Owner Review: My Kia Rio makes me smile

motoring.com.au tests hundreds of cars each year. Most of time we ‘live’ with the cars for a short period – perhaps up to 14 days. Some tests are longer, but even with our long-term tests, we can only deliver a snapshot of the ownership experience.

Owners are the true judges of how cars perform, whether to live with they are good, bad or just plain ugly. So here’s your chance to have your say – and help your fellow car buyers and owners!

To kick off we’ve polled members of the wider motoring.com.au/carsales.com.au ‘family’ and asked them questions on their own cars and the ownership and purchasing process.

We’ll publish more of these in coming weeks and encourage you to have your say – direct to motoring or via the Owner Review pages at carsales.com.au.

This week it’s our social media guru Tash and her Kia Rio.

Mike Sinclair
Editor-in-Chief
I am: Natasha Laging
I live in: Inner-city Melbourne
My car: MY16 Kia Rio 1.4 S three-door
I bought it in: 2016
I rate it as: 4/5

With all the hype surrounding the Kia Stinger, I thought it was time to reflect on my one-year anniversary of owning a Kia Rio S MY16.

I’ve always considered myself the type of car owner who doesn’t straddle the mainstream. I’ve been attracted to vintage tanks with muscular hoods or French hatches with striking, obscure designs.

My first car was a chocolate-brown 1976 BMW 528i beast, appropriately named Coco. She would purr on start-up and then hum down the road, until she routinely conked out.

When Coco finally passed, I opted for a gutsy little Renault Clio. She had a few good years, before I upgraded to a Mégane. It looked as if I was a Renault convert at the time. The Mégane saw me through six solid years before problems started to erupt. And I decided that I needed a new car.

I thought it best to steer away from French hatchbacks and 1970s BMWs this time. I'd heard wonderful things about hot hatches, but didn’t want to break the bank. I was looking for something accessible, fuel-efficient, fun and stylish: a warm hatch of sorts.

I’d never considered a Kia or any other Korean brand, for that matter. I had limited knowledge of Kia’s brand values and only associated them with the Australian Open.

Kia’s seven-year warranty was a big pull and it really put the brand on my radar.

So, in early 2016 I decided to drop into my local Kia dealership and take the Rio for a spin. I was instantly won over. After some negotiations, I decided to opt for the gun metal grey three-door 1.4 litre hatchback.

The Good
As a true urbanite, my Rio is easy to drive and compliant on city roads. It offers a spacious ride and seat comfort is on the mark. It’s not a tinny car like some of its competitors.

It’s cheeky, cute and the interior design has a nice fit out with a glossy dash. There’s cushy cloth upholstery which prevents the sticking and sliding of leather seats in the summer months (Coco was known for this), padded armrests and handy twin cup holders.

The Bluetooth pairing is simple to sync and the six-speaker audio system has a powerful bass, which is important for a music lover like me.

Boot space is generous and the rear seating area has a good amount of legroom. There have been no complaints from my lanky passengers so far, anyway! And the car comes with a full-size spare tyre, which is always a blessing.

The after-market service is very appealing. I get a sense of long-term security with the seven-year warranty, which includes capped-price servicing and roadside assistance for the duration.

It’s true, good things tend to come in small packages. The Kia Rio is an impressive, compact and accommodating car and for the price, it’s a little dream. Most importantly, it makes me smile.

The not so good
While I can happily cruise along an open road with confidence, I would love more punch when driving up hill. The engine tends to lack vitality and sufficient surge when overtaking. It can be a tad noisy when I go heavier on the acceleration too.

The Rio S needs to keep up with the technology game as it doesn’t come with a reversing camera or rear parking sensors, which would be handy for those times when I’m more directionally-challenged.

Above all, my Rio is enough to elicit brand loyalty to Kia. I really hope my car has the longevity that far surpasses its predecessors. Who knows, one day I might upgrade to the Stinger!

Join the discussion:
Got a great story about your car? Send us an email at editorial@motoring.com.au or visit Owner Review pages at carsales.com.au.