A new dawn?
We see if latest Kia Rio can shake up the supermini market as it meets VW and Suzuki rivals
THE supermini class is more crowded than ever, with the past 12 months welcoming a host of all-new or facelifted models. So the latest Kia Rio is going to have to be at the top of its game if it’s to stand any chance of toppling the established pecking order.
Kia is certainly leaving no stone unturned with this clean-sheet design, which is bigger than before and features the latest tech. It’s also powered by the recently launched 1.0-litre turbo three-cylinder petrol engine that was first seen in the larger Cee’d hatchback. The brand is claiming the newcomer is more grown-up than before as well, with a greater emphasis on refinement and quality.
To test this, we’ve brought the Rio face-to-face with our current class favourite, the Volkswagen Polo. Smart, classy, good to drive and cost-effective to run, the VW sets the bar high for any pretender to the small car crown.
Completing our welcoming committee is the Suzuki Baleno, which rivals the Kia for space and kit, and also comes with a value-for-money price tag. So which of our trio will take the honours in this closely fought encounter?
MODEL TESTED: Kia Rio 1.0 T-GDI 3 PRICE: £16,295 ENGINE: 1.0-litre 3cyl turbo, 99bhp
THE pace of development is clearly relentless at Kia, with the fourth-generation Rio making its debut just a decade and a half or so after the Mk3. There’s a new platform and engines under the skin, while the newcomer is only available in five-door form this time around and there are three trims to choose from. Here we test the top-spec 3, powered by the 99bhp 1.0-litre turbo petrol, which costs £16, 295.
DESIGN & ENGINEERING
KIA has made no bones about its desire to push the Rio upmarket. It has tasked its German and Californian design studios with injecting its supermini with premium appeal.
With its solid proportions and smooth curves, the newcomer is clearly more grown-up than before, but it’s blander than its handsome predecessor. Neither the Polo nor the Baleno is particularly daring, but at least they stand out more than the generic Kia.
Under the skin, the Rio follows a standard supermini template. There’s a new stronger platform with a longer wheelbase, but the chassis features strut front suspension and a torsion beam rear axle like the VW and Suzuki. And while the 1.0-litre turbo threecylinder is new to Kia, it’s already been used in the Rio’s Hyundai i20 sister car. A five-speed manual box is standard with this and the 1. 25-litre; the 118bhp 1.0 T-GDI, 1.4 petrol and 1.4 diesel all get six speeds. A four-speed auto can be had with the 1.4 petrol.
Climb aboard, and it’s clear the designers have tried to give the cabin a mature look. The heavily sculpted dashboard flows into the doors, while the silver-trimmed climate controls appear to have been influenced by Audi. Unfortunately looks are deceptive, and the plastics have a hard and brittle finish that’s barely any better than the Suzuki’s, and well behind the VW ’s.
Still, our Rio 3 offers lots of kit, with sat-nav, a heated steering wheel and seats, climate control and a reversing camera. Also included is fake leather trim, but it looks and feels rather low rent. DRIVING THE last Rio served up a sensible and solid driving experience, and the car hasn’t strayed far from this template. But the three-cylinder petrol is an eager and relatively refined performer, and thanks to some well chosen gear ratios it was the quickest from 0-60mph, with a surprisingly fast time of 9. 2 seconds. However, the tables were turned during our in-gear tests, where the Kia was fractionally slower than both rivals.
In the real world these differences are hard to detect, and the Rio’s thrummy engine pulls strongly from 1,500rpm – although in the higher gears there’s some hesitation from the unit when accelerating from low revs. Either way, the Kia has no trouble keeping pace with its rivals, and the five-speed box is slicker than the vague Baleno’s.
Turn into a corner and you’ll discover the light and direct steering delivers nothing in the way of feedback. This characteristic masks otherwise safe and predictable handling that’s backed by decent grip. It’s not as agile as the Suzuki or as composed as the VW, but the Kia is easy and undemanding to drive. It’s also fairly refined, with engine and wind noise well suppressed at a cruise. The same can’t be said for tyre roar, which is intrusive on coarse surfaces. Worse still is the noisy and inconsistent ride, which copes well with smooth surfaces but transmits too many thumps and jolts into the cabin over poor tarmac.
PRACTICALITY
AN increase in length by 15mm and a 10mm stretch in wheelbase have boosted practicality. Boot capacity stands at 325 litres, which is the largest here, and the load bay is well shaped. The only black mark is reserved for the high load lip.
However, while the Kia boasts impressive luggage space, the interior isn’t quite as roomy as the competition. Our tape measure revealed that there’s around 10mm less legroom in the rear than in the Polo, and 100mm less than in the Baleno. There’s enough space to carry four adults in reasonable comfort, though, while the doors open wide. The Kia has plenty of space up front, too, and the driver gets a reasonable range of seat and wheel adjustment.
Storage in the cabin is taken care of by some handily-sized door bins, a large glovebox and a deep centre console cubby that has room for a smartphone.
OWNERSHIP
KIA has worked hard to shake off its budget image, and on the evidence of its performances in our Driver Power survey, these efforts are paying off. It finished a creditable 14th in 2016, five places ahead of VW, while its dealers bagged ninth overall. As with all its cars, the new model is backed by the firm’s seven-year warranty.
The Rio also boasts impressive safety credentials, with autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning and six airbags on all versions.
RUNNING COSTS
THE Rio’s push upmarket is reflected in its price, with the 3 model tested here costing £16,295. That’s £1,205 and £1,796 more than the VW and Suzuki respectively.
Unfortunately, the combination of a higher price and relatively weak residuals means the Kia will lose the most cash. Our experts have calculated it will retain 40.5 per cent of its value, so will shed £9,696 over three years. By contrast, the Polo boasts a figure of 45.3 per cent, which means it’ll lose just £8,254 over the same period. The Suzuki’s 39.7 per cent return is weaker than the Rio’s, but a lower list price means its value only drops by £8,743.