Kia cars are becoming more and more prestigious every year, because if very recently few people were serious about the “Koreans," now they can compete in quality and options with Japanese and German cars. In March 2011, at the Geneva Motor Show, the world first saw a new creation from Kia, which became the third generation in the Rio lineup. And in May of the same year, the development of a special model for the Russian and Ukrainian markets was announced, the production of which began on August 15, 2011 at the St. Petersburg Hyundai plant. Attractive brightness of the exterior design, wonderful equipment and excellent ergonomics - all this characterizes the new Kia Rio. The reviews of the owners of this car will not allow you to doubt these speeches, because the car is really made reliably and beautifully in a European way.
Design
The model radically changed its appearance thanks to the design genius of Peter Schreyer. In the guise of the new Rio, the fact of borrowing ideas from European car developers and designers is clearly visible, because from a soft and complaisant representative of the previous generation, Rio has turned into a strict and convincing car that radiates sports aggression. The design of the updated Kia really turned out to be presentable: a predatory smile of the front lights, an impressive radiator grille, spectacular rims, a pronounced side profile ... Add to all the catchy air intakes on the front wings, daring foglights and concave shapes of elegant doors - all these are undoubted advantages that highlight from the fast flow of Kia Rio. Owner reviews will confirm your impeccable appearance of the car, because most of them are proud that they are driving a real Korean handsome. In general, the company did not stint on a spectacular mandrel, but what about the interior decoration?
Interior
For a budget segment car, our hero looks very, very good. An elegant salon can indicate this, allowing its design to compete with representatives of the Golf-class. The instrument cluster flaunts optitron illumination, some parts are flavored with chrome inserts, the seats are trimmed with dirt-repellent fabric, and the engine starts at the touch of a button. In general, the salon was awarded the highest praise for the materials, because they not only look beautiful and expensive, but also really reliable. The driver's seat will be convenient for any owner: the seats and steering wheel are adjustable in a sufficient range, the steering wheel is equipped with various audio control commands, and in cold weather you can turn on the heated front seats. In general, the Koreans again pleased us with verified ergonomics and sound quality, which will not leave indifferent the domestic motorist. As for the optional kit, it varies greatly between 3 trim levels. The developers equipped the basic version with air conditioning, a central lock, a decent audio system, electric mirrors in the front mirrors and an on-board computer. In general, it’s quite decent for a car of this class, but we'll talk about older trim levels a bit later. You can not ignore the spacious trunk of 500 liters, which is quite enough for a long family trip or everyday needs.
Engine range
In terms of dynamics, our Korean has no equal among the "classmates". Kia Rio is gaining speed with the image of a budget car. For our market, it comes only with gasoline engines, bypassing the "diesel" popular in Europe and America. The engine range is represented by only two options: a 107-horsepower 1.4-liter engine, as well as a more powerful brother, which contains 123 “horses” with a volume of 1.6 liters. For each of them are designed 5-speed "mechanics" or the classic 4-speed "automatic". In Kia Rio, the engine confidently accelerates the car from the bottom and spins perfectly to the cutoff. To achieve the coveted "hundreds" of the car takes 11-13 seconds, and fuel consumption ranges from 6-6.5 liters with mixed driving. In general, the “Kia Rio” characteristics of the speakers are quite impressive, which is definitely worth considering when choosing a future purchase.
Control
What really impresses the Korean sedan is its handling, directional stability and ride, with which the “Rio” is all right. The car confidently and stably keeps on the track, and when cornering it behaves quite predictably. Plus, more expensive versions can always secure the driver with a stabilization system. The suspension confidently copes with the bumps of Russian roads, although sometimes it behaves a little harshly. Extraneous sounds do not penetrate into the car interior, delighting passengers with calm and comfort.
Options
"Kia Rio" is available in 4 different trim levels: Comfort, Luxe, Prestige and Premium. We already mentioned the basic version of Comfort above, and therefore now we will only clarify its price - 499,900 rubles. Intermediate versions are equipped with additional accessories, auto-off lighting, rear windows, front fog lights and some other little things. The top model "Kia Rio", the reviews of the owners of which are extremely positive, will delight the lucky owner of the Supervision dashboard, climate control, luggage compartment organizer, Bluetooth function and a more powerful audio system. The price for the maximum configuration will be 680 thousand rubles. In principle, for a class B car, the cost is quite high, but each has its own preferences.
Security
In this regard, Korean cars have never failed the public, and therefore, the new "Rio" was obliged to continue the established tradition. According to EuroNCAP crash tests, the car received 4 stars, which is quite enough for a car of this class. All Kia Rio trim levels are equipped with an immobilizer, an ABS system and two airbags. The top version is additionally equipped with side airbags and curtain airbags, an ESC system, as well as a function of automatically locking doors when moving.
Dimensions
The new Kia Rio has quite compact dimensions: for a sedan, the length is 4370 mm, width - 1700 mm, height - 1470 mm. The wheelbase reaches 2570 mm, and the curb weight ranges from 1115 to 1218 kg. The drive of the car is only front, and the chassis design is quite simple, does not stand out from its European and Japanese competitors. The 16-centimeter clearance of the novelty, which is so necessary for cars in our road conditions, deserves special mention. From the above it can be noted that in terms of dimensions, “Rio” is not particularly differentiated from other “classmates”: it is no worse than them, but it does not show any reference qualities.
Rivalry with Hyundai Solaris
Hyundai Motor Group, which owns the Hyundai and Kia brands, made a real revolution in the long-gone 2012. It was she who proved that B-class cars can be not only cheap, but also well-equipped handsome men. Two models of the Korean concern were immediately released to the mass market: Hyundai Solaris and Kia Rio. The feedback from the owners of both cars is only positive, indicating practicality, well-proven ergonomics and comfort. Built on the same platform with similar specifications, both models began to show impressive sales. However, according to the plan of the developers themselves, Kia Rio, unlike Solaris, is aimed at a younger audience. And the price of the base car was slightly higher (467,900 rubles against 499,900). True, there is one caveat: Rio is already equipped with a minimum configuration much better than Solaris. Well, with the same set of options, the difference in price is practically not felt.