Kia Rio | Video Review | CarsIreland.ie

Published on 24 May, 2017

Overview

Overview

The Kia Rio is surely one of the most dramatic ‘ducking to swan’ stories of the car world. Looking at this latest model it’s hard to believe it’s even related to the car Jeremy Clarkson once called ‘offensively ugly’.

Ex-Audi designer Peter Schreyer has been hard at work here once again with a slick new interpretation of his famous tiger nose grille on a new generation that sees it get longer, lower and wider than before. The longer wheelbase adds a bit more rear legroom and the result is a much sleeker and more grown up package.

As seems to be the law with new generations – the new Rio is longer, lower and wider than before. A couple of well-defined lines running down the shoulders really emphasise that extra length and give it a much more substantial presence. The longer wheelbase adds a bit more rear legroom and the result is a much sleeker and more grown up package.

Boot space is another reason you might consider it over the Fiestas, Polos and Yaris’ (Yari?) of this world and it beats all three at an exceptional 325 litres.

The other golden rule of a new model is that you must also cram in as much new technology as possible, and Kia have made a good attempt at that here.

Among the impressive new features now available are things like keyless entry, automatic lights and wipers, a reversing camera, and heated seats and steering wheel.

If you can live without that type of thing, the entry level L model (from €15,950) will meet your most basic motoring needs, though realistically most will upgrade to EX at least; starting at €18,150, this will get you 16 inch alloy wheels, tinted windows, parking sensors, and automatic cruise control. Disappointingly though, it still won’t get you a touchscreen. With some brands offering it as a standard feature these days, the old school analogue display does look a little antique.

If you want one, you will need to upgrade to the EX ADAS, which on the plus side, also has added safety benefits. It also turns it from a four to a five star car on the NCAP safety assessment.

It starts at €19,450 and if you’re not sold on that, we’d do it just for the touchscreen.

An extra €1,000 for the Platinum spec will get you larger 17 inch wheels, rain sensing window wipers, and a larger 7 inch display with integrated Bluetooth and voice control.

The next big choice after trim level will be whether to go petrol or diesel. We drove both the 1.2l petrol and the 1.4l diesel at the launch, and while the latter certainly packs a bit more punch, you’d have to really consider whether you do enough mileage to recoup the €1,800 premium.

The petrol offers impressive enough fuel economy anyway at about 4.8l per 100km (59 MPG). The 1.0l turbo will be an interesting alternative to both when it arrives.

There have definitely been improvements in driving refinement too and it’s now noticeably quieter in the cabin than before. Other than that, the Rio’s well-planted chassis and sharp responsive steering should continue to please fans of its easy, predictable small car drive.

That outstanding seven year warranty is always tempting, even more so in the B-segment where cars tend to get passed down through different family members. It also has a very positive effect on residual values.

Gone are the days when Kia had to sell on this warranty alone however, and it's now just a bonus on top of an already appealing package. A charming little all-rounder.

Facts & Figures

Sinead McCann

Sinéad is our resident car tester who has the unenviable (-ok, slightly enviable) task of reviewing all the latest new cars to hit the market. You can follow her on Twitter @smcani and on Instagram @whatshedrives