Kia Rio Video Reviews

City hatchbacks are becoming more expensive as the standards grow ever higher for safety and tech. But which of these popular light car heroes is the best? We put the Suzuki Swift, Kia Rio and Toyota Yaris against each other to find out!

Over four generations, the Rio has well and truly cemented its place when it comes to small cars in Australia. But does the updated and reloaded car for 2019 still deserve that place?

Can Kia's most affordable Rio hatchback edge in front of the pack? At this end of the market every dollar matters... so the price needs to be right.

The Si is the mid-spec model in the 2017 Kia Rio range

If you're in the market for a new small car well then you're pretty much spoilt for choice these days because there are just so many excellent models to choose from.

Kia is moving forward with their latest models and the three-door Rio SLS is no exception. It’s definitely another in ongoing improvements for Kia, and it’s no wonder it claimed the 2011 Carsguide Car of the Year gong.From $19,990 for the manual and $21,990 for the auto the SLS is priced closely against the $19,490 VW Polo -- itself a Carsguide Car of the Year in 2010 -- and the $18,990 Ford Fiesta.Both the Polo and the Fiesta have great reputations for dynamics, and are both more a driver’s car. But the Rio shines in its own ways, and one of them is value for money - especially considering the equipment list. Standard features in SLS spec include MP3 and iPod compatible CD player, Bluetooth connectivity with media streaming, steering wheel audio controls, speed dependent volume control, rain-sensing wipers, dusk-sensing automatic headlamps and front fog lamps.And the 5 year unlimited km warranty - which applies to all new Kia vehicles - is generous when you consider the standard is 3 years.The Rio SLS has a 1.6 litre, four cylinder GDi petrol engine teamed with a six-speed manual or the six-speed automatic transmission tested here. Kia points to the 1.6 litre engine as class-leading with 103kW of power (at 6300 revs), which is teamed with 167Nm of torque (at 4850 revs). The quoted combined fuel economy is 6.1L/100km with 145g/km CO2 emissions.The design of the SLS received a mixed response. We got comments ranging from “over styled” right through to “good looks and latest gadgets.” Clearly, the design isn’t for everyone – but then, what is? The exterior is eye-catching and well calculated with chrome radiator grille, chrome rear muffler, rear spoiler, LED daytime running light with static cornering lamps, LED rear combination lamps and 17-inch alloy wheels.For those who haven’t looked at a Kia since the bad old days, you can be assured that over the past few years things have turned around since former Audi designer Peter Schreyer joined the Korean brand. Slip into the cabin and you’ll find the modern aesthetics of the exterior are reflected throughout. The black interior is stylistically pleasing against the metal look interior trim on the console, fascia and door handles. The SLS has a leather wrapped steering wheel and shift knob and leather trim on the seats. But be warned, you get a lot more ‘pleather’ than leather in the SLS.For a vehicle of this size the SLS has spacious driver and passenger seats but the backseats aren’t so generous- a taller passenger should definitely call shotgun. There’s also a reasonable sized boot with 288 litres of luggage space. The SLS doesn’t require a key to be powered, instead has a push button start with a smart key. The dashboard is positioned in a way that makes everything easily accessed, as the shift knob and handbrake slant slightly towards the driver, a similar feature found in the Optima Si. The trip computer markings are a bright red colour, which helps to clearly display the essential info, but is a bit too bright at night unless you dim it hugely.The SLS has a 5-star ANCAP crash rating. Major safety features include driver and front passenger airbags, anti-lock braking, electronic stability, vehicle stability management, hill-start assist, door open warning light with speed sensing auto door lock and child restraint anchorage points.The SLS is willing and ready from the get go, as the 1.6-litre engine gives the small car energy on the road.  It’s the perfect car for the city, as it zips in and out of traffic with ease and has good visibility for changing lanes. The six-speed automatic transmission is fine for around town and it handles climbs fairly well.The electronic power steering makes manoeuvring easy, however the steering feels a bit disconnected on hard corners. It’s also not the quietest hatchback out there, as you’ll hear plenty of road noise enter the cabin. As with any small car, the dimensions of the car make parking a breeze. However, rear visibility isn’t as good as at the front due to the wide arched pillars at the back - a rear view camera and reverse parking sensors may be the answer. Even with these few setbacks the SLS was still an enjoyable ride with plenty of life.While it’s not for the enthusiastic driver, the Kia Rio SLS competes well in the small car market; affordable, efficient, and with plenty of features.   

The Rio was the car that really carved Kia a place in the Australian market in 2000. A cheap but not always cheerful bargain box, the Rio staked its claim on decent fuel economy and great drive-away prices. However the styling and fit-out were undesirable, build quality was questionable, and the driving experience almost unbearable.A decade on, and all that has changed - except for the fuel economy. It's still decent, but now so is the car. And while Kia is trying to move out of the bargain basement, the Rio is still well-priced for what you get.The Kia Rio's top spec GDI SLi is priced from $21,990 - a considerable jump over the previous model, which topped out about $3000 below that.Part of that extra is an equipment list that includes daytime running lights, 17-in alloy wheels with full-size alloy spare, larger disc brakes, projector headlights with 'cornering' front lamps, cruise control, heated mirrors, hill holder and touches of leather.Suzuki's Swift GLX beats the Rio's price by $1300 and is a solid choice for the budget, but has considerably less power and torque with no economy benefit, outdated auto, and styling that needs another update to take it beyond the once-over-lightly from earlier this year.The popular Toyota Yaris YRX hatch undercuts the Rio by $600, and while it's got a good features list, it suffers the same woes as the Swift: less oomph, less style and getting out of date.The sales topper is the Mazda2, which in Genki spec is just $155 more than the Rio, still looks sharp and is well kitted-out. While it can't match the Kia's usable space, outputs and economy, it's still a great little driver and a great buy.The class benchmark is still last year's Carsguide COTY, the Volkswagen Polo 77TSI, which looks dull but for $360 more gives you a spicy and frugal little turbo engine, 7-speed twin-clutch and the kind of dynamics that always leave a smile on your face.The Rio's family rival is the (also newly arrived) Hyundai Accent hatch whose platform it shares, and while costing $1000 more it misses out on a little of the Rio's spec and is down two gears, 12kW and 11Nm -- and a bit thirstier too.Also $1000 more and with less power and torque is the Ford Fiesta, but with a great twin-clutch auto, matching economy and a fun drive.The signature 'tiger face' penned for Kia by design chief Peter Schreyer (who moved across from Audi) looks great on the little Rio, giving it a bold entry point. It backs that up with proportions that make the most of a longer and wider mark-up, with a lower sloping roofline reducing the 'tall box' impression that plagues the light car class.The interior is fantastic above base level, with excellent upholstery on well-shaped seats, quality dash and door finishes, a steering wheel that feels good in the hand, and a feeling of light and space - helped by folding rear seats that more than triple the 288-litre cargo space.The new arrival hasn't yet been given an ANCAP rating, but will hopefully do better than the previous model's three stars. To help it in the safety stakes, it comes with six airbags (the old one had two), hill-start assist, stability and traction controls, anti-lock brakes with brake-force distribution that calculates what's needed at each wheel for uneven weight loading, and brake assist for panic stops.The SLi carries a direct-injection 1.6-litre petrol engine that develops103kW of power and 167Nm of torque - an improvement on the 82kW and 145Nm of the previous model. It gets that to the front wheels via a six-speed sports automatic that helps deliver official fuel economy of 6.1L/100km on a combined cycle (although we were getting closer to 7.1 through most of our mixed driving and shot up above 8 when it was just city circuits).Like the rest of the Kia range, the Rio's underpinnings have been localised for the Aussie market. The works gives tweaked dampers to the MacPherson sturt front/ torsion beam rear suspension and a heftier stabiliser bar up front, while the power-assisted rack and pinion steering is sharper than the previous hydraulic set-up.We put the little Rio through something of a torture test, demanding it cart a full load of five grain-fed Aussie adults around. And it came through with a decent mark, especially for shoulder space.While none of the labrats wanted to spend the rest of their life in the back seat, everybody agreed it was comfortably snug, rather than outright cramped. It's wider than most of its rivals by just a couple of centimetres - but they're important ones.The engine coped relatively well with the job, except when we needed to head uphill or try to grab a gap in the traffic. That demanded a firm slap down with the gearshift to try and get more torque, and even then it felt a bit begrudging.This is also when things got a bit noisier, but otherwise the cabin was adequately quiet except when the tyres hit rough-chip surfaces.Handling is surprisingly agile, helped by the splayed stance, firm-ish ride and grippy tyres, but the choppy bumps and cracks make themselves felt more than they would on smaller wheels. But that aside, the Rio is a car you can actually enjoy driving.It's far from perfect, but it's also far from the exiting model in every important way. The more time you spend with the Rio, the more you appreciate the progress it's made in quality, style and equipment.