Kia Rio 1 1.1 CRDi EcoDynamics 5dr Car Review - March 2012

The Kia Rio runs on a three cylinder, 12 valve, 1120cc twin cam, common rail engine. It has an impressive combined fuel economy of 88.3mpg. This is made possible by the engine’s variable vane turbo and other features like low rolling resistance tyres and a stop-start system. The Kia Rio has a six speed gearbox. It delivers a torque of 125lb ft between 1500 and 2750rpm enabling it to pull the Rio along effectively. With a power of 74bhp at 4000rpm, the Kia Rio can accelerate from 0 to 62mph in 15 seconds. It can reach a top speed of 98mph.

The Kia Rio offers a comfortable ride. It’s an adequate car for in and around town driving. The suspension is quite soft and readily absorbs speed bumps and potholes. It’s good enough for cruising on the motorway but it’s totally out of its depth on twisty back roads. The brakes feel too soft for comfort and the steering is not accurate enough. The engine is refined but some road and wind noise can be heard inside the cabin at speed. Rear visibility is impaired by the thick rear pillars.

The new Kia Rio is a big improvement to the old model. It is very handsomely styled and it looks sturdy and well-built. The Korean manufacturer has made sure that its new line of cars would be at par with its European rivals especially in the looks department and so they hired Peter Schreyer, the designer of Audi cars, as chief designer. Even the interior of the Kia Rio has improved greatly. The dashboard is well laid out with a large speedometer in the middle surrounded with different dials for revs and fuel. The controls are easy to reach and use as well.

The Kia Rio in trim 1 is equipped with a driver’s seat with height adjustment, electric front windows, a trip computer, power steering, alarm, immobiliser, central locking and stability control. It also has a CD player with USP and aux ports for MP3 connectivity. In addition to this, the Ecodynamics package has low rolling resistance tyres, steel wheels with better aerodynamics and taller gearing.

The Kia Rio has a very spacious cabin, giving passengers plenty of shoulder and head room. It also has a long wheelbase giving adults plenty of legroom. The storage is roomy as well. The boot can accommodate 288 litres with the seats up and with the seats down, the boot can accommodate 923 litres. Though there may be other superminis with larger boots, the Kia Rio’s is certainly adequate.

It is also equipped with top notch safety equipment. To protect passengers from bumps in case of collisions, the Kia Rio comes with six airbags. It also has ESP anti-skid control, electronic stability control (ESC), electronic brake force distribution, emergency brake assist, anti-lock brake system and emergency stop signalling as part of the Rio’s standard safety kit. Because of this, the Rio has a 5 star rating from the Euro NCAP crash testing.

Not only is the Kia Rio safe, it is also quite reliable. As a standard, the Kia Rio comes with a seven-year, 100,000 mile warranty. This should keep the owner’s mind at ease in case of problems that they may encounter.

The Kia Rio 1.1 CRDi Ecodynamics in ‘1’ trim is exempted from road tax and the London Congestion Charge down to its incredibly low CO2 emissions. In addition to this, it boasts truly exceptional fuel economy of 88.3mpg.

A brand new Kia Rio 1.1 CRDi Ecodynamics costs £11,895. Though the Kia Rio may cost a bit more than some of its rivals, it has more kit offered and no one can beat the Kia when it comes to frugality. The Kia Rio can also travel over 600 miles with its 9.5 gallon fuel tank in full. Overall it represents superb value for money.