2019 Kia Rio vs Suzuki Swift

What's the difference?

Over four generations, the Kia Rio has cemented its place in the Australian small-car landscape.

It now enjoys a market share on par with the Honda Jazz, but is bested by its fleet-friendly cousin, the Hyundai Accent, as well as the Suzuki Swift, Mazda2 and Toyota Yaris.

Now that it’s an established player, though, could it aim for a bigger slice of the small-hatch pie? Could it become one of Australia’s most beloved small-car nameplates?

We’ve driven the entire updated 2019 Rio range to find out.

It’s a novel idea. You start with a simple mass-market hatchback base, then you throw a bigger turbocharged engine (literally from an SUV) in, give it some upgrades so it’s not totally unwieldy and call it a day.

It seems like an obvious and easy move to appeal to enthusiasts, yet the rest of the Japanese automakers, still reeling from the country’s long and painful economic stagnation, instead provide play-it-safe semi-luxury halo variants for their small hatch ranges.

Suzuki’s going hard on fun-factor as a point of difference though, and the brand delivers with cars like the wacky new Jimny 4x4 and the car reviewed here, the long-running Suzuki Swift Sport.

It’s the last Japanese hot-hatch in this segment, but is it as much fun as it looks? I spent a week in one to find out.