For just one more week, Kia has the cheapest car in the nation.
For the next week; the Kia Rio is the cheapest car on the market.
Kia is offering several discounts and incentives in a marketing campaign that expires at the end of this month.
The five-door manual 1.4-litre model is reduced $2000 to $12,990, while the 2006 1.6 EX hatch without ABS and the 2007 model with ABS are discounted $1500 to $14,490.
The Sports hatch, EX sedan and EX-L sedan are not discounted, but Kia Motors Australia is giving away $1000 worth of petrol on all Rios sold before the end of the financial year.
These are fine incentives, but so is driving the car.
I recently tested the base model LX hatch with five-speed manual transmission and a 1.4-litre engine, as well as the top-of-the-range EX Luxury sedan with four-speed automatic transmission and a 1.6-litre engine.
It is surprising how well budget cars run these days.
Both these models are well built, with a good array of creature features, well-mannered road behaviour, a comfortable cabin, frugal fuel economy and satisfactory safety features.
Kia Rio scores a four-star adult occupant crash rating in the Euro Ncap tests; as well as two stars for pedestrian safety and a three-star child protection rating.
So the discounts and petrol incentive are simply icing on quite a palatable little cake.
The 1.4 gets along quite well for such a small engine.
Mated to the manual gearbox, it needs a bit of stirring off the line, but then picks up nicely.
The gearbox is on the rubbery side, but easy to use with a light clutch feel and well-placed ratios. At full belt, there isn't much noise at all. The cabin is very quiet and the little engine doesn't sound like it's screaming its double overhead cam head off.
The 1.6 has more oomph, but I had the auto, so it wasn't easy to compare. The four-speeder is smooth, without flaring or hunting, although it revs out a bit much in first.
Brakes are on the spongy side and need a good push to get maximum stopping power. The EX-L and Sports come with ABS, while it is an $850 option on all other models.
Steering is too heavily weighted to the centre and too light away from the centre. It points into corners a bit slow and gets light in the middle of the corner when pushed hard.
A tight 10.1m turning circle makes it very manoeuvrable in shopping centre car parks.
Surprisingly, there is not a lot of body roll from the McPherson strut front and torsion beam rear suspension; and the ride is very good for a light car.
Inside there is plenty of hard plastic as you would expect from the budget model, but the build quality is high and nothing rattled or squeaked. It has powered front windows, but doesn't have powered door mirrors, which can be a nuisance.
Controls all fall to hand in a natural manner. You can immediately operate the sound, air conditioning and other controls without having to check the owner's manual.
The 1.6 interior has slightly classier trim, power rear windows and mirrors and that's about it. Cruise control would have been a nice addition.
Seats in both models lacked support and can get uncomfortable on a long drive.
Cabin room is good for five adults with plenty of legroom and wide door access.
The front floor mats need fasteners because they slide dangerously under the pedals. This is almost inexcusable, despite the price.
The boot in the hatch is small, but has a flat floor with no suspension intrusion and is fully carpeted, unlike some competitors. And surprise, surprise, it has a full-size spare wheel under the floor, again unlike some of its opposition.
While the rear seats fold down to provide a large cargo area, they don't fold down totally flat. The cargo privacy cover is also on the flimsy side.
Boot space in the sedan is big enough for a couple of large suitcases and a few other bags and the floor is again flat with carpeting throughout. However, there is no boot release.
The Rio lives up to the high quality standards of its brother Korean company, Hyundai. Panel gaps are close and consistent and paint quality is lustrous with some vibrant colour options available.
The LX hatch and EX hatch and sedan come with 14-inch steel wheels, while the Sports has 16-inch alloys, and the EX-L has attractive 15-inch alloys.
Making the free petrol offer even more attractive is how far that $1000 will go.
At today's prices that will get you a little more than 800 litres.
According to Kia, the LX manual uses 6.7 litres every 100km, so that is almost 12,000km of “free” motoring.
By my calculations, it was thirstier than that, but that was mainly due to my over-eager driving.
Because the 1.6 auto didn't need to be revved quite as hard to get moving, it returned closer to the manufacturer's claims of 7L/100km.
As fuel prices remain volatile, light cars will continue to enjoy strong sales.
The Rio fits the bill with a tick in every box — economy, safety, comfort and handling.
Kia Rio LX Hatch and EX-L Sedan
$12,990 (LX), $18,990 (EX-L)
Engine: 3 stars
1.4 and 1.6 are lively, smooth and quiet.
Handling: 3 stars
Smooth ride and little body roll, but vague steering.
Safety: 3 stars
But two stars for the LX without ABS standard
Value: 4 stars
Economical driving without having to cut too many corners on features
Tech specs
Body: 5-door hatch, 4-door sedan
Engines: 1.4 Litre DOHC (LX); 1.6 litre DOHC CVVT (EX-L)
Power: 70kW @ 6000rpm (LX); 82kW @ 6000rpm (EX-L)
Torque: 125Nm @ 4700rpm (LX); 145Nm @ 4500rpm (EX-L)
Bore x Stroke: 75.5x78.1mm (LX); 76.5x87mm (EX-L)
Compression: 10:1
Economy: (COMBINED L/100KM): 6.7 (manual) 6.8 (auto) LX; 6.8 (manual) 7.0 (auto) EX-L
Emissions: Euro III
Fuel: 45-litre tank, ULP
Transmission: 5 speed manual, 4 speed automatic ($2000 option)
Brakes: ventilated front disc, rear drum
Suspension: McPherson strut (front), torsion beam (rear)
Wheels: 14" (LX), 15" (EX-L.6), full-size spare
Tyres: 175/70 R14 (LX); 195/55 R15
(EX-L)Dimensions (MM): 3990 (hatch length), 4240 (sedan length), 1695 (w), 1470 (h), 2500 (wheelbase)
Weight: 1193kg (LX), 1181 (EX-L), (auto adds 22kg)
Turning Circle: 10.1m
Warranty: 3 year/100,000km
Verdict: for economy, safety, comfort and handling
Against: boot space, steering
Overall rating: 3 stars
A practical package
