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03/09/2011
REVIEW By EWAN KENNEDY
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An all-new Kia Rio has been launched in Australia and the importer has high hopes for significantly improved sales in one of the strongest segments in our market. The five-door Rio hatchback is on sale now. Three-door hatches and four-door sedans will arrive in early 2012.
The new Rio is available in S, Si and SLi trim levels. All models come with Bluetooth connectivity and MP3 compatibility plus Auxiliary, iPod and USB connections. These are controlled remotely from the steering wheel.
From the front, the new Rio could be mistaken for big brother Kia Optima as it uses sleek styling and the now-established ‘Schreyer’ radiator grille, named after the company’s chief designer, Peter Schreyer. The upper grille theme is continued below the front bumper, but some feel that it’s somewhat overdone. As always, potential buyers will make the final decision.
The roofline has a Euro look that ties in nicely with suspension and steering that have been optimised for Australian drivers’ tastes and our often harsh road surfaces.
The new Rio model is longer (by 20 mm), wider (25 mm), and lower (15 mm) and features a wheelbase extended by 70 mm to increase passenger space and boot capacity.
Rio is sold with a choice of two engines matched to either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission in the Si and SLi, and either a six-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission in the base model.
The 1.6-litre petrol engine is fitted to both the midrange Si and top of the range SLi Rio models. The Kia ‘Gamma’ engine has GDi (Gasoline Direct Injection) and develops 103 kW of power and 167 Nm of torque, the latter at a sky-high 4850rpm. However on the road the engine feels reasonable grunty at lower revs so the 4850, which will probably never be reached by the average driver, isn’t as silly a number as it seems.
The lowest cost model, the Kia Rio S, comes with a 1.4-litre that’s less advanced than the powerplants in the other models. It produces 79 kW of power and 135 Nm of torque at 4200rpm. These figures are increases from the engine used in the superseded models and the overall performance is probably enough for most owners.
Kia engineers have gone to a lot of trouble to minimise noise, vibration and harshness (NVH). This includes increasing the rigidity of the car’s bodyshell structure.
Five-star crash-test results have been achieved. Rio has six airbags and electronic stability control across the range, as well as ABS, ESC and traction control. Kia Rio’s safety computer applies variable input to steering weight when the vehicle reaches the stability control threshold.
New Kia Rio is an impressive car that costs significantly less than European cars of this size, yet offers many of the upmarket features that make the Euro models stand out in buyers’ minds. It’s hard to see it being anything other than a success in Australia.
The complete Kia Rio range, with prices (excluding dealer and government charges) is:
Rio S 1.4-litre petrol five-door hatch: $16,290 (manual), $18,290 (automatic)
Rio Si 1.6-litre petrol five-door hatch: $18,990 (manual), $20,990 (automatic)
Rio SLi 1.6-litre petrol five-door hatch: $19,990 (manual), $21,990 (automatic) |
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