Melissa McCarthy Is Eco-Warrior in Kia Niro Super Bowl Ad
CARS.COM — “It’s hard to be an eco-warrior. But it’s easy to drive like one,” goes the tagline of Kia’s Super Bowl ad for its all-new 2017 Niro hybrid SUV. And the comedic superstar dutifully goes about proving both statements in the TV spot, set to air in the third quarter of the big game between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons.
Related: 2017 Kia Niro Review: First Drive
In the commercial, McCarthy heeds the call of duty to singlehandedly save the planet from a variety of eco-threats with her co-star — not De Niro, but instead the Niro. McCarthy — whom we feel compelled to note drove an AMC Rambler in her biggest headlining hit, “The Heat” — makes well-intentioned but disastrous attempt after attempt to save the whales, then the forest, then the polar ice caps and finally the rhinos — with each scenario ending about as gracefully as you might expect if you’ve seen McCarthy’s films.
A series of brief supplemental spots find McCarthy in her Niro calling Kia roadside service as she floats away on an ice floe; trying to please a persnickety penguin who wants his heated seats turned on; and narrowly avoiding being rear-ended by a charging rhinoceros thanks to her backup camera.
The Niro starts at just less than $24,000, including a destination charge. It boasts an estimated fuel-economy figure of 52/49/50 mpg city/highway/combined in FE trim, which Kia claims is the best of any crossover in its class.
