Kia Rio 2017 Review

Kia Rio S and SLi
Australian Launch Review
Dandenong Ranges, Victoria

Kia has released its new Rio hatch into the maelstrom of the light car segment with unchanged pricing. Larger now – and lighter – the new car adopts a new style that's a little more mature. Enhanced smartphone integration will attract younger buyers too, and the revised underpinnings deliver improved ride quality without detriment to its dynamics. But the 1.4-litre engine and four-speed automatic carried over from the previous model detract from the Rio's otherwise impressive gains.

It's been a while since I last drove a Kia Rio. This latest model has made some distinct progress in many ways.

It's certainly quieter, and there's more kneeroom for rear-seat occupants. It's better equipped too, and Kia has certainly shaved the C pillars down for an improved field of vision around the rear flanks.

But there is one element of the new Rio that hasn't kept pace – the 1.4-litre engine and the four-speed automatic transmission option.

The four-cylinder is refined, right down to 1500rpm, but there’s little torque at any sort of speed below 3000rpm. Overtaking or ascending hills requires the driver to pick the right gear well in advance and build up some speed first.

In part, the problem lies with the engine, which wasn't a ball of fire in the older car anyway. It has been detuned to comply with the Euro 5 emissions standard in the new model. At least peak power and torque arrive at slightly lower engine speeds.

What power and torque is available could be better utilised with a six-speed automatic transmission. The four-speed automatic in the Rio is smooth enough, but it’s really two gears short of acceptable for anything other than slow commuting. Driving the six-speed manual did reveal how much more fun the Rio could be with those extra ratios.

The automatic is simply too tall in first and second to match the (relatively) lively performance of the Suzuki Ignis launched in the same week. People complain about CVTs, but the continuously variable ratio setup is preferable with small engines if the alternative is a stepped transmission lacking steps.

In short, the Rio is truly in need of more performance to fully exploit the light hatch’s handling and roadholding competence.

On a hill with an 80km/h speed limit, the Rio will lose speed and the reluctance of the automatic to kick down will leave the 1.4-litre engine plugging away below its optimal output in third gear. Push the accelerator all the way to the floor and the transmission will finally drop back to second for the engine to spin up an extra 2000 revs with a dramatic increase in noise.

Kia Australia wants the 1.0-litre turbo three-cylinder for the Rio, but won’t even look at introducing that without a dual-clutch transmission due sometime next year. And it’s understood that the six-speed automatic on the way for the 1.4 is still some months in the future.

For drivers who aren't frightened by the prospect of manual shifting, the six-speed gearbox available in the Rio S is the cheapest option in the Rio range, and it comes closest to delivering enjoyable driving. There’s just a touch of engine flare, but this doesn’t hamper smooth shifting in any great degree. The shift action is light and precise and I found the clutch take-up was fine.

Despite its position in the range, the Rio S is only marginally noisier than the SLi – and that difference was all due to the manual drivetrain.

Fuel efficiency and performance favour the manual Rio over the automatic – on paper AND on the road. Outward bound from our starting point in Melbourne, the Rio SLi auto used fuel at the rate of 7.1L/100km. Driven harder on the return journey the Rio S manual consumed fuel at just 6.2L/100km, according to the trip computer.

Kia claims that 95 per cent of Rio buyers will opt for automatic variants of the Rio, despite the manual being the superior choice for drivers. That’s understandable of course, since very few target buyers are likely to drive the Rio with the same brio as motoring journalists looking forward to a lavish lunch at the end of the journey.

Ride comfort is a little firm for country drivers – it's slightly better in the Rio S, which rides on 15-inch steel wheels rather than the 16-inch alloys of the Rio SLi – but few urban drivers will find it unforgiving in any of the three variants. As mentioned already, the Rio, with its local suspension tuning, is safe and fun to drive. It turns in promptly and hangs on like a leech.

With its different wheel and tyre combination the Rio SLi was more precise on-centre and not as nervous as the Rio S. Kia, arguably subjecting the new Rio to a tougher test of its driveability than was entirely warranted, selected a gravel track for part of the drive program.

The automatic Rio SLi handled this with poise, never washing out at the front. It would compensate for lateral G forces by inducing predictable oversteer that the stability control sorted out without any drama. About the only flaw we would pick was the Rio’s ride comfort over some of the unsealed section’s corrugations. But who’s going to be regularly driving a Rio on a road section like this anyway?

Unfortunately, being the only manual choice for Rio, the entry-level model misses out on a lot of good kit. But the Rio looks good, whichever the variant, and the interior is a very sensible design based on ergonomics for actual human beings. Although, in keeping with other light-segment hatches, the Rio has no vents in the rear. And the seats back there fold almost flat, but not flush with the boot floor. There was also a problem encountered pairing an iPhone 6 through Bluetooth, but not an iPhone 4.

The Rio S provides the same level of seating comfort and support as the SLi variant, and the steering column adjustment was more than adequate for placing the driver the right distance from wheels, pedals and other controls.

The instruments, like the other models in the range, are easy to read, and even with the driving position set up ideally for me, there’s still plenty of room in the seat behind for another adult to occupy. Furthermore, adults in the back also enjoy plenty of headroom, even in the case of the sunroof-equipped Rio SLi tested.

Since the Ignis has been at the forefront of my mind this week, it’s natural to draw that comparison between the Suzuki and the Rio. They’re both light hatches, although Suzuki calls the Ignis a ‘light SUV’.

The Rio is more conservatively styled, but the interior is also less gimmicky than the Suzuki's, and more presentable overall, I feel. Both cars feature a ‘floating’ touchscreen for the respective infotainment systems, but that facility looks better integrated with the dash in the Rio than the same feature does in the Ignis.

Enhanced smartphone connectivity (Android Auto and Apple CarPlay) is standard for both the Ignis and the Rio.

Suzuki has stressed that the Ignis is a very lightweight construction, and that’s apparent with the door closure, which is light and not as solid as the Rio’s. There are some differences in specification for around the same money, the push-button to start of the Ignis in the GLX grade, for example, but the Rio doesn’t offer that facility at all.

As to the answer for the question, which to buy?

The Rio more than doubles the warranty cover of the Ignis. That alone might be a sufficiently convincing argument for many. The Rio is a more engaging drive (but stay away from hilly terrain), and the Kia is a car that appeals equally to younger and older drivers of both sexes.

We anticipate it will sell well, because most of the buying public are not motoring journalists…

2017 Kia Rio S pricing and specifications:
Price: $16,990 (manual, plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 74kW/133Nm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel: 5.6L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 129g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: TBA

2017 Kia Rio SLi pricing and specifications:
Price: $23,510 (auto Rio SLi as tested, plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 74kW/133Nm
Transmission: Four-speed automatic
Fuel: 6.2L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 145g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: TBA

Also consider:
>> Hyundai Accent (from $14,990 plus ORCs)
>> Mazda2 (from $14,990 plus ORCs)
>> Toyota Yaris (from $15,290 plus ORCs)