Kia Rio: Cheap, cheerful driving
New Korean supermini illustrates the joys of driving something modest, says
None of the cars I’m about to mention actually belong to me, so it’s not bragging. Honest. But as I write this, in the driveway at home are a Tesla Model S P100D, HSV R8 Clubsport LSA, Lexus IS300h Limited and Toyota Highlander Limited. That’s nearly $500,000 worth of machinery, much of it fast and/or exotic. Truly an embarrassment of riches.
When I walked out this morning it took me about two minutes to decide to drive the fifth vehicle in the fleet to work this morning: the $26,990 Kia Rio Limited. It would have been two seconds, but Kia NZ’s media evaluation car wears the number plate MY RIO. Oh dear. But anyway.
Perhaps I’ve said too much. But my point is this: high-end and/or high-performance cars are great if you can afford them, but there’s also an inescapable joy in jumping into something cheap and cheerful like the Rio.
After all, you can drive it flatout everywhere you go, you never have to worry about where you park and it’s warrantied up the wazoo (five years in this case). If you’re worried about making motoring fun again in modern driving conditions, cars like these might be the answer.
It’s not like you’re slumming it, either. The Rio Limited has a reversing camera with sensors, cool-looking LED DRLs and taillights, dual USB ports, smart entry/start and a seven-inch touch-screen with Suna-enabled sat-nav and Apple/Android phone projection technology. In fact, none of the big-ticket cars mentioned above have CarPlay or Android Auto.
The Rio is a thoroughly modern small car on a brand-new platform that’s shared with the Hyundai i20. It looks sharp, has a nicely styled interior and typically impressive Kia build quality.
There are issues. The main one is the powertrain. The engine is a 1.4-litre unit with just 74kW, which is not a huge problem in itself – all the more excuse to work it hard. But like the i20, the Rio has a fourspeed gearbox that simply doesn’t deliver in anything beyond the urban cruise.
As we’ve reported previously, the Kia’s gearbox does seem to be a bit more lively than the Hyundai’s – although the i20 is superior in terms of refinement, with less engine and road noise transmitted into the cabin. The Rio has a particular issue with Kiwi coarsechip seal.
However, Rio’s new-gen status does show in the corners: it’s confident and composed and benefits from decent rubber. Korean makers sometimes undo all their engineering work with cheap tyres, but our test Rio wore Continental ContiSportContact rubber.
The i20’s cabin has betterquality materials, but the Rio is streets ahead in terms of having a contemporary look and feel. It might be full of hard black plastic, but it looks modern and that tabletlike touch-screen is excellent (the Hyundai has nothing like it).
So yes, you do have to put up with some cheapness alongside the cheerful character. But what do you expect for this price?
Indeed, Kia NZ is currently advertising the Limited at a special price of $23,990, or nodeposit and $112 per week (plus onroads). That’s less than it will cost you to fill that HSV for the week’s commute.