PARIS MOTOR SHOW: Kia Oz confirms Rio details

Kia Australia has confirmed a three-grade model line-up of the updated Rio small car due in showrooms around January (2017). But there’s a catch for Aussie buyers – segment-leading safety technology won’t be available on local cars until a year later (2018).

Unveiled on the stands of the Paris motor show this week, the fourth-generation Rio will introduce a suite of new safety and technology features.

Local stakeholders have confirmed two petrol engines will be offered in five-door guise. A starting price close to the $16,990 entry of the current version has been confirmed. Because of low demand for manual transmissions, however, the flagship Rio – a (currently manual-only) 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol three-cylinder – won’t come Down Under until 2018, when an automatic alternative is finally available.

As Kia Australia spokesman Kevin Hepworth explained, that means Australian customers won’t be privilege to new autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian recognition technology that is fitted exclusively to the 77kW/172Nm triple engine. The move stems partly from Europe, where there is less need for an automatic transmission.

“The launch engine will be the [atmo] 1.4-litre with a four-speed carry-over automatic, with the three-cylinder to come online in 2018,” Hepworth told motoring.com.au.

“We’ve already seen that take-up of manual transmissions is very low in Australia. In the current Rio the split is 95:5 automatic to manual. That led to the decision that we would wait for the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission with the 1.0-litre engine.”

Rather than simply banking on the inclusion of autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian recognition (said to be a first in the class) as the small car’s major trump card, Kia will instead spruik the new Rio’s Apple/Android smartphone integration, a roomier cabin with 325-litre luggage capacity, plus a ride/handling balance aimed at those who enjoy driving as its major redeeming features.

Hepworth confirmed S, Si and SLi model grades similar to the current line-up, with no three-door option.

Forming the engine line-up until the triple arrives in 2018 will be a 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol. Port injection and stop-start technology enables outputs of 88kW and 132Nm while ensuring respectable fuel use and emission figures to correlate with tightening European standards. AS noted above, the 1.4-litre will be offered with a four-speed automatic transmission.

“There’s been two battles fought. One is the four-speed automatic; we’ve argued we need a six-speed. [And] That will arrive from the middle of next year,” Hepworth said.

“The other fight was for the tuning, Australia had been allocated low-spec dampers without the RS valving as found in the Cerato, which is much more responsive. [But] Korea actually took a backward step and said you can have that [higher spec damper] from launch. It’s been re-tuned and it’s a higher-spec, more tuneable damper in terms of compression and rebound.”

Along with updated engines, the MY16 Rio is more rigid courtesy of a new body shell. MacPherson struts do duty up front, accompanied by torsion beam suspension at the rear. The better structure (and dampers) means Rio can deliver a more compliant ride, Hepworth intimated.

The Rio is anticipated to achieve a five-star safety rating after assessment by Euro NCAP. Six airbags are complemented by ISOFIX child safety seat mounting.

The manufacturer has boosted the percentage of Advanced High Strength Steel content from 33 per cent to 51 per cent for the new car.

Inside the new Rio, the heating and cooling switchgear below the infotainment screen has been simplified. The dash layout is oriented towards the driver and the infotainment interface is operated through a ‘floating’ tablet-style device mounted from the centre fascia. Lower-grade variants come with a 5.0-inch touch screen, but higher grade models will move to a 7.0-inch unit that displays satellite navigation maps.

The standard audio system will be a six-speaker unit. Kia is claiming a first in the class, offering the new Rio with USB ports in the rear seat as well as in front.

Bottleholders in the front doors will accommodate 1.5-litre bottles and there are two cupholders in the centre console, plus two more 500ml can/bottle holders in the rear doors. As well as a sunglass holder in the overhead console, there’s an open double tray in the centre console for accommodating mobile phones and other loose items.

Depending on trim level, the new Rio will be offered in black or grey cloth, or with black or grey synthetic ‘leather’.

Appearing on the new Rio’s equipment list will be items such as keyless entry/start, heated seats/steering wheel, rain-sensing wipers and automatic headlights. Automatic Cruise Control with a speed limiter will also be available, as will Rear Park Assist with reversing camera.

A thinner version of the ‘tiger grille’ motif was selected by the new Rio’s stylists. In combination with the longer bonnet and the slimmed-down ‘bi-function’ headlights, the new design removes some of the chunkiness of the current model’s front end.

For improved vision, the new Rio boasts thinner C pillars, and Kia’s designers have relocated the door mirrors to the base of the A pillars. A lower beltline and kidney windows in the rear doors also help reduce blind spots.

Kia’s answer to popular city-cars like the Toyota Yaris, Mazda2 and Hyundai Accent, plus Holden’s upcoming Barina facelift, the Rio grows by 15mm in length (now 4065mm long), 10mm in wheelbase (2580mm) and 5mm in width (1725mm) in this generation, but shrinks 15mm in height (1450mm).

Eight exterior colours will be on offer when the new car reaches the market, with three alloy wheel designs measuring between 15 and 17-inch diameter. A space-saver spare tyre will be fitted as standard.

The Kia will arrive Down Under in January, 2017, around the time of the Australian Open, an event Kia holds the naming rights to.

Kia is hopeful of around 1000 Aussie sales per month, up from current volume of 650 vehicles.