Kia’s ongoing transition from a cheap-but-dreary brand to an affordable-but-aspirational one created a lot of expectation for the new-generation Rio, which had its world launch earlier this week in the coastal Portuguese city.
With their classy execution and trendy styling, recent Kias like the Soul, Sportage and Picanto have added the word “cool” to the Korean carmaker’s vocabulary, which has made it one of the world’s fastest growing car brands with sales exceeding two million units in 2010 for the first time.
The question was whether the new fourth-generation Rio could maintain that momentum and be good enough to compete against the likes of the Polo, Fiesta and Clio in what is possibly the coolest segment in the market.
Compared to other recent Kias I find the Rio’s styling perhaps just a tad undramatic and play-it-safe, and it won’t necessarily make 20-somethings go weak at the knees in the same was as, say, a Fiesta or a Soul. But there’s enough here to make it an aspirational car that will strike a chord with its young-at-heart target market.
The five-door hatchback (it will also later come as a three-door hatch and four-door sedan) has a satisfyingly modern shape with the signature Tiger Nose grille giving it a clear Kia family identity, garnished in the approved latest fashion with projector-style headlamps with LED “eyeliners”, and LED tail lights.
Kia’s recent strides in build quality and neat finishes are also evident in the cabin, with its soft-touch dashboard and generally premium feel. Optional dual-tone colouring adds a splash of charisma if you find the standard black interior a tad boring.
The new Rio’s impressively yielding ride quality and neat handling also compete satisfactorily with the best cars in the class, even though the super-light electric power steering feels a little lifeless.
Having grown to a length of just over four metres, it’s bigger and more spacious than the old Rio and has larger-than-average passenger room for a B-segment car; a pair of full-sized adults will happily fit in the back seat without squashed knees. Boot space has also grown to a more useful 288 litres (923 litres with the seats folded), and there’s plenty of cabin stowage including a cooled glovebox and a bin between the front seats.
The car’s initially available only with 1.2- and 1.4-litre petrol four-cylinder engines – with respective outputs of 64kW and 79kW – which delivered satisfactory commuting pace where I drove them at sea level but may struggle for power at altitude. More gutsy turbodiesel engines will follow suit which may be a better choice for Gauteng drivers.
Kia’s efforts at reducing noise and vibration are evident in the Rio’s quiet and unobtrusive manner. Modest though they may be in size, the engines aren’t noisy or buzzy, which adds to the car’s all-round premium feel. The 1.2 is paired with a five-speed manual gearbox while the 1.4 gets an extra gear, and they both have an agreeably slick and positive shift action.
The derivatives I drove in Lisbon were highly-specced with features like satnav, radio/cd with MP3 and Bluetooth capability, automatic aircon, rain sensors, six airbags and ABS brakes among others.
Final spec levels and prices are still to be determined for the Rio’s South African sales debut in late October or early November, but as usual you can expect a competitively priced package from Kia. -Star Motoring