Features

Physical activity during and after pregnancy improves psychological well being and may protect against postpartum depression, according to a new analysis of existing research.

Even low-intensity exercise, such as walking with a baby stroller, was linked to a lower likelihood of depressive symptoms in new mothers, researchers found.

“The negative consequences of postpartum depression not only affect the mother but also the child, who can suffer poor emotional and cognitive development,” said study co-author Celia Alvarez-Bueno of the University of Castilla-La Mancha in Cuenca, Spain.

Postpartum depression, the most common complication of bearing a child, affects 1 in 9 women, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms can include anxiety attacks, insecurity, irritability, fatigue, guilt, fear of harming the baby and a reluctance to breastfeed. 

The symptoms start within four weeks of delivery and are considered severe when they last for more than two weeks, the study team writes in the journal Birth.

“That’s why it’s important to test the most effective strategies to prevent this disorder or mitigate the consequences,” Alvarez-Bueno told Reuters Health by email.

The study team analysed data from 12 controlled trials of exercise interventions during or after pregnancy between 1990 and 2016 that addressed the effects of physical activity on postpartum depression. The studies included a total of 932 women and all examined the severity of postpartum depression as well as including basic information about the length, frequency, type and intensity of the exercise.

The exercises used in the various studies included stretching and breathing, walking programs, aerobic activity, Pilates and yoga.

Compared to women who did not exercise, those who did had lower scores on depression symptom tests during the postpartum period, the researchers found. The apparent benefit of having fewer depression symptoms was seen even among women who did not meet the cutoff for a depression diagnosis.

“We expected that physical activity could reduce postpartum depressive symptoms,” Alvarez-Bueno said. “However, we were pleasantly surprised when we found that exercise after pregnancy also reduced depression among the women who didn’t have diagnosable symptoms.”

Most intervention programs lasted for three months or longer and recommended three to five exercise sessions per week, but the current study didn’t draw conclusions or provide recommendations about the type or length of exercise that would be most beneficial.

The American College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology recommended in 2009 that pregnant and postpartum women engage in 30 minutes of moderate physical activity most days of the week. 

“We know that exercise is just as effective as anti-depressants for adults. The trick is to get them to do the physical activity,” said Beth Lewis of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, who wasn’t involved with the study.

 “With postpartum depression, it’s even more complicated due to the increased stress and sleep deprivation after having a baby,” she told Reuters Health. “We’re starting to learn more about exercise and how it helps.”

Future studies should include more data about the types of physical activity programmes that could reduce depression, the study authors write. Health providers should know more about the duration, intensity and frequency of exercise to recommend to new mothers, Alvarez-Bueno noted.

“It remains unanswered how these characteristics improve postpartum depression prevention,” she said. “More research addressing this issue is urgently necessary because of the influence on both the mother and child.”

Lewis and colleagues are conducting a randomized trial that analyses home-based exercise and home-based wellness programmes among 450 mothers with a history of depression. In another study, they’re analysing exercise programs among low-income women at risk for postpartum depression.

“Exercise is often the first thing that gets crossed off the list when there’s a new baby,” Lewis said. “It’s important to take care of yourself through exercise to keep that well-being high.”

LOS ANGELES — Zombies from the television series “The Walking Dead” and other demons are coming to life for video game players in virtual worlds.

With new virtual reality systems, gamers will be climbing into colossal war machines to battle high-tech armies, wandering mutant-infested post-apocalyptic wastelands and going toe-to-toe with demons in new offerings unveiled at the Electronic Entertainment Expo this week.

While play on consoles or Windows-powered personal computers continued to dominate the annual industry gathering, virtual reality flourished as game makers invested in the future.

The number of E3 exhibitors involved with virtual or augmented realities more than doubled to 126 from 53 last year, according to the Entertainment Software Association behind the event.

“This by far, is the most exciting E3 as it comes to virtual reality,” said YouTube director of gaming Ryan Wyatt.

Bathing in carnage

Virtual reality versions of blockbuster video games “Fallout”, “Doom”,

 and “Skyrim” were part of a line-up unveiled by Bethesda Softworks.

“Virtual reality is something we have been at the forefront of for a while now,” said Bethesda vice president of marketing Pete Hines.

Later this year, shooter game “Doom” will “bathe you in virtual carnage” as a cybernetic survivor fighting off a demon invasion.

A VR version of “Fallout” will put players into a world destroyed by nuclear war, while they will face dragons in a full-length, open-world version of “Skyrim,” according to Bethesda.

Sony built on its library of games for its PlayStation VR gear, which works with top-selling PlayStation 4 consoles.

More than a million PS VR units have been sold, along with some 5.25 million VR games.

‘Breaking Bad’

Along with games, Sony is working on a VR “experience” spinning off the television series “Breaking Bad” in a partnership with producer Vince Gilligan.

Skybound Entertainment meanwhile announced it is collaborating on virtual reality games spinning off “The Walking Dead”, the post-apocalyptic television series.

“Our goal is to honour the visceral world that [Robert] Kirkman has created while giving the Walking Dead’s fans something to really sink their teeth into with robust games,” Skydance media chief executive David Ellison and operating officer Jesse Sisgold said in a statement.

A Skydance game titled “Archangel” shared behind closed doors at E3 let players take command a six-story-tall mechanised battle suit in a fight against a tyrannical corporation.

“Archangel” is to be released later this year.

“We decided to jump headfirst into the business of VR with ‘Archangel’ because we saw an emerging market and want Skydance to help write this story,” Skydance interactive president Peter Akemann told AFP.

“We know we’re only at the tip of the iceberg with what VR can ultimately deliver as a gaming medium but we believe wholeheartedly in its long term potential and are investing in it as such.”

Pushing the envelope

Sony, HTC and Facebook-owned Oculus are the top players in virtual reality head gear, each striving to stake out territory in the budding market.

And even though the VR audience is lean compared with the hundreds of millions of people with consoles or personal computers, game makers are prone to embracing new technologies and understand that compelling content can inspire consumers to follow suit.

“If you don’t start pushing the envelope, people won’t think about upgrading hardware,” YouTube’s Wyatt said of the drive toward richer graphics and immersive worlds in gaming.

“Publishers know the long-term payout that VR will have and are investing.”

Ultra-high definition graphics and virtual reality in games has been a bright spot in the personal computer, which is seeing that segment grow while the market overall declines.

While Sony’s VR headsets work with PS 4 consoles, competing gear requires computers that handle the demand of processing rich, immersive graphics in real-time.

This has created opportunity for chipmakers.

“We want to work with partners to get gaming titles that are really worthy... and to grow the player base for virtual reality,” Intel senior vice president Gregory Bryant said at an E3 press event the chip maker held in a Los Angeles theater.

“A lot of the technology and experiences we are showcasing transcend gaming; you can expect entertainment, music, sports and more.”

Gaming computer star Alienware and parent-company Dell boasted of continued investment in virtual reality and eSports.

“Virtual reality will never go away,” said Jon Peddie Research video game industry analyst Ted Pollak.

“But at the end of the day, game makers want to see a big install base of these headsets.”

SAN DIEGO — Text messages can help motivate Type 2 diabetics to lower their blood sugar levels, according to a new paper from a researcher at the Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute.

Researchers worked randomly assigned 126 people whose blood sugar levels were not well controlled into two groups, one that received standard care and a second that received up to three motivational diabetes-related text messages per day for six months.

At the end of the period, those who received the texts had reduced their “A1c” blood glucose levels from 9.5 per cent to 8.5 per cent, a full one percentage point drop. Those who received standard care saw only a 0.2 percentage point decrease.

While the change was judged statistically significant, neither group was able to bring its average glucose level down to the recommended threshold of 5.7 per cent.

Still, text messages, which offered motivational messages around diet and exercise or reminded participants to check their blood sugar levels, had about the same sugar-lowering effects as some glucose-lowering medications.

Some of the text messages sent regularly to participants asked them to text back their blood sugar numbers after checking them, and those who did, researchers found, had better success at lowering glucose.

Dr Athena Philis-Tsimikas, the study’s co-author, presented the results Sunday at the American Diabetes Association’s annual meeting in San Diego.

“Taken together, these findings suggest that, on a wider scale, a simple, low-cost text message-based approach like the one offered through Dulce Digital has the potential to significantly benefit many people who struggle every day to manage their diabetes and maintain their health,” Tsimikas said in a statement.

Research took place with patients living in California’s San Diego and Riverside counties from October 2012 through August 2014. Participants were generally middle-aged, female and born in Mexico and reported, on average, less than ninth-grade education levels.

College students who go to sleep and wake up at different times during the week may be harming their academic performance, according to a US study.

Consistency — going to bed and waking up at about the same time every day, weekends included — was linked with a better grade point average (GPA) among the college students in the study, the researchers found. 

“College students who sleep starved themselves during the week and then binge slept on weekends had poorer grades than those whose schedules were more consistent,” senior author Dr Charles Czeisler, director of the Sleep Health Institute at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, told Reuters Health by e-mail. 

Importantly, it didn’t matter how much sleep the students got overall. Sleep timing on its own could predict worse academic performance, even if students made up for lost night-time sleep with naps during the day, according to the results published in Scientific Reports.

Czeisler and colleagues studied 61 full-time undergraduates ages 18 to 24 for 30 days. Students completed sleep diaries and the researchers used the Sleep Regularity Index (SRI), a tool they developed, to evaluate the students’ sleep patterns. The index is scaled so that someone who sleeps and wakes at exactly the same time each day scores 100, and someone who sleeps and wakes at random times scores 0.

Those who scored in the top 20 per cent were classified as regular sleepers and those who scored in the bottom 20 per cent were irregular sleepers. 

Both groups averaged about seven hours of sleep daily, though irregular sleepers reported poorer sleep quality. 

Regular sleepers were asleep 55 per cent of the “clock night” — the hours between 10pm and 10am — and only 1 per cent of the clock day, whereas irregular sleepers slept for 42 per cent of the clock night and 11 per cent of the clock day.

As a result, irregular sleepers experienced significantly less daytime light and relatively more light at night, which triggered a delay in secretion of the sleep hormone melatonin in the body, according to the researchers.

These differences led to a body clock shift in irregular sleepers equivalent to traveling west for almost three hours, Czeisler said, which could explain their poorer academic performance. “For students whose sleep and wake times were inconsistent, classes and exams scheduled for 8am were occurring at 5am body time — a time when cognitive performance is impaired,” he said.

Greater sleep regularity was associated with better GPAs. Every 10-point increase on the sleep regularity index was associated with an average increase of 0.10 points in GPA. At the end of the study, irregular sleepers averaged GPAs of about 3.24 out of a possible 4.0, and regular sleepers averaged 3.72.

The study doesn’t prove that irregular sleep causes poorer academic performance, the researchers note, but it could be a sign of other daily habits that interfere with how well students do in college. 

Increasing exposure to daytime light and decreasing exposure to laptops and other light-emitting devices before bedtime might improve sleep regularity, they suggest.

Sleep specialist Dr Rafael Pelayo of the Stanford Sleep Medicine Centre in California told Reuters Health that while it’s possible some people handle sleep deprivation better than others, many students may be underperforming and not realise it.

“I compare it to having a race car,” Pelayo said. “The manufacturer may recommend high-octane gas, but you can put cheap gas in it and if you’re stuck in traffic, you won’t notice a difference. But if you put it on a race track, you will. The real question is, ‘Could you do better academically if you had better quality sleep?’”

Typically, students say when they go to bed or wake up depends on what day it is. When they’re on different schedules every other day and on the weekend, Pelayo noted: “The brain gets thrown off. It’s like always being jetlagged — you’re never quite at your best.”

Instead, he advises, pick the earliest time you have to wake up, and make that your default wakeup time for the whole week. Do the same for bedtimes. “Do that for several weeks to get into a rhythm, because making your sleep predictable is going to make you feel better and do better.”

LOS ANGELES — Long fiercely guarded video game industry terrain, the Electronic Entertainment Expo kicked off on Tuesday with YouTube, Twitch and Facebook turning gamers into online stars.

A hot trend of video game play streamed as spectator sport and “YouTubers” becoming famous for skills or pithy commentary pervaded the annual gathering, from unveilings of titles to major “eSports” matches staged for the first time on the show floor.

“There is a reality now that the influencers of the gaming industry are no longer the games, but the YouTube creators,” YouTube head of gaming Ryan Wyatt told AFP.

“It is smart to bring creators into the fold so the feedback is constructive, and not scathing reviews.”

Players who have risen to stardom by streaming play online took part in theatrical press conferences held by game and console makers in the days ahead of the formal opening of E3.

Unveilings of eagerly-awaited titles and new franchises were streamed live on platforms including Facebook, Twitch, and YouTube — drawing hundreds of thousands of viewers.

YouTube billed itself as the biggest gaming platform, and said that broadcasters from E3 racked up record-sized audiences.

“Before publishers caught on to the power of the creator, I think creators felt alienated,” Wyatt said, referring to players who stream game action and comment online.

“All of that has changed now. They are integrated into the show and their feedback goes into the design, marketing and promotion of games.

Outshining real-world sports

Video game competition as spectator sport is driving the industry in many ways, according to Craig Levine, chief of leading eSports company ESL.

Developers are building games with features to be attractive online spectator events, offerings at E3 showed.

“There are more people watching these games than playing them; it has more than crept into the design cycle,” Levine told AFP.

As competitive performance climbs as a priority, hardware makers push to field better computer chips, screens, controllers and more.

This week, for the first time at E3, there was an eSports zone powered by ESL where video game battles were fought and streamed online.

“eSports has one of the fastest growing audiences in not just video games but all of entertainment,” said Rich Taylor, senior vice president of communications at the Electronic Software Association behind E3.

The eSports industry will accelerate from roughly $200 million in revenue in 2015 to $1 billion by 2018, according to Baird Equity Research estimates cited by E3 organisers.

In the coming three years, the global audience for eSports was predicted to grow to a half-billion viewers, eclipsing the numbers watching traditional real-world sports, according to Levine.

And, while the focus at E3 was on games for consoles or Windows-powered computers, mobile game play is consistently in top ranks when it comes to viewing, according to YouTube.

More women gamers

The gaming community is huge at Facebook, which returned to E3 this year with an area for live-streamed chats with developers and personalities, and where visitors could share thoughts about the show at the social network and capture memories with 3-D or augment reality technology that put them into game scenes.

During the past month, 43 million people have made some 115 million posts, “likes”, and comments related to E3 and major titles. 

More than a third of that sharing came from women, who are a growing part of the gaming community, according to Facebook.

“We’ve seen this community of gamers continue to grow and evolve each year — with women now taking a growing share of the conversation around E3,” said Facebook head of global console and online gaming Franco DeCesare.

About 800 million members of the social network play at least one Facebook game monthly, director of global games partnerships Leo Olebe told AFP.

Facebook worked with ESL, video game giant Activision and others at E3 to create content for the social network.

“The fact that the player really is at the centre of everything is really powerful,” Olebe told AFP.

“As the player takes a larger role in what’s happening inside our industry, Facebook is perfectly positioned to facilitate that process.”

People who wear activity trackers to count the calories they’re burning are probably not getting accurate estimates, suggests a new study.

Researchers who tested seven popular activity trackers found that while heart rate measurements were generally accurate, none of the devices provided a reliable calorie count.

“At this point with this level of error, I would be wary of using that estimate to alter a calorie-controlled diet,” said senior author Dr Euan Ashley, of Stanford University in California.

Patients “have been bringing data from these devices to us and some of us were using these devices ourselves”, Ashley told Reuters Health. 

Because so little is known about the data’s accuracy, “We realised that we had to do our own study,” he said.

Ashley’s team recruited 60 healthy adults to test seven popular wrist-worn activity trackers: the Apple Watch, Basis Peak, Fitbit Surge, Microsoft Band, MIO Alpha 2, PulseOn and Samsung Gear S2.

Participants wore up to four devices at a time, and they also wore laboratory devices to measure heart rate and calories burned while sitting, walking, running and cycling.

All of the devices but one had an average heart rate error rate below 5 per cent. The exception was the Samsung Gear S2, which had an error rate of 5.1 per cent.

But for calculating energy expenditure — or calories burned — all of the devices had error rates above 25 per cent. The Fitbit Surge had the lowest average error rate for calories burned at about 27 per cent. The PulseOn had the highest at about 93 per cent, according to a report in the Journal of Personalised Medicine.

Overall, the Apple Watch had the lowest error rates while the Samsung Gear S2 had the highest.

The researchers were surprised at the unreliability of the calorie counts.

The devices “were literally all over the map with error rates”, Ashley said.

Data tended to be less accurate for men, people with higher body weights and darker skin tones, and while walking.

Ashley’s team hopes the devices’ calorie counting technology will improve. “I think we’re all hopeful that as we move forward they will get better,” he said.

In a statement to Reuters Health, Fitbit said its trackers show an estimated total number of calories. “Fitbit uses a scientifically validated estimate of [basal metabolic rate] based on height, weight, age, and gender information that users provide when setting up their Fitbit account,” said the statement, which added that the measure also takes into account people’s heart rates.

“While the Mio ALPHA 2 was designed for the individuals focused on heart rate zone training, and not for all-day activity tracking, we agree that more accurate calorie estimation is important for the industry as a whole, since most individuals are monitoring calorie deficits for weight loss,” said Mark Gorelick, chief science officer at Mio Global, in a statement.

Markku Lankinen, who is head of operations for PulseOn Oy, said in an e-mail that the researchers may not have adjusted the device specifically for each participant. “With PulseOn device, you would need to apply these user parameters in the application before exercising, and this seems not to have been done,” said Lankinen. “This causes the [energy expenditure] estimates to be badly off.”

Apple, Microsoft and Samsung did not provide comments for publication. All Basis Peak watches were recalled in 2016 due to overheating, according to its website.

Ashley’s team is currently conducting a study to test the accuracy of devices in the real world.

Sofia Boutella had a nightmare day shooting scenes for “The Mummy” in which her Princess Ahmanet is dealt tough justice, ancient Egypt-style, for killing her pharaoh dad and baby brother. She’s entombed alive in a sarcophagus.

Boutella’s eyes popped wide through holes in the head-to-toe mummification bandages as she was placed into the stone coffin.

“There was a lot of fear, I didn’t need much acting to look frightened,” recalls Boutella, whose first language is French, speaking by phone. “It was weird, I felt really dispowered. I don’t know if that word exists, did I just make that up?”

“Dispower” is not a concept the 35-year-old Algerian-born actress dwells on as the title star of “The Mummy”. Boutella’s Ahmanet is the force putting fear into London and Tom Cruise’s soldier of fortune Nick Morton when he accidentally awakens her after 5,000 years.

Ahmanet’s impressive arrival thrusts Boutella’s “Mummy” into a mighty woman weekend at the box office along with Gal Gadot’s blockbuster “Wonder Woman”, which dominated with $100 million-plus last weekend. Both characters follow wildly different screen paths, but are owned entirely by powerful female performances.

Just having the mummy cast as a woman in Universal’s new “Dark Universe” signals a major change from the original 1932 movie, which starred Boris Karloff.

“I love that they gave this to a woman,” Boutella says. “Ahmanet is the definition of a feminist: strong, powerful and opinionated.”

Boutella has already shown the commanding screen cred as alien warrior Jaylah in last summer’s “Star Trek Beyond”. Her standout moment came as Jaylah reclined in Kirk’s (Chris Pine) captain chair — a scene inspired by Boutella resting during rehearsals.

“Mummy” director Alex Kurtzman had locked in on Boutella before “Star Trek”, when she played stealthy assassin Gazelle in 2015’s “Kingsman: The Secret Service”. A former backup dancer for Madonna, Boutella had the control to move slowly and powerfully like Egyptian royalty (not to mention execute the acrobatic stunts). Further, Gazelle’s eyes projected the kind of empathy [or anger] Kurtzman wanted Ahmanet to have, despite bandages, decay and face tattoos.

“I knew that whatever I did to her face, as long as you saw Ahmanet’s eyes and connected with them, you would feel for her,” says Kurtzman. “That’s really important for the movie.”

It’s these eyes, digitally enhanced for the freaky double iris, that peer from billboards nationwide promoting “The Mummy”. It’s part of a promising movie summer for Boutella, who next stars as a French spy and lover to Charlize Theron’s assassin in “Atomic Blonde” (July 28).

In “The Mummy,” Boutella goes from chained captive on her knees (“I used it to my advantage to be in pain”) to the unusual position of sitting on top of Cruise during a fight scene. That led to the actress tickling Cruise’s stomach during rehearsals, a spontaneous moment that stayed in the film.

Another bizarre, last-minute dominant move was Kurtzman’s idea. He suggested that Boutella give Cruise a power lick during their battle. Boutella and Cruise stifled giggles when cameras rolled, and it worked.

“It’s destabilising. It comes out of nowhere,” Boutella says. “That’s how Ahmanet treats things. She owns stuff. She owns people. We did it maybe eight times, all on his cheek. And I’d try to drag it as long as possible.”

At a casual and distant glance one could be forgiven for mistaking the Kia Niro for a compact crossover SUV (CUV), perhaps a somewhat more assertive looking derivative of the Kia Sportage, to which bears strong familial resemblance. A purpose built petrol-electric hybrid that shares much with its Hyundai Ioniq saloon cousin, the Niro is instead a practical segment-bending vehicle. Expected to be popular in the fuel consumption-sensitive Jordanian market, the Niro is somewhere between CUV and MPV, yet is based on and competes with hybrid cars like the aforementioned Ioniq and the ubiquitous Toyota Prius, among others.

Aggressive aesthetic

A far cry from the dramatic, tense and urgently pouncing CUV-coupe Niro concept unveiled at the 2013 Frankfurt motor show with up-tilting ‘‘butterfly’’ doors, the production version — launched as a 2017 model — is a much more sensible and practical family vehicle.

Retaining much of the concept’s styling cues, the production Niro features a similarly slim and moody ‘‘tiger’’ grille flanked by swept back diamond-like headlights and sitting atop an aggressive bumper assembly with big intakes. A rising waistline and rakishly descending roofline converge towards high-set rear lights, similar to the Niro concept, while black lower cladding lends a rugged SUV flavour.

Not one to wear its hybrid credentials overtly on its sleeve in terms of aesthetic, the Niro’s design approach is contrary to its Ioniq cousin, and is instead designed to be more aggressive and to have a certain visceral appeal to a wider audience and more mainstream audience.

Not to be pigeonholed into a strict segment, the Niro is for the most part a CUV with its raised ride and aggressive body style, albeit one that is exclusively front-wheel-drive, and without much off-road aspiration. Alternatively, the Niro also has disguised hints of a versatile and spacious MPV, not too unlike the larger Kia Carens.

Efficient and flexible

Designed from ground up — rather than converted — for hybrid application, the Niro’s electric motors, hybrid components are well-integrated, positioned for better weight distribution. Its efficiently charging lithium-ion batteries are 20 per cent lighter than competitors, while increased use of lightweight and high strength components in construction offsets the hybrid system’s weight and aids efficiency, safety ride and handling.

Under the bonnet, the Niro’s thermally efficient but somewhat low-revving Atkinson cycle direct injection 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine produces 103BHP at 5700rpm and 108lb/ft at 4000rpm, Mated to an electric motor developing 43BHP and 125lb/ft, the Niro’s maximum combined system output is 139BHP and 195lb/ft.

Driving the front wheels through petrol and electric motors working in unison or individually, depending on conditions, throttle input and battery charge, the Niro is quicker than power figures suggest, with its electric motor’s ample torque allowing for confident flexibility at any engine speed.

Responsive from standstill and particularly versatile at city and highway cruising speeds, the Niro is capable of 0-100km/h acceleration in 11.5-seconds and returns frugal 4.4l/100km combined fuel efficiency. Slightly down on the more aerodynamic Ionic’s official efficiency figures, one, however, expects real world efficiency figures, even on demanding Jordanian roads, to be similar to Kia’s official figures.

Smooth and integrated

Smoother and better integrated than some predecessors, especially on throttle lift-off response when driven hard, it is only at very low speed that one occasionally notices a slight nudge from the two motors integrating. Capable of a conservatively quoted 162km/h top speed (estimated to be 170-180km/h) the Niro drives briefly on electric-only mode at around 120km/h, while battery charge and discharge times impressed, even on inclines. However, when battery charge depletes on sustained steep inclines, the otherwise refined petrol engine is left to its own devices, and feels somewhat strained at high revs, while acceleration drops somewhat until batteries recharge again from the combustion engine and regenerative braking system.

Riding on MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension, the Niro felt refined and mostly forgiving on Jordanian roads, even with low profile 225/45R18 tyres. Slightly firm over rougher and more sudden road imperfections, the Niro was smooth, stable and refined on highway, with rigid construction evident.

Through winding country roads the Niro performed well for its CUV segment, and was happy to be hustled along briskly but not pushed right to the limits of its power and dynamic abilities. Turning in tidily with just little understeer if pushed too hard, one, however, needs to dial in throttle input smoothly to prevent torque steer owing to its generous output.

Spacious and smooth

Quick and direct if not especially textured or nuanced for road feel, the Niro’s electric-assisted steering felt positive with good self-centring through corners, while body lean was controlled well when the Niro settles into a corner. Through corners grip was good, with slippage caught easily by electronic stability controls when mechanical road-holding limits were exceeded. Well concealing its hybrid system’s weighting, the Niro’s handling felt easily adjustable on torque steer with slight lift-off and through corners with a slight weigh pivot. Meanwhile its slick 6-speed automated dual clutch gearbox provided more driver control than some competitor’s elastic-feeling continuously variable transmissions.

Well thought out and executed, the Niro builds on Kia’s previous hybrid experience, and with handsome CUV design, almost MPV-like practicality and roominess, fuel efficiency and pricing would be expected to do well in Jordan once the nameplate catches on. 

Reasonably priced, the Niro features a spacious cabin with more soft textures and equipment than some rivals. Well-equipped and with uncluttered and user-friendly layouts, the Niro’s wide swinging doors allow easy access. Cabin space is very good, with rear headroom especially generous compared to rivals. Seating is comfortable and well adjustable and with lumbar support, visibility is good and aided by a rearview camera, while luggage room is generous and expandable.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: petrol/electric hybrid, 1.6-litre, transverse, 4-cylinders

Bore x stroke: 72 x 97mm

Compression ratio: 13:1

Valve-train: 16-valve, DOHC

Gearbox: 6-speed automated dual clutch, front-wheel-drive

Gear ratios: 1st 3.867; 2nd 2.217; 3rd 1.371; 4th 0.93; 5th 0.956; 6th 0.767; R 5.351

Final drive, gears 1-4

/5-6, R: 4.438/3.227/ 

Power – petrol engine, BHP (PS) [kW]: 103.5 (105) [77.2] @5700rpm

Power – electric motor, BHP (PS) [kW]: 42.9 (43.5) [32]

Power – combined, BHP (PS) [kW]: 139 (141) [104] @5700rpm

Torque – petrol engine, lb/ft (Nm): 108 (147) @4000rpm

Torque – electric motor, lb/ft (Nm): 125 (170)

Torque – combined, lb/ft (Nm): 195 (265) @4000rpm

Battery type, capacity, voltage: Lithium-ion polymer, 1.56kwh, 240v

0-100km/h: 11.5-seconds

Top speed: 162km/h

Fuel consumption, city/highway/combined: 4.5-/4.4-/4.4-litres/100km

CO2 emissions: 101g/km

Fuel capacity: 45-litres

Length: 4355mm

Width: 1805mm

Height: 1535mm

Wheelbase: 2700mm

Track, F/R: 1555/1569mm

Overhang, F/R; 870/785mm

Headroom, F/R: 1049/993mm

Legroom, F/R: 1117/950mm

Shoulder room, F/R: 1423/1402mm

Cargo volume, min/max: 427/1425-litres

Approach/departure angles: 17.3°/29.2°

Unladen weight: 1425kg

Suspension, F/R: MacPherson struts/multi-link, anti roll bars

Steering: Electric-assisted, rack and pinion

Lock-to-lock: 2.66-turns

Turning circle: 10.6-metres

Brakes, F/R: Ventilated discs/discs, regenerative braking

Tyres: 225/45R18

Price, as tested: JD23,500 (on-the-road, comprehensive insurance)