPod connectivity as well as an AUX jack and Bluetooth. What you won't find is a CD [UNKNOWN] But who's carrying around a book full of CDs anyway? We've also got radio source. Including terrestrial and satellite radio. The latter actually has a neat trick. There's a DVR like buffer built into it. So you can pause live radio. So if you're driving around listening to the baseball game and you need to pull over to fill up the car's tank, or hit a drive thru to fill up your tank, you can actually pause the live radio, do what you gotta do, and then resume the live radio later on, pick up where you left off. There's only about a 30 minute buffer, so make sure it's a short stop. Now this is a seven-inch unit, so we don't have navigation. There is an optional eight-inch upgrade in the upper trim levels that does. Without navigation, there's not a whole lot to do with UVO's really good voice command system aside from initiate hands-free calls. Fortunately, Android auto and Apple car play connectivity are standard on all Kia Nero models. So you can plugin your phone via USB and gain access to your own Apple maps or Google maps to get you where you're going. That also opens up a whole new world of digital media sources for things like streaming your podcast or music [UNKNOWN] that one of my biggest nitpicks with the UVO system. The USB port that you use to connect your phone doesn't supply enough power to charge a phone while using Android Auto. So I end up ending every trip with less battery power that I started, which was particularly annoying when I started that trip with a low battery. This is a well-known issue amongst Kia drivers who also use Android Auto. So it's a bit disappointing to see that this all new model. Doesn't fix the problem, it's got this big giant battery and it can't even charge your phone. So, that's been your full look at the dashboard technology in the 2017 Kia Niro, but there's so much more to learn. So be sure to check out our full review over on the Roadshow. com for more driving impressions and details. Thank's for watching. [MUSIC] [BLANK_AUDIO]