Kia Niro HEV in USA/EUROPE/ASIA/AUSTRALIA

Hi everyone!

I just bought my first Kia Niro HEV. It has 27,000 km (about 17,000 miles) and I paid €24,000 (about $28,000). Love this car!

I live in Italy. Here the Kia Niro is seen as a good, reliable mid-size car. But in Milan many people want to show off, so they buy German cars (BMW, Mercedes) and take loans to pay for them.

Some Mercedes owners live with their parents, but the car has heated seats, and 249 horse power, so it is fine.

The fuel consumption is very good: 17–23 km/l. That is about 40–54 mpg (US).

So I want to ask you:
How is the Kia Niro seen in your country? Is it a big car, a small car, or a medium car?

Here, when someone sits in a BMW or a Mercedes, people say “what a nice car.” When someone sits in my Niro, they say “very practical.” This is the same thing people say about a washing machine — working, doing laundry, functional 😅

And another question: do people in your country care about the car you drive?

I know people who spend 30–40% of their income on a new expensive car. I do not understand it. Is a boring, reliable car seen as a smart choice, or do people think you gave up?

It’s like “driving a cheap car and having 50k in your bank account vs driving a 50k car and living paycheck to paycheck.”

Ps I am not judging, YOLO is ok and driving an old car and saving money is also ok

What do you think?