2022 Kia Rio vs Mazda 2

What's the difference?

Australia is experiencing a mass extinction event.

Like the dinosaurs before them, and hopefully not the bees in the near future, the sub-$20,000 car is nearing the bitter end.

An evolutionary dead-end, as higher emissions and safety regulations relegate older models (read Mitsubishi Mirage) to the great scrap-heap in the sky and prevent newer ones (read Honda Jazz) from leaving their local markets.

For you, this means there are quite literally a handful of brand-new vehicles left in Australia which wear before-on-road price-tags under the magic $20,000 number.

One of them is the car we’re looking at for this review: The Kia Rio S, with the catch being you’ll have to be happy changing gears yourself.

So, is this most basic Rio worth your while, or is it best left as a puzzling fossil for future generations to study? Let’s have a look.

The Mazda2 is part of the Australian automotive furniture. A long-time favourite of those at the affordable end of the new car market, looking for something compact and economical, but at the same time safe and practical.

A survivor of our enthusiastic shift to SUVs of all shapes and sizes, it’s been around in its current form for close to a decade. And in an on-going quest to keep the car fresh and competitive Mazda launched a new variant, the Pure SP, in late 2021.

It’s ideally sized for the urban environment, with lots to offer value-conscious small car buyers. But does it have what it takes to turn back the clock and fend off new and recently refreshed competitors? Let’s find out.